Our thanks to a valued supporter and donor, D, for this.
What would be our reaction if a leading national newspaper associated the following domestic violence stories with jocular headlines?
A husband stabbing his wife for returning home without beer
A husband putting bleach in his wife’s eyedrops
If we change the genders, would jocular headlines then be more acceptable, and if so, why? The stories as reported online, from the United States:
An extract:
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina authorities say a 44-year-old woman angry at a man for returning home without beer on Christmas beat and stabbed him with a ceramic squirrel. The Charleston County Sheriff’s office says in a report that deputies found a man covered with blood when they arrived at Helen Williams’ North Charleston home early Wednesday. She told investigators the man fell and cut himself, but couldn’t explain why her hands and clothes were also bloody.
An extract:
CANTON, Mich. — A woman is facing sentencing Jan. 13 following accusations she put bleach in her husband’s eye drops in revenge for marital problems, authorities said. Canton Detective Sgt. Chad Baugh said McDermed also allegedly placed an ad on a website, Craigslist, offering to pay someone to assault her husband. The wife and mother pleaded guilty this month to domestic violence after her husband went to police in mid-October, saying he had gotten out of the shower and started using the eye drops. “He felt a burning sensation and could smell what appeared to be bleach,” Baugh said.
So how did the Sun see fit to cover these shocking stories today? With the following ‘fillers’:
She’s Gone Nuts
A wife was charged with stabbing her hubby with a ceramic SQUIRREL for forgetting to buy beer in South Carolina, US.
Fry Your Eyes
A wife faces jail after putting bleach in her cheating hubby’s eyedrops in Canton, Michigan, US.
