Friday, September 4, 2009

If I Can Forgive Michael, Then I Must Forgive Teddy

I am for Michael Vick's second chance. He is a flawed man who made a mistake, but I hear that The Hood, which is something that I don't understand, is partly to blame. They have convinced me that The Hood is a force that is bigger than the will of a man. In The Hood, as I understand it, if someone achieves success, the rest are extremely jealous and they make the successful person feel very guilty about it. Out of guilt and a strong sense of allegiance to the others in The Hood, the successful person gladly shares his wealth with his neighbors. Apparently then distracted with his successful NFL Football career and not paying close attention to what his neighbors are doing with the money, he finds himself to be a part-time Dog Fighting Crime Boss.

When the Cops inevitably find the bad boys, they are just as inevitably led to the source of the crime which can also be the deep pocket. Maybe sometimes the Cops can be bought and sometimes they can't. So Michael's neighbors, who were just the employees, or even just the hangers-on (the Entourage), or the welfare recipients, turned on their neighbor and benefactor and investor or even taxpayer. Michael then was left with more than the tab run-up by his jealous neighbors. The legal system exacted his means of support, his fortune to date, and sent him to jail to pay for his crime. His neighbors went back to The Hood. The NFL sanctioned him.

Now the legal system says his dues are paid. The NFL is thinking of taking him back. So here Michael stands with his talents and the world back at his feet. I am happy for him because I think this means that The Hood lost this round, and it makes me hope that The Hood will continue to lose until it reinvents itself to raise its neighbors up instead of keeping them down. I also cynically believe that the NFL took him back because they know they can make money off of his talents, and I hope he senses that too.

So then my gay hairdresser and I go head to head (no pun) on Teddy Kennedy. He said one of his customers, while he had the scissors in his hands, said she was so happy that this "Damn Democrat" was dead. I told him that when my husband told me in the morning that he had died I said, "Big party in hell today." I also told my hairdresser that he would not lose me as a customer for having different opinions.

Then my hairdresser explained to me how all of Teddy's good works since Chappaquiddick had most certainly redeemed him. So I asked him, "What if you were Mary Jo's father?" He said that if Teddy had explained to him in all honesty that he had tried his best to save his daughter, but he did not succeed, that he could make peace with it." I kept my thoughts to myself. I think that considering what I have been told that Teddy lied to Mary Jo's father, and my belief system judges his good works as misguided.

But then I thought about how I believed that Michael could have a second chance so he could redeem himself. So I realized that I had to believe that Teddy was also entitled to that same second chance. This is because both men came from Hoods where things are run a certain way. These Hoods are communities, and I must be honest with myself about the influence of the community. Thus it must be that it is not all about the individual and his will.

So I take back what I said. I do understand The Hood.

1 comment:

  1. perhaps ted kennedy is reponsible for the death of one innocent person, but how many deaths is good ol' george w bush responsible for? thousands of americans, and hundreds of thousands of humans. it'll be a huge party in hell when he's gone.

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