abuse and drawing the line
Jul. 19th, 2007 08:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
seldearWhere do you draw the line in abuse?
By abuse, I mean physical, emotional, or mental abuse - all of which are damaging in their own ways, usually on all three levels, even if the action's only on one of them.
In a book I was recently reading, a character dumped her boyfriend after he hit her the second time. The first time he hit her was allegedly an accident, but the second was definitely intentional. It helped that she wasn't really in love with him and was on the verge of dumping him anyway - ah, the convenience of storytelling!
Life isn't usually that simple.
People stay in relationships that turn abusive because of familiarity, because of habit, because of fear - fear of walking away into the unknown, fear of social disapproval, fear that the abuser is right and that's all that the recipient deserves.
So where do you draw the line? When does a reason become an excuse?
By abuse, I mean physical, emotional, or mental abuse - all of which are damaging in their own ways, usually on all three levels, even if the action's only on one of them.
In a book I was recently reading, a character dumped her boyfriend after he hit her the second time. The first time he hit her was allegedly an accident, but the second was definitely intentional. It helped that she wasn't really in love with him and was on the verge of dumping him anyway - ah, the convenience of storytelling!
Life isn't usually that simple.
People stay in relationships that turn abusive because of familiarity, because of habit, because of fear - fear of walking away into the unknown, fear of social disapproval, fear that the abuser is right and that's all that the recipient deserves.
So where do you draw the line? When does a reason become an excuse?
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-19 02:03 am (UTC)It wasn't my intention to upset you - if I did, I'm sorry. It's just one of those things I'm pondering right now in terms of relationships and their 'healthiness'.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-19 02:11 am (UTC)Wish I had something to offer. *hugs*