No Excuse for Physical Abuse

An article appeared on my local station's web site about Chris Brown apologizing for beating up his ex-girlfriend, Rihanna. In the article, Brown apologizes for his conduct, assures everyone he is getting counseling, and seems to want to change and be a better role model. Hmmm. How many of us women really buy this? How many have heard this before from other men?

I have been fortunate that my husband has never struck me nor ever intends to. First of all, if he even thought about it, he would find out that I hit back. Second, I can out-run him.

I remember when this story first came out in February. My daughter loved Chris Brown's music and was genuinely shocked that he would do such a thing. She immediately took the stance that Rihanna wasn't very nice anyway and deserved the beating because, supposedly, she gave him STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). In all fairness, there has been no proof of this allegation in any of the reports I have read. However, what truly shocked me was my 14-year old daughter's attitude that a woman deserved to be beaten by her boyfriend. I'm not sure where I went wrong here, but I made it clear to her that NO WOMAN DESERVES TO BE BEATEN BY ANYONE.

My position should be clear - physical abuse is wrong. Now, I still support spanking a child to correct misbehavior, but physical abuse because you are mad is quite another thing. A relationship should be based on mutual trust and respect. Those two things do not come with slapping, choking, threats, or bashing a head into the wall.

What happened between Brown and Rihanna was shocking. Brown was wrong and should have controlled himself. Whatever Rihanna's personality is or was at that time is not a reason to beat her. I hope and pray that Brown is truly remorseful and sincere in his efforts to get help, but as a woman, I would never trust him ever again.