Tag: tw: domestic violence

pseudo-euphoria:

closet-keys:

It’s wild to me that over half of all mass shooters have previously been reported for domestic violence (and keep in mind, an estimated 37%+ of physical assault and battery crimes are unreported, and that doesn’t even include other forms of physical and threatening abuse) and people still have the audacity to act surprised as if their violence towards other people came out of nowhere. 

Violence against women is violence against other people. If someone has been violent towards women, they have already shown themselves to be violent. Women count! We exist and violence against us matters. When women speak up about men’s violence, people need to believe us. If you always assume women are lying, you are always going to be shocked when those men continue escalating their violence. 

At a cultural level, we need to start giving a shit before abusers kill dozens of people at once. We need to give a shit before they even physically assault one person. We need to give a shit as soon as they start behaving in violent and controlling ways towards women and girls. 

Please, please believe women. 

Gavin de Becker talks about this in ‘The Gift of Fear’ (incredible book btw) particularly when reporters interview neighbours after mass murders and similar crimes and they say “he seemed so normal, there were no warning signs” and yet when pressed, it tends to come out that these men had long histories of violence towards women and children which the people around them even knew about, cos that’s how normalised domestic violence and child abuse are; they don’t even register as acts of violence