Is Going ‘Brenda Richie’ On Someone Ever Acceptable
Okay, unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the Tiger Woods debacle. Originally reported as a car crash in which his wife helped to free him, it has been alleged by TMZ that Woods suffered injuries prior to the crash and that actually his golf-club wielding wife went all “Brenda Richie” on his ass upon learning of an affair, allegedly.
I find this interesting because my sister and I had just talked about the Rihanna interview on 20/20 and how she never stated that she attacked Chris Brown, even though it has been widely reported that this is what happened. What she didn’t expect was that he would go O.J. on her and beat her like she stole something. I don’t believe that you should ever put your hands on someone, but if you hit someone in anger and sometimes in jest, you should expect to be hit back. Do I think that men should hit women? No. Do I think that women should hit men? No.
This is a glaring issue in domestic violence — the fact that no one wants to talk about women jumping on men in many of these instances. It’s unpopular to discuss because then women’s rights advocates (I am one) often accuse you of blaming the victim. It is not about blame — it is about having an honest discussion about domestic violence. Battering men, even cheaters and batters, is not going to stop domestic violence in any community. Just like t is never okay for men to hit women, it is never okay for women to hit men either.
Further, it is ridiculous that some women think that they can hit men without recourse because men aren’t supposed to hit women. Really. In the world that I grew up in, if you hit someone, you should expect to get hit back which is why I’ve never put my hands on a man. I’ve been mad, cheated on, mistreated, etc., but nothing has ever prompted me to put my hands on a dude. I’m not trying to fight a dude or go to jail for hitting someone because I exercised the same lack of control that he demonstrated when doing his dirt.
I just walk away, leave him alone and keep it moving. No man is worth publicly humiliating myself or going to jail over. Domestic violence is a two-way street and women attacking men is no laughing matter.