I’ve heard so much about physical abuse but luckily I only ever experienced it to the extent that’s humiliating, but not actually physically painful. Yesterday, I randomly came across a video on my facebook feed, where an adult man was asssaulting a little boy, about 8 or 9 years old, and a woman was trying but failing to protect him. It was all in a language I don’t understand but it was pretty clear what was happening 🙁 first he hit hit with his hands then with an iron rod, no I’m not making it up. He kicked the little boy in the face. He found another hard object and jammed it in his face as hard as he could. At one point the boy vomited. The grown man doing the assault (probably a brother, about 18-20 years old), was frighteningly calm the whole time, pausing before the different attacks to gather his strategies like in a boxing match. I know, what has this got to do with sexism? Obviously, toxic masculinity, cycles of abuse, women like the woman in this video not being able to interfere and protect the young victim because then they would be assaulted too and possibly killed. This sort of violence is a result of toxic masculinity. The reason I’m sharing this is because seeing it actually happen is totally different from just hearing about it. Of course it must be a whole other story for those who had to grow up in such a household. I can’t imagine what it might be like. Just seeing such brutal violence made me sick to my stomach. It frightens me that some people are so deeply intrenched in the belief that they are above the other person and can treat them any way they want that they would go this far or even further. It makes me question where the hope is that they can change their behavior and their attitudes.
