Aside: Japan and Korea have really fucked up laws on prescription drugs.
You know, I've never really considered the idea of Japan having a drug problem. I don't know if they have people smoking crack or anything but it just never struck me as a thing that could happen there.
Scott, I don't think the problem is criminal celebrities influencing people to commit crime, but rather the large gap between law and lifestyle in the US. Dogfighting is incredibly common and very popular, and a sport that had been practiced since colonial times. The econo-cultural divide between middle/upper and lower classes is the problem, not "criminal celebrities."
I really dislike the "once a criminal, always a criminal" mentality of our society. Why have formal punishments at all if they're going to be punished in perpetuity? He served his time, let the guy be.
I'm not saying that someone who is once a criminal is always a criminal. I'm saying that even if you are someone who has completely reformed into a wonderful human being, there are still certain things you should not be permitted to ever do. Namely, being a celebrity. The glorification of crime is not a good aspect of our society, and I would like it to disappear.
As I said, a thief, no matter how reformed, should never be permitted to work in a bank. A felon, no matter how reformed, should not be in any position to be a role model to anybody, let alone a major celebrity. Too often we are doing the opposite and people who act immorally and commit crimes get their fame boosted. That is not a good thing.
But don't you see, "once a criminal, always a criminal" is exactly what you're espousing with your examples. These are people who have completed their punishment, why shouldn't they be allowed to have all the rights and privileges and even jobs that everyone else can have. Why shouldn't they be allowed to vote? Maybe we aren't glorifying dog fighting rings by hiring Michael Vick, but just glorifying that he's a really good quarterback regardless of what he did in the past. I mean I'm not crazy about how we glorify celebrities in this country, but the man is a quarterback. I'm not looking to him for how to make good life choices because he's an outlier.
I know felons can't vote, but I think they should be able to. Did I say otherwise? I also don't think it should be illegal for them to be celebrities. I'm just don't think it's a good idea, and I would rather they not be. For sports specifically, I find it rather hard to root for a team if I can't respect the players and the organization. Clearly some teams understand this and work hard to maintain their image, others don't seem to care if the team has a record 100 miles long.
Let's say you're a Bills fan and you go to a game. They have a ceremony celebrating OJ Simpson. Can you bring yourself to cheer for him? After all, he was found not guilty.
Let's say you're a Bills fan and you go to a game. They have a ceremony celebrating OJ Simpson. Can you bring yourself to cheer for him? After all, he was found not guilty.
Do you mean the guy currently serving 33 years for armed robbery and kidnapping (among other felonies)?
I think you are overstating things here. Nobody is asking to let Vick get into the hall of fame, even if he had that kind of talent and success. However, I think if people have served the punishment they have received, they shouldn't arbitrarily be barred from the occupation they are best suited for. For Vick this appears to be football.
I know felons can't vote, but I think they should be able to. Did I say otherwise? I also don't think it should be illegal for them to be celebrities. I'm just don't think it's a good idea, and I would rather they not be. For sports specifically, I find it rather hard to root for a team if I can't respect the players and the organization. Clearly some teams understand this and work hard to maintain their image, others don't seem to care if the team has a record 100 miles long.
Let's say you're a Bills fan and you go to a game. They have a ceremony celebrating OJ Simpson. Can you bring yourself to cheer for him? After all, he was found not guilty.
See, that idea of "they can be X, but I don't think it's a good idea" is the kind of prejudice that's gonna make it really hard for someone who has been released from jail to succeed, or just make ends meet. And then we wonder why our recidivism rates are high.
At the same time, we've fucked up our prisons so much that released felons have a scarily high recidivism rate...
I think there's something of a crazy feedback loop at play there too, like George Patches said. Felons often learn to become better felons due to time spent in prison... combine that with the fact that it's often impossible for a felon to get a decent, legitimate job once leaving prison and they often have no choice but return to crime to make a living.
Other than celebrity felons like Vick, the only other felons I can think of who were able to get legitimate jobs after getting out of prison are former hackers like Kevin Mitnick, who were able to start computer security consulting/penetration testing/etc. companies based on their skills and/or name recognition.
Served his time or not, I think people are generally less keen on granting second chances when someone becomes mega-rich and fucks up in a morally repugnant way.
Those are the only ones you can think of because those are the only ones you know.
I don't deny that... Actually, I think some may have become bounty hunters... but again, I'm no expert in the area of "felons who somehow were able to go legit based on their felonious skills."
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Let's say you're a Bills fan and you go to a game. They have a ceremony celebrating OJ Simpson. Can you bring yourself to cheer for him? After all, he was found not guilty.
I think you are overstating things here. Nobody is asking to let Vick get into the hall of fame, even if he had that kind of talent and success. However, I think if people have served the punishment they have received, they shouldn't arbitrarily be barred from the occupation they are best suited for. For Vick this appears to be football.
Other than celebrity felons like Vick, the only other felons I can think of who were able to get legitimate jobs after getting out of prison are former hackers like Kevin Mitnick, who were able to start computer security consulting/penetration testing/etc. companies based on their skills and/or name recognition.