Recently, this site published an article criticizing the public response to Michael Vick's indictment. According to our judicial system, he is innocent until proven guilty - but all that means is that he can stay out of jail until a jury decides his fate. It doesn't prevent a well-informed reader of his indictment from deciding innocence or guilt, which anyone is free to do. As long as you aren't a member of Vick's jury, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, so stop crying about how bad Vick has it now that everyone thinks he's a dog abuser. America is built on mass society and mass culture, and if you want to make millions from a public activity in sports or entertainment, you have to live with the fact that people will care about your actions.
One thing that has not gone entirely overlooked is that although Vick has never been convicted with a crime, he has committed unsavory acts that show a general disrespect for other people's lives. Vick knowingly infected a sexual partner with venereal disease, after using a fake identity (Ron Mexico) when he was tested at a clinic. Had the woman been willing to prosecute instead of settling out of court, Vick would already have a record. Considering that, plus Vick's use of the bird to fans at a home game last year, it is not surprising to hear about him consorting with the type of people who killed dogs mercilessly and arranged dogfights.
With that in mind, Vick's claim that he had no idea what was going on at the house on 1915 Moonlight Road is ridiculous. Considering the amount of money he paid out for some of the bets - some in excess of $10,000 - I have great difficulty believing he didn't know what was going on. Even if Vick had nothing to do with executing dogs, he certainly knew about it and did nothing to stop it. As the financier of the entire operation, "Ookie" could have easily prevented such horrible canine executions. That he knowingly participated in the operations of a dogfighting ring is evidence enough he should no longer have the privelege of receiving the huge amounts of money made possible only by the mass society which he has so gravely offended.
Vick's guilt aside, even if the evidence was less strong it would make sense for Americans to make a quick decision in the court of public opinion. This is the same sort of spirit that drives the Christmas shopping sprees on the morning after Thanksgiving, and people in general celebrating holidays early rather than on time or belatedly. It should be no surprise that the fickle nature of a crowd can turn against a person like Vick as quickly as it accepted him upon his eagerly awaited debut in the NFL. Face it, a public figure cannot complain about their livelihood being taken away when it is the public grace that gives it to them in the first place. That is the world we live in, and nobody is immune to the mob. The only moral to take from living in the public eye is to make a great living while you can, and appreciate it while you have it. The structures that make up mass society were built up over thousands of years, so any complaints about a shift in the public interest are nonsensical and in vain.