Domestic violence and the reactions to incidents will always be controversial. The outsiders will never know the full story even with surveillance video of the incident. Reactions are opinions, educated and uneducated guesses pertaining to the known facts. With recent cases in the NFL, celebrities and close to home incidents, we as a species are analyzing the moment a bit closer. There are many people who can relate to the history of domestic violence and the effects it can have on one’s psyche. The people in the spotlight are highlighted and may give the average person flashbacks of similar moments. Domestic violence has never been a new issue.
People tend to look to blaming one of the parties involved.
There will be arguments of one provoking the other or one having a violent
history. In my opinion, all violence is deeply rooted and stems from somewhere.
Outsiders also tend to personalize the situation in order to feel sympathy.
Opinions will always finagle its way in controversial domestic violence
incidents. Some ideas may be valid and some are downright outlandish. Our opinions
are based off of views and we tend to see both sides but settle on what we
deemed the right side. Men tend to side with men when all of the details are
unknown and the same goes for women siding with women. Men may personalize the
incident and choose the side of the woman when they have a strong relationship
with a woman in their lives. The majority of people would rather know the whole
story if they really cared about the situation.
Child abuse and discipline are different types of domestic
violence. The Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been suspended
for disciplining or abusing (however you may see it) his child with a switch.
The media called it a branch but those who have had time with a switch know it’s
just a really big twig. People who have been disciplined with a switch and in their
opinion see no problem with the incident. That was the case until they found
out the child was four years old. The opinion changes and the opinionated will
most likely change their initial statement. Where does the lines of child abuse
and discipline blur? Every parent has a different technique when it comes to
doling out discipline to their children but some do go overboard. Authorities
may intervene on the cases of horrific abuse. An issue I have with the Adrian
Peterson case is the fact that Nike, a former endorser of the running back
dropped him from his deal but they are notorious for child labor in foreign
countries. People only look at the surface and not deeper. There will always be
more to the issue than meets the eye.
Opinions creep their way into every bit of controversy. The
ones dishing out the harshest criticism are usually throwing stones at glass
houses. An example of those stones is a situation where the opinionated may act
different from what they believe another person should have. Our thoughts don’t
always belong on subjects we are not directly connected. If you must place your
opinion on a topic, be objective and thoughtful. Before you form an opinion,
ask yourself, “Why do I care?”
