Before anyone jumps on me, let me explain. People (I'm using this term loosely here) like Michael Vick do us all a favor by garnering publicity for issues that mostly fly under the radar. Sure, everyone's heard about the tragedy of paralysis, but Christoper Reeve put a noble (and handsome) face to the issue. We've all heard about the traumas of Parkinson's, but Michael J. Fox gives the disease a vivid, personal quality. Similarly, the Humane Society is a well-known fixture in every state, but because of Michael Vick (ick!) they've gotten more free publicity than they ever could afford to buy.
Two weeks ago a Missouri woman sold on Ebay a handful of Vick cards chewed up and slobbered on by her dogs; she raised $7400 for the Humane Society. This week the U.S. Humane Society is auctioning a slip of paper purported to be Vick's jotted notes for his gee-I'm-sorry-but-hey-I've-found-salvation speech; in an ironic stroke of luck, the head of the Humane Society's Video Services section found the crumpled note on the podium while retrieving his microphone after the press conference.
I feel terrible for those poor dogs (apparently Vick couldn't have cared less about them, as he failed to mention the animals in his speech), but the cynic in me is grateful to a man who is more vicious than any of those pit bulls ever was, for bringing this horrifying practice to the public eye. Just like Barry Bonds, Michael Vick has given millions of people something to care about that's much more meaningful than American Idol, and an avenue to teaching our kids about the right and wrong things to do.
