Alot of bad dogs in the SouthEast, I'll consent that point. Alot of pit bull looking animals are bred, owned, stolen, etc. by bad people.
That doesn't make a breed bad.
I give my proof in the human race. Many bad people, but I couldn't say that one group should be "bred out" like suggestions here.
OTOH, here in the SE, especially, many pit bulls and similar breeds are used as working dogs. They are used for pig hunting quite a bit, which is where I got my dog. My dog is similar to an American Badogge, which is basically a "mixed" pit bull (I realize the AKC doesn't acknowledge a pit bull). They are mixed with other animals like the mastiff or boxer, depending on what the desired traits are. The father of my dog was used in tandem with another dog to hunt wild pigs.
When picking a dog, I think it is really ideal to know the traits of the father and mother, siblings, etc. And, I say this tongue in cheek, but the dog should pick you. My dog has never hunted and has been an inside, family dog since the 13th week of her life. Except for the 1st day, she was never caged and had free reign of my home. For the first several years she slept in my bed. I upgraded to a wife, so the dog sleeps in her own bed now. I'm sure many of my dog's siblings may have been chained to a tree their entire lives, but not mine.
If you are a dog lover, read the book Oogy. I'm almost done with it and it's been great. It addresses a dog that was salvaged from being a bait dog for fighting dogs. It's been an amazing little story.