I decided a couple weeks ago that I'm going to stop writing when I'm upset, or angry. Unfortunately, given the nature of this site and the sports teams I follow, that's not going to be possible. Instead, I'll issue the following warning:
(The Following Message Was Written While the Author Was Under the Influence of Seething Rage)
and we'll all understand each other. That being said, let's move on.
For those of you who don't know, a shooting occurred outside of the club "Playmakers" here in Philly, which Marvin Harrison owns, on April 29. From bullet casings recovered from the scene, police have found that a gun Harrison owns was involved in the shooting. A man was shot through the hand right after getting into a fight with Harrison. The man who was shot has refused to identify the shooter. The gun was later found inside a garage/detail shop that Harrison owns. To date, Harrison has not been charged with anything.
This doesn't stop some people from jumping to their own conclusions. (A particularly good rebuttal of these has been done at Kissing Suzy Kolber). It doesn't take long to see where these articles are going. I expected this from some media members, but not SalPal, surely he wouldn't...
"The guns bullets were advertised as being able to penetrate...listen to this...48 layers of kevlar [armor] at 50 meters. Now who wears kevlar other than police officers? This gun is designed to be a cop killer."-SalPal, on Mike and Mike in the Morning, found here.
OF COURSE the gun's makers advertised that it was a powerful handgun! Do you expect a gunmaker to say, "Yeah, we've got this little cute pistol here, can't do much more than dent a wet paper bag at 50 feet, but ain't she purty?" An advertisement for a weapon (actually the weapon's armor piercing ammunition) doesn't automatically give some license to discern the intent of the manufacturer. Unless, maybe 1) you don't know dick about guns, 2) you're trying to sensationalize a story, and 3) you're looking to impugn a man's character. For instance, other guns that can pierce kevlar include: just about every hunting rifle ever made.
To put SalPal's response in perspective let's put his comments in a different context, using the following formula:
Advertisement+Word association game (kevlar::cops)+Negative assumption based on the Word Association, using inflammatory language
"The Corvette's been advertised to go 0-60 in...listen to this...4.28 seconds, on the pavement. Now who else is on the pavement but mothers pushing their babies in a stroller? This car is designed to be a baby killer." Reductio ad absurdem? Absolutely, but the point stands.
Marvin Harrison owns a handgun. This handgun, when properly equipped, is capable of piercing kevlar vests at a certain range. Policemen wear kevlar vests. Marvin Harrison is an athlete. However, these factors do NOT make Marvin Harrison a cop killer.
I understand that the people inhabiting newsrooms all over the country are not demographically inclined to like guns. Newsies make love, not war. Peace, love, dope. I get it. Fine. Reasonable people can disagree about the handgun's place in modern urban society.
What we're seeing here is people transferring their own ideas about guns, athletes, and minorities onto this situation. The simple fact that we just don't know what happened outside Playmakers that night maybe isn't enough for these folks. "Guns! Black Men! Black Men with Guns! Must be Cop Killers!"
I mean, isn't there at least one columnist who's willing to withold judgment, both implicit and explicit? Who's willing to forsake a cheap headline? Thank you, Bob Kravitz. You're a saint.
What we're seeing in this situation is reminiscent of the Sean Taylor situation last year, when the national media basically blamed Taylor for getting shot in his own house during a botched robbery.
To be clear, Marvin Harrison is his own man. He might have done something wrong in this situation. He might have done something illegal in this situation. At this point, we don't know. To infer his guilt from gun ownership is wrong, and to print such things in full view of his family and loved ones is criminal.
(The Following Message Was Written While the Author Was Under the Influence of Seething Rage)
and we'll all understand each other. That being said, let's move on.
For those of you who don't know, a shooting occurred outside of the club "Playmakers" here in Philly, which Marvin Harrison owns, on April 29. From bullet casings recovered from the scene, police have found that a gun Harrison owns was involved in the shooting. A man was shot through the hand right after getting into a fight with Harrison. The man who was shot has refused to identify the shooter. The gun was later found inside a garage/detail shop that Harrison owns. To date, Harrison has not been charged with anything.
This doesn't stop some people from jumping to their own conclusions. (A particularly good rebuttal of these has been done at Kissing Suzy Kolber). It doesn't take long to see where these articles are going. I expected this from some media members, but not SalPal, surely he wouldn't...
"The guns bullets were advertised as being able to penetrate...listen to this...48 layers of kevlar [armor] at 50 meters. Now who wears kevlar other than police officers? This gun is designed to be a cop killer."-SalPal, on Mike and Mike in the Morning, found here.
OF COURSE the gun's makers advertised that it was a powerful handgun! Do you expect a gunmaker to say, "Yeah, we've got this little cute pistol here, can't do much more than dent a wet paper bag at 50 feet, but ain't she purty?" An advertisement for a weapon (actually the weapon's armor piercing ammunition) doesn't automatically give some license to discern the intent of the manufacturer. Unless, maybe 1) you don't know dick about guns, 2) you're trying to sensationalize a story, and 3) you're looking to impugn a man's character. For instance, other guns that can pierce kevlar include: just about every hunting rifle ever made.
To put SalPal's response in perspective let's put his comments in a different context, using the following formula:
Advertisement+Word association game (kevlar::cops)+Negative assumption based on the Word Association, using inflammatory language
"The Corvette's been advertised to go 0-60 in...listen to this...4.28 seconds, on the pavement. Now who else is on the pavement but mothers pushing their babies in a stroller? This car is designed to be a baby killer." Reductio ad absurdem? Absolutely, but the point stands.
Marvin Harrison owns a handgun. This handgun, when properly equipped, is capable of piercing kevlar vests at a certain range. Policemen wear kevlar vests. Marvin Harrison is an athlete. However, these factors do NOT make Marvin Harrison a cop killer.
I understand that the people inhabiting newsrooms all over the country are not demographically inclined to like guns. Newsies make love, not war. Peace, love, dope. I get it. Fine. Reasonable people can disagree about the handgun's place in modern urban society.
What we're seeing here is people transferring their own ideas about guns, athletes, and minorities onto this situation. The simple fact that we just don't know what happened outside Playmakers that night maybe isn't enough for these folks. "Guns! Black Men! Black Men with Guns! Must be Cop Killers!"
I mean, isn't there at least one columnist who's willing to withold judgment, both implicit and explicit? Who's willing to forsake a cheap headline? Thank you, Bob Kravitz. You're a saint.
What we're seeing in this situation is reminiscent of the Sean Taylor situation last year, when the national media basically blamed Taylor for getting shot in his own house during a botched robbery.
To be clear, Marvin Harrison is his own man. He might have done something wrong in this situation. He might have done something illegal in this situation. At this point, we don't know. To infer his guilt from gun ownership is wrong, and to print such things in full view of his family and loved ones is criminal.
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