Bad vs. Evil

There are people who do bad things, and there are evil people. While these two populations overlap, inclusion in the former does not necessarily result in inclusion in the latter.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Michael Vick. Vick is a former pro football player who was convicted of running a dog-fighting ring. He financed it and had facilities at his home to breed, train, and fight the dogs. This is an ugly business. Aside from the actual fighting and dying (which is wagered on by the spectators), the breeding involves something called "rape tables" (or something akin) where the female dogs are basically strapped down so the alpha dogs (literally) can impregnate them. I can only wonder if there is any wagering going on during those encounters. After getting caught, Vick did about 2 years in federal prison. He was recently released.

Dante Stallworth is another pro football player who has had legal problems. Stallworth got drunk, hit and killed someone with his car, then fled the scene. He was later caught and confessed. He know faces a variety of charges, the most serious of which is one for vehicular manslaughter.

People are debating about how Vick and Stallworth should be treated with respect to one another by the NFL. Vick recently was suspended for 4 games. Stallworth (I think) has been suspended for the entire season. Many believe that Vick shouldn't face any sort of suspension since he has "done his time" and "paid his debt to society".

Let me make this clear. There is a huge difference between what these two guys did. Both and certainly regrettable. Many argue that what Stallworth did is worse because it resulted in the loss of a human life. Fair enough. When I am trying to weigh the moral value of an action (or lack thereof), I tend to focus on the intent of the actor. What Stallworth did was reckless and insensitive. People can go out and drink all they want, but they should do it without taking the wheel afterwwards. Someone with Stallworth's resources could have easily had a driver to cart him around. Vick, however, is on an entirely different level than Stallworth. Stallworth got drunk, made a bad decision, and the result was horrible. But Stallworth didn't intend to kill anyone. In fact, I doubt that he gave it much thought at all. Vick, on the other hand, was instrumental in planning and financing the dog fighting operation. He was involved in this for years. He knew exactly what the results were going to be (a bunch of mutilated animals) because THAT WAS THE RESULT HE WANTED.

Stallowrth was stupid, irresponsible, weak, ignorant and impulsive. A bunch of common human frailties ganged up on him all at once and, as a result, someone else died. Vick was calculated, cold, and unfeeling. He orchestrated the pain and death of other living creatures for his own entertainment. That isn't just human weakness mainfesting itself. That's evil. Everyone has certain character shortcomings. Vick certainly has his. But he is also evil. No amount of time in prison will change that about him. It is impossible for him to be rehabilitated. Rehabilitation requires the acquisition of some new insight, or skill, that will enable someone to avoid past mistakes. I doubt that the federal prison system has a class called "killing dogs is bad". Vick may not re-offend, but only to avoid going back to prison. I guarantee you that he would love to fight dogs again.