Why Isn't Abuse Against Men Taken Seriously?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2638752/Shocking-video-shows-members-public-intervene-man-attacking-girlfriend.html

[Kromovaracun]

Largely because campaigning tends to focus on female victims. I agree - I find this rather distasteful as a close relative of mine suffered this.

I once had a particularly unpleasant conversation with someone organising such a demonstration. I pointed out that I was against all domestic violence rather than most of it and was told to "eff off and start your own group if you care about it so much." It's indicative of a particularly nasty and vocal minority in the feminist movement.

[Canary42]

Yes, it didn't take the bra-burning brigade long to adopt the very tactics and attidues they originally were complaining about.

[Mamyalynne]

I would have found both scenarios equally unpleasant, but in the second instance my reluctance to intervene may have been not to further embarrass the guy.

I think that's the best way I can put it.

[anotheoldgit]

Mamyalynne

/// I would have found both scenarios equally unpleasant, but in the second instance my reluctance to intervene may have been not to further embarrass the guy. ///

Are you actually saying that the guy was already being embarrassed for allowing a female to abuse him?

[Prudie]

Distasteful as it may seem I'd say yes, we've been conditioned to some extent to accept men as the physically stronger who could surely defend himself against a female. In fact this isn't obviously always true but it is still embarrassing for a man to admit to, however liberal you think we all are these days.

[jim360]

It's probably some vestige of sexism, really. One should stand up for the weak against the strong, and men are seen as strong and women as weak in general. It's not fair, and if it leads to something like this in a more serious scenario where it's not just actors then it's something that needs to change.

On the other hand, stunt videos like this can sometimes be one-offs and make effects some more exaggerated. A similar sort of video, about bike thieving in America by man, woman, and young black teenager, showed similar differences in behaviour (some people even helped the woman to "steal" the bike), but at least some of this might have been down to the language the actors used (for example the teenager was asked if it was his bike, and he replied "It's going to be"). So I'd say we should be wary of taking this video totally seriously.

[Canary42]

The "men can defend themselves" defence surely ranks with that of "she was asking for it"

[gness]

If I witnessed a man attacking a woman I would step in...a woman attacking a man perhaps not. Mainly because a woman physically attacking a man in public won't think twice about turning on me.....and don't ask why I think the man wouldn't...I don't know.
A person being attacked by a group and I would step in regardless of gender.

[ummmm]

If I punched my partner, I'd hurt him. If he punched me he'd brake my face. There's the difference...

[Cloverjo]

The man is bigger than the woman and could easily push her away and walk off. I couldn't play the video, but from the stills it looked as if the man behaved in a more threatening manner, while the woman looked like someone who had lost control of herself in public for a moment. Perhaps that's what people were laughing at.
This doesn't prove that sustained abuse against men isn't taken seriously.

[EDDIE51]

Domestic violence against men by women is common but very seldom reported due to fear and being thought to be a 'wimp'