Love doesn't hurt
One day I was sitting in a park minding my own business when I saw a little boy hit a little girl. I remember watching the mother’s "boys will be boys" reaction. The little boy kept following the little girl even after the little girl said stop. The parents just watched, noting how cute the crush was.
Fast-forward to 2014, when a star running back is caught on tape assaulting his fiancé. Because it was caught on tape, the NFL was forced to take action and suspend the assailant.
What Ray Rice did is not unusual. One in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. It is not an isolated incident but part of a larger societal problem that devalues women.
Michael Vick got 23 months in prison for dog-fighting. I am not trying to belittle the seriousness of animal cruelty, but how can Ray Rice, assailant, walk free?
The biggest threat to women in the world is not cancer. It Is not dying in a car crash. And it is not heart disease. The biggest threat to women in the world is men. One in three women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her partner.
Survivors of domestic violence - and they are survivors, not victims - are more likely to experience PTSD symptoms like depression, anxiety and flashbacks, which greatly decrease their quality of life.
Individual responsibility is important. It was Ray Rice’s decision to beat the woman he supposedly loved. However it would be irresponsible to not question how society influenced his behavior.
From a young age, boys are taught to be violent. They are taught to take charge and be dominant. Girls are instructed to be passive and accept this as so-called “love.”
Women are human beings, and no one reserves the right to physically harm us in the name of love. We deserve to love and be loved without fear of assault or injury.
Men must be held to a higher standard. They must be taught from childhood that respect is mandatory, and failing to show it will result in punishment.
Women can get angry too. We will not stop fighting for justice until men stop laying their hands on us. We will not stop until domestic violence stops.
And we will not stop until men stop beating those they love. Because love is never supposed to hurt.
