Enemies of Reason Poundshop potshots at the media moral maze.

The Sun and domestic violence

Fierce defenders of the victims...so long as they're men, obviously.

Let's leave aside the obvious thing to say about woman-beating-man domestic violence and The Sun. Let's not say *that*. We don't need to say that because we're all thinking it anyway.

That aside - and please, we don't need to say *that* in order to discuss this subject and The Sun; indeed, I can't help thinking that's probably the bear-trap that we're meant to fall into, and if we do fall into it, then we're making ourselves look bad - I wonder whether this article is guilty in the 'man bites dog' sense of giving more prominence to something which is very rare than something which happens on a daily basis and is much, much more of a serious social issue.

The victim's story is certainly shocking and moving. But can Sun readers be trusted to comment on it sensibly...? What do you think?

Posted by: THICKAS2SHORTMANCS
(AHEM)
If he had hit back,
Murder, she would wail
And the Nazi Social Services
Would see him in jail.

Haw haw haw, Say What, Haw haw haw

What? But this is perpetuating the kind of 'women cry rape' and 'women have the law on their side' nonsense that we see time and time again over at the Mail and elsewhere. The man who is falsely accused of rape gets given huge coverage in national newspapers; the man who is correctly accused gets little, maybe even none apart from the local rag. Why might that be? Is it just a case of 'man bites dog' or is it something else?

Posted by: SteveHolt
if this story is as it appears then the bitch deserves to be locked up....it`s not just the physical, women have the huge advantage when it comes to any kind of abuse against men, personally suffered years of mental abuse by an insane twisted self obsessed witch,,, i was always looking like the bad guy....when they do it there is zero u can do specially when kids are involved.To anyone male or female out there being mentally or physically abused...get the hell out !!!!

I can't help getting the feeling that this kind of story - valid though it is - perpetuates a kind of 'men are the real victims' mythology. The Sun has of course covered domestic violence against women in the past - I seem to remember a campaign last year if memory serves, and that is right and proper - but is this kind of incident common? Or is it unusual? And if it's unusual, isn't there a danger in giving it so much prominence, of putting in the wrong perspective the more common - and somehow less newsworthy - beatings of women by men?

This is the kind of attitude I'm talking about:

Posted by: Real_mad_ridd
Domestic violence against men is far more common than people think. Research in America has shown that over half of DV is initiated by women. Men don't have the industry that has grown up around women playing the victim. They know they can get away with it. Men dare not react or they will get arrested - which just makes them bolder. I have never hit a woman but I have been hospitalised with a bottle smashed over my head, and no, I didn't deserve it, and no, the police were not interested.

And:

Posted by: inacrazyworld
I very much doubt the statistics. After all, there are many who keep quiet so how can they be accurate knowing that.
The comment that many women instigate is believable. Women these days know the law is more in their favour. Even if she attacks a guy in public – it can be spun as she was hit at home and snapped back after having enough. Sounds insane – but as many guys will know is real.

It's the whole 'apocryphal evidence trumps statistics' debate which often dominates comments sections like this. And will 'many guys know this is real'? I'm not so sure.

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