Lets start this article right – violence and abuse in the home should never be tolerated whether you are Ray Rice knocking his soon to be wife out in the elevator (then lovingly dragging her out the elevator, pacing her face first on the ground, and not once showing any love or remorse), Hope Solo going Hamm (LOL) on her family (including a 17 year old nephew), or a host of other sports related domestic abuse events that have been in the news lately. Of course, all this is allegedly. To be clear, all domestic abusers should be taken to the woodshed in the back and……well, those who know, know.
But should they lose their jobs, income, endorsements, livelihood over their issues? Janay Palmer, the victim, err Wife of Ray Rice, doesn’t think so. By punishing Ray, you also punish Janay, the victim if indeed she is dependent on the salary of the abuser. Is she and others simply “collateral damage” for what should be called “street justice”?
One could argue that, if the elevator camera was never there, this would be just another forgotten case of domestic violence. And without that video footage, perhaps all the other cases that followed would be lonely forgotten items in the news. But there was a video, we all watched, and were all horrified by what we saw? and we demanded “justice” for Janay.
What is one of the best ways to demand justice? Hit ’em where it hurts – in the pocketbook. We boycott business when we disagree with their policies thus hurting their pocketbook. Should we, instead, wave our finger and say time out? Should the abuser be mandated to do a public service commercial? (Hi, I’m Ray Rice, Just say no to knocking out fiancees) Perhaps we could all shout real loud NO NO NO the next time he or other abusers abuse.
Or maybe we could hit them where it hurts – their pocketbook. Sure, their family will suffer but perhaps the family, and definitely the abused victim, might want to think about whether it is in their best interest to stay in the first place. And if they stay because of unconditional love, they won’t mind the loss of income all that much.
Is it fair to take away the income, jobs, endorsements, livelihood of an abuser? Maybe not, but I, for one, can live with that unfairness when I compare it to the unfairness of getting knocked out and dragged out of a casino elevator.
And I pray for self-control.
I ask for your comments, questions, and/or fire. You can leave them here or at allthingsemployment@gmail.com. For another point of view, listen to All Things Employment on 1talknetwork.com everyday from 8-10pm (PST). I can also be reached on facebook and seen on youtube. And please visit me at abworkshopsarethebest.com.
