This may be a bit off tangent from a football context, but there have been quite a few posts casting aspersions on Michael Vick's character. I neither support or condemn this POV, although I personally love and respect all fellow creatures (dogs included) in the community of life.
I feel that dog-fighting, bear-baiting, killing animals for sport or financial profit are merely symptoms of a much larger problem deeply ingrained in our cultural mythology/worldview. Many people believe that the value of life forms on this planet is hierarchical, with humans at the top. Place this worldview within the framework of a ravenous, capitalistic society which stresses that the value of a human life is to actualize its limitless potential to always be and possess more, and it becomes a little clearer as to why such savage acts are carried out on our neighbors in the community of life.
Now, it could be that Vick is a sociopath who enjoyed killing dogs before he was caught. And as it was pointed out earlier, many serial killers use the torture or killing of small animals as a sort of dress rehearsal for later homicidal crimes against humans. However, at some point, we have to stop asking ourselves "how can someone do that?" and start asking "how do we raise fellow humans who relish and thrive on doing that?"
While some may not agree with all of this, or think I am being morally superior, the latter was and is not my intention. I am merely expressing my take on the issue, because it seems to extend beyond football and the MVP award.
