In Defense Of Adrian Peterson????
The headlines on one of my Facebook feeds read, “Coach’s Disgusting Defense Of Adrian Peterson: If Family Member ‘Has Cancer, You Don’t Turn Your Back On Them. You Keep Fighting For Them.”
This headline enraged me to the point, that I did not know where I wanted to begin.
First, the only thing accurate and decent to state, is that the coach is correct. You do not turn your back on a family member who is battling cancer.
But if you want to make a comparison to cancer, the “cancer” which appears to be growing not just in the NFL, but now spotlighted on the Minnesota Vikings management and head coach is you. How dare you compare someone who is in the fight of their life, to someone who is totally defenseless against a monster who beats the child to the point of leaving horrifying wounds? As a cancer survivor myself, I know the difference, do you? Clearly you do not.
I will first say, I am not a spanking parent. I never have been, and never will. I was never spanked as a child. After all, what is the less you teach a child? Mr. Peterson, you might be able to answer this one quite easily as you have repeatedly justified the scars on your child’s body, because you were “whooped” also. But the lesson simple, you spank a child who is doing something bad, to make them behave and good. Therefore, violence makes things good. This is not silly, this is fact.
There was outrage decades ago, and demands for international intervention because some dumb 19 year old teenager, Michael Fay, had vandalized a property in the country of Singapore and had been sentenced to “caning”. For us back in the states, look at the wounds on the child abused by Peterson. We all heard the conversation on the wounds and welts that would be left from being whipped by a bamboo stick (back here, it is referred to as a “switch”). Where are the demands for clemency for the defenseless child who was acting as nothing more than a child. Not a mischievous young adult looking for trouble.
No, I do not believe in spanking. I believe if a parent starts discipline right away, instead of being worried about being friends with their child, spankings would definitely be avoidable. But for many, the spoiled behaviors of some children often compel parents to respond in a way that a parent feels has no other choice. And I have seen my share of tantrums by other children, and as much as I detest those tantrums, I know they are just manipulations to get attention, so I ignore them. You do not believe me? Next time you are in a toy store, or amusement park, watch a child who is throwing a classic “I want this” or “I wanna stay” tantrum. As they are screaming, they are looking all around to see who is looking. The child knows the parent will do whatever they can to get the child to be quiet and behave so as not to be embarrassed. But watch, disappear around the corner, out of sight, take a look back at the child, and often times they are looking for who will support them next.
My post is not meant to tell how parents how to raise children. I am not an expert, just a an expert at raising my own children.
No, my post is about defending a thug by comparing it to a fight with mortality, dealing with cancer.
First, the NFL, you are disgusting for not taking any further action against Peterson. He has admitted that he assaulted the child.
Next, the Minnesota Vikings, you have shown your true colors. True, your team might only be that one person, who had the potential for being one of the greatest running backs, but how does that compare when you have shown all you care about is protecting your franchise team win-loss record by reinstating Peterson after your loss on Sunday? A one game deactivation has taught the thug a lesson? Very nice. Remember my analogy, teaching that punishment makes right? What is the lesson here? Scarring a four-year old child for life = 1 game and pay.
But Head Coach Mike Zimmer… you are supposed to be a leader. A leader is supposed to have empathy and understanding and compassion. A four year old now bears scars from the hands of someone six times his size and ten times his strength, and will have those scars the rest of his life. And you choose to defend this thug by comparing him to someone who is battling cancer. There is a huge difference (and I want to stress, I am not using the vocabulary that I really want to use to illustrate my disgust with you as a human being). I could have died from the cancer I had. The child could have died from not only the beating (how many headlines have we read that someone beat a child to death because it just would not stop crying), but also from infections had the wounds not been treated properly. If anything, the child who was so badly abused can be compared to having family stand behind him/her as they recover from the abuse. But Peterson. HELL NO! You do not get to compare him to standing behind someone who is fighting cancer. You are a piece of garbage for not only making that statement, but for believing it, and condoning Peterson’s admitted behavior.
Look, I am a huge fan of pro-football. But I also believe in integrity.
Paul's Heart 