I know this will sound ridiculous, and make it look like I don't come up with my own opinions or ideas, but my mom, dad, and I all agree on every political issue I bring up...and usually in every aspect as well! So I created what I thought was a semi-convincing counterargument, and asked her to respond to it as well!
The issue I asked her to comment on was the Michael Vick case.
Background: Michael Vick is an NFL quarterback. He plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. From Wikipedia: "In April 2007, Vick was implicated in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring that had operated over five years. In August 2007, he pleaded guilty to federal felony charges and served 21 months in prison, followed by two months in home confinement.[1][2][3] With the loss of his NFL salary and product endorsement deals, combined with previous financial mismanagement, Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2008.[4] Falcons owner Arthur Blank did not want Vick on the Falcons, and after attempts to trade him failed, Vick was released. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and was reinstated in Week 3 of the 2009 season."
The basic question I asked my mom was, "Was Michael Vick's punishment for his dog fighting ring too lenient?"
She responded: "Are you kidding me!? It's sick! He has nothing better to do than watch dogs fight eachother!? Pick on somebody your own size! It's revolting! But we must have our precious taxpayer-funded football team! And he must keep on playing! Why, we would never dare punish a football player! It's just like when I went to hight school, Laurel...the athletes got the special treatment....it was sick."
My (ingenuine) counter argument was:
No. Michael Vick made a mistake and broke the law, and he was in prison for almost two years. He suffered plenty of consequences, including losing everything and declaring bankruptcy. If this were a homicide, I would understand where you are coming from. But these are dogs. They are not even humans!!! And it is natural for dogs to fight...they come from wolves, who must survive in the wild and sometimes that entails fighting, whether for food or a mate. What do you expect to happen? Did you hope that he would be sentenced to life, and banished from the NFL forever? Yeah, right. Michael Vick is one of the greatest QB's of all time!
Her rebuttal:
I don't care what the law says is appropriate, my morals and common sense and insides tell me the punishment wasn't enough! Dogs are living, breathing, thinking, feeling animals just like us! The NFL's acceptance of him after this whole incident diminishes their reputation so greatly, and makes them lose their credibility...the fact that he is the leader of a team...a star again....our society is rewarding him for his sick and twisted behavior! It's just wrong.
