I want to begin by saying that, if someone hits you, whether they are male or female, you have the right to defend yourself. If they are going to hit you again, then hit back. Just because someone is a woman does not mean that you cannot defend yourself against her. When I posed this to my friend, I was given the response,
"And no I will take a beating from a woman before I swing. Not saying it wouldn't hurt, but my mom and dad raised me with manners, which is something that few people have now days."I want to point something out. Manners refers to customs or a way of living. Saying please and thank you is, in our society, manners. Taking a beating is not. When someone hits you and intends to continue hitting you, manners do not dictate that you continue to take a beating and possibly suffer serious injury. That, simply put, is stupidity.
My second argument against the idea that men should never hit women is that it is sexist. Yes, I know that card has been played before, but I have a different take on it than some people do. I believe that it is sexist in favor of women, not against them. I believe that using this statement is a way for people to elevate the female sex above men. Why? Because it is an enabling statement. Look at it this way. If we turned the statement that men should never hit women into a rule that we had to live by, what would happen? Women could hit men as much as they wanted and the man would not be allowed to hit back. Essentially, we could do what we wanted without fear of being physically reprimanded. Men would not have that protection. Now, this is most likely not going to happen, but if this statement were put into law, then what would be to stop it from turning into a situation like this? In short, it enables women to push men around more than they already do.
Of course, I also see it as sexist against women, because I believe that it does promote a certain sense of inequality because it suggests that women are somehow more delicate, weaker than, or deserve different treatment than men. We will never be completely equal because of our physical differences, but that does not mean that we should have values that demand that men treat women better than they treat other men.
Near the beginning of the conversation, my friend made this statement:
"(not trying to be sexists) but I don't hit women. That's the right way and the way I was raised, actually since birth. And I wouldn't wanna be raised any other way. mom and dad did a good job at raising me."Apart from the atrocious grammar and spelling, I can point out a significant mistake in this statement. Refusing to hit women is not the right way. I'm not saying it's the wrong way, either, but there is no right way, whether it was the way you were raised or not. Since we're talking about what I think here, I will say that it is both the wrong and the right way. Should you hit a woman for a reason other than self defense? No. That's not acceptable. Should you hit a woman if she is throwing punches, running at you with a knife, or otherwise threatening your well being? Yes! Getting seriously injured just because you won't hit a woman is stupid.
I want to make one final point concerning this statement. Unless it's in self defense or to protect someone else, you should never hit anyone. Not women. Not men. Not children. Not adults. Hitting is not okay. Ever. Women aren't the only ones men shouldn't be hitting. Men shouldn't be hitting each other. Men shouldn't hit children. How come those statements aren't running around along with "men should never hit women"? Where is the statement that says women should never hit men?
This statement is flawed, wrong, medieval, and no longer relevant to society today. No, men shouldn't run around hitting women. This is true. But you should defend yourself if attacked by a person, not let yourself get hurt because the person is female. Nor should women hit men, because that is equally unacceptable. Women have been victimized by men throughout history, but there are also men who have been victimized by women. We're not equal. We never will be. But that doesn't mean we need to continue to hang onto such an unequal, narrow-minded, foolish statement.
We are all human. Humans should never hit humans.
