Dogfighting and the Rap/Hip-Hop/Gangsta Culture

[Aristotle]

A connection?

Suspected Drugs, Weapons Found In DMX's Home
12 Dogs Seized; Others Found Buried

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. -- About a half-pound of suspected illegal narcotics were found at the north Phoenix home of rapper DMX during a search launched by sheriff's deputies on Friday, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

Deputies, acting on a tip of animal cruelty, carried out 12 pit bulls in need of immediate medical care, investigators said.

They said they also found the bodies of three dogs buried in the back yard of the Cave Creek property.

[Darion]

Much like Steve Irwin's death brought about massive coverage of people being skewered by stingrays, we will not go a week without hearing of every single incident of animal cruelty that occurs anywhere. Not saying I disagree with cracking down and calling out people who abuse animals (I don't), but it's the ratings gravy-train all over again.

[Savaric]

I was gonna start a thread about the dog fighting and the underground in black culture but thought it best to leave it alone. I first noticed dog fighting appeared pretty popular in black neighborhoods from watching animal rescue shows.

Well I'm sure dog fighting goes on with all major cultures/races/income levels, but it seems to be a particularly favorite past time of degenerates in the black community. I guess the third world conditions of the ghettos wouldn't be complete without some sort of animal cruelty.

[Shadarach]

I don't think stupidity and cruelty involving animals is confined to any particular racial, social or income band you care to place on society.

People are cruel, people get bored, animals suffer, people are less bored. Rinse, repeat.

[Darion]

Originally posted by Shadarach
I don't think stupidity and cruelty involving animals is confined to any particular racial, social or income band you care to place on society.

This is not an isolated incident of a guy kicking his dog.

[Carrah]

Originally posted by Savaric
I was gonna start a thread about the dog fighting and the underground in black culture but thought it best to leave it alone. I first noticed dog fighting appeared pretty popular in black neighborhoods from watching animal rescue shows.

Dog fighting (and other kinds of animal fighting) originated in early history when there were few other forms of entertainment. This is something that spans the globe as well as centuries, because different countries each have different histories and origins of the practice. For this reason, like Shadarach says, it's not fair to attribute the practice with one specific racial group just because current incidents of it are traced to a rapper. Or, in the recent case of Michael Vick, a black football player.

Unfortunately, all kinds of people are assholes to animals. This kind of crime isn't strictly related to a specific group of people.

[Aristotle]

I think it is becoming well documented how intertwined dog fighting is with the gangsta/hip hop culture. I've only heard about it on the news in passing - largely because I got so sick of this issue in the news that I started tuning it out.

I don't think it can be simply passed off as "oh it has always happened", because the popularity is actually growing in some segments of our society. There may be other explanations for it, but I suspect a large part of it is the fact that it gives people a way to (in their eyes) show how tough they are, which is something particularly valued in the above mentioned gangsta subculture.

[Carrah]

I just want to clarify that I wasn't passing it off as having "always happened." I was trying to point out, to those who might not know (like Savaric seemed to indicate) that its historical roots span back centuries, and so it's not fair to say that it is a "black thing." There are definitely increasing cases of it among this subculture, but it is not an issue unique to it in any way. And it is not an issue native to it.

[Karmei]

In 2002, he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for neglecting 13 pit bulls in his possession.

Boo. People who do that should not be allowed to own animals again.

However, it doesn't say anywhere that the animals were used for dog fighting, in fact it said that they were NOT used for dog fighting.

Just because someone owns a Pitbull doesn't mean they are dog fighters. I own a pitbull. I don't fight dogs.

[Aristotle]

Originally posted by Karmei

Just because someone owns a Pitbull doesn't mean they are dog fighters. I own a pitbull. I don't fight dogs.

Uh huh.

j/k