Opinion Piece

The United States of Abuse

-By Melanie Cardona

People say that there is no place like home, but for some, home is where they least want to be.  Verbal, physical, and emotional abuse is the most common types of domestic abuse in the United States.

All types of abuse are extremely bad, but the most common type is usually the most overlooked form of domestic abuse. It causes the most damage and people do not know they are being abused.

Emotional abuse damages most men and women in the United States today and usually it goes unreported. This form of abuse is usually categorized by the way spouses talk to each other. Put downs and insults are considered abuse and cause substantial damage. It starts of simple and eventually it gets worse to the point where you might actually believe what they say to you.

When your spouse calls you dumb enough times, you tend to feel that you cannot do anything right and it becomes self-loathing. Depression always follows and only gets worse. Then you reach the point of no return.

Verbal abuse also plays a large role in the countries ongoing issue with domestic abuse. Name-calling, cursing, and fighting escalate quickly and in some cases, ends up getting physical. Threats are the big reason why spouses hold back and do not tell anyone about their abuser. They fear that the aggressor may actually carry on with what they say they will do.

The aggressor usually threatens the victim by saying he or she will leave them. The victim’s self esteem is so low, that they believe they need the aggressor to carry on with their life. Another dangerous threat is harm to them or their family.

Physical abuse is not as common but it is very deadly. Physical domestic abuse goes both ways. A man hits a woman in most cases, and a woman hits the man in rare occasions. Beating, pulling, scratching, biting, and using objects against one another is unfortunately getting more and more common.

Open and closed hand beatings occur a lot and they usually take place in front of children. Alcoholic men are usually the cause. When women hit the men, the men do not speak up because they are afraid of being ridiculed by society. The fact of the matter is that women are increasingly attacking men and no one speaks up.

References

Daniel Coker. (August 20,2012). Mississippi Family Matters. In What is Domestic Violence?. Retrieved May 10,2013, from http://www.familylawms.com/what-is-domestic-violence/.

Dunwoody Police Department. (n.d.). Dunwoody Smart People Smart City. In Domestic Violence. Retrieved May 11,2013, from http://dunwoodyga.gov/departments/dunwoody-police-department/Community-Outreach/Domestic-Violence.aspx.