Often, I intentionally refrain from high-profile stories because we get beat over the head with them enough. Instead, I normally choose those stories that get overlooked in the media in order to help give them more visibility.

I’m breaking with my normal M.O. to share some thoughtful analysis I read in regards to the Michael Vick situation and our reaction to it.

Jamele Hill, in writing for ESPN’s Page 2, reminds us of how easily we lose what my mother would call our sense of “priority and proportion.”

Hill reminds us that Ravens’ linebacker was never this vilified when he stood accused of being involved in the killings of two people (he later plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice). She also looks back on how Rams’ defensive end Leonard Little was treated with kid gloves after he actually struck and killed a woman while drunk-driving. Little got an 8-game suspension and got to serve a 90-day sentence at a time that was convenient to him. So, here we see instances where human lives were lost and there was less public outcry than this Vick circus.

Hill also lets us know about contemporary stories that are being ignored while we talk about Vick. Specifically, she speaks on how we are ignoring the plight of the “Jena 6″, which we as black folks should be greatly concerned. Here we have young men who could languish in prison for decades over what should have been, at worst, a simple assault case.

Vick deserves punishment for his crimes, no doubt. However, what more important issues are we ignoring while we focus on this mess?

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