A Tough Topic

Have you ever had the experience of sitting down in front of the television to enjoy a sandwich and some news anchor announces the death of someone famous?  But – you have no idea who the person was? Oh, man – happens to us all the time. In similar fashion I’m asked quite often if I know of this person or that and I’m left scratching my head. Recently,  while I was on Skype with our number two son, we were talking about shelters for abused women.

“Have you heard of Erin Pizzey?” he asked.

I had not.

“She opened one of the first shelters for women in the UK.”

Hmmm. This might be a person I should know about, I thought. Our women’s group at church has been making no sew blankets for a local women’s shelter for quite a while now and perhaps some shelter history would be a good thing.

Then I was asked if I knew how many similar shelters there were for men and again I had to profess my ignorance.

“There aren’t any,” he said. “Men live under bridges.”

Wow, really?  I vowed to find out more about that -  and Erin Pizzey. And what has one to do with the other? Take a minute to read one of these.

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=a41532d6-d4df-46a2-a784-f6499938f3b0

http://whiteribbon.org/domestic-violence-law/refuting-40-years-of-lies-about-domestic-violence/

Here’s an excerpt from the national Post article:

. . . that the tendency to violence in intimate relationships is bilateral and rooted in individual dysfunction: Men and women with personality disorders and/or family histories of violence are equally likely to be violent themselves, or seek violent partners. [Don Dutton]

And from Wikipedia:

Pizzey has been the subject of death threats and boycotts because of her research into the claim that most domestic violence is reciprocal, and that women are equally capable of violence as men. Pizzey has said that the threats were from militant feminists.

I don’t like to do “issues” on my blog. I much prefer to stay light hearted or just plain entertaining. But I’m not blind to what goes on in the world. I know a loaded-to-one side report when I see it. I think it’s dreadful that this woman was unable to seek allies in the place where she probably thought she would naturally have them – in modern feminism. Sorry, didn’t happen. Granted, she’s in her 70’s now and perhaps things were tougher to get across many years ago. But, honestly, do we want to remain in the dark about this? It is not to anyone’s credit to ignore half of those abused because they happen to be men. We’re better than that – or should be.

Here’s another link that sheds some light.

http://www.enddomesticabuse.org/abused_men.php?gclid=Cj0KEQiAoby1BRDA-fPXtITt3f0BEiQAPCkqQSNRXon2Qn8en-q-qvTAm4SrpjDONfYjBMdrSAcWh1IaAsqY8P8HAQ

Things will only change if we turn from what we’ve always thought was true and get ourselves educated. This is my small part. If you think you know a man who's being abused at home - be on his side. Pray for him and urge him to get help. 

Thank you for reading.

Image: Free Digital Photos