The stories are many

I just finished jury duty last week and found it - believe it or not - fascinating! I love to meet new people and listen to their story. I met so many people from different walks of life: each one telling their own story, with similarities and differences. Sometimes this was done voluntarily and sometimes because we were asked those direct questions from the judge or the attorneys. Either way, we learned a lot about one another. Sitting in a quiet room with 22 other people, playing the waiting game, I decided to start a conversation about domestic violence. I mentioned the Chris Brown and Rihanna story and the fact that some radio stations were suspending his music until there was more information about the case. Other radio stations did not take that action. So, I asked, "What do you think?"

No surprise to me, the answers were as diverse and confusing as the issue itself. It re-confirmed for me that domestic violence is still one of the most "misunderstood" social issues of our time. The myths are alive and well; the misinformation is great; and the "blaming the victim" still an attitude of many. What alarmed me the most were 2 things: 1) there was a high number of individuals in that room who knew a victim, and this is common in talking about this issue because domestic violence is more pervasive than the average person realizes; 2) So many people had a belief that this was "normal" - "every couple has their thing" - "it could happen to anyone, so why get on Chris Brown?" "She must have done something to deserve it" and on and on. Oh, how disheartening. How much work we still need to do to raise awareness.

I want to thank many of the radio stations for highlighting the fact that this is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly. Once we as a community, stay completely silent and do not speak up against domestic violence, we have lost our sense of justice - our sense of helping our brother and sister.