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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 04 > Entry
Goldberg creates stir on ‘View’ debut
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Exactly one commercial break into her tenure as brand-new moderator on “The View” Tuesday, co-host Whoopi Goldberg found a way to instantly endear herself to Southerners.
In what appeared to be an attempt at defending disgraced Atlanta Falcon quarterback Michael Vick, Goldberg pointed to geography as a possible reason for Vick’s extracurricular dogfighting activities.
“You know from his background, this is not an unusual thing for where he comes from,” Goldberg explained on the live telecast. “There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of our country.” The Oscar winner went on to explain that Vick is from “the deep South” and that “this is part of his cultural upbringing.” As co-host Joy Behar shook her head in disagreement, “View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck went on to point out that in some cultures it’s also deemed acceptable to beat your wife as well.
In her new role as “Hot Topics” moderator, Goldberg may have been taking the pro-Vick stance in order to help drive the conversation. Tuesday’s edition of “The View” was the first new broadcast of the ABC daytime talk show since Vick pleaded guilty in federal court last month on dogfighting charges.
“On her first day, we want to give Whoopi the benefit of the doubt,” Humane Society of the United States president and CEO Wayne Pacelle told Buzz from Washington D.C. “Still, I hope she was being analytical instead of being apologetic about Michael Vick’s conduct.”
Pacelle was quick to take Goldberg to task on the accuracy of her comments, however.
“She’s flat wrong when she says that dog fighting is acceptable in the South or any other part of the country for that matter,” Pacelle said. “It’s treated as a felony in the South. And while there’s a history of dogfighting in the rural South among whites, urban dogfighting is a much more recent phenomenon. We want Whoopi Goldberg to come out and state that she finds dog-fighting despicable and deplorable.”
There was no immediate response from ABC Daytime on Goldberg’s comments.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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