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Male Domestic Abuse

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Submitted By silentstand
Words 1292
Pages 6
Kevin Henry
FOUN 1001
13th April2015
The marginalization of male domestic abuse victims through the media (Final)
“Whenever I speak of male abuse I am met by disbelief and even worse laughter. I notice in talking with other shelter staff throughout the state that this attitude prevails in other shelters, too- men are the perpetrators women are the victims.” The above quote from Jan Dimmitt executive director of Kelso’s emergency support shelter in Longview Washington, United states reveals an all too common attitude towards male domestic abuse. Such a discriminatory attitude is not simply limited to the United States however it is also seen here in the Caribbean, a region with a history of domestic abuse and even more concerning is realization that the media helps to proliferate such a view. Media of all kinds can influence and even distort the perception of persons’ opinions on topics such as physical attractiveness and politics. Similar problems arise when applied to the issue of domestic abuse and the media has a responsibility to ensure that it does not misrepresent men by offering only one view of the issue. The media has a prospective responsibility to ensure that they portray the reality of domestic abuse to avoid stereotyping men as aggressors. The media in all outlets whether social or otherwise is the major provider of information on various issues and therefore has a prospective responsibility to provide information without bias. Prospective responsibility according to Garrath William’s centers around a duty or obligation one person has to the other for example a journalist has a duty to report information free of bias. As the media is primarily used to inform the masses on issues in society it therefore needs to be held accountable for what it shows. The media opens our minds to the hardships and struggles faced by others from another person’s

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