Is it okay for a man to ever hit a woman?

[Warrior of Light]

I’m of the “no women should hit a man and no man should hit a woman” variety. Hitting in anything other than self-defense is wrong. And when I say self-defense I mean when someone is bodily harming another, not simply insulting, annoying, upsetting or otherwise engaged in a verbal spar. Violence should always be a last resort, and not one used simply because your girlfriend dumped you or your boyfriend cheated on you. And yes, it’s wrong when it’s against a man because while he can generally defend himself, he shouldn’t have to. This isn’t about who can take it easier, but rather about eliminating physical abuse altogether, be it against a man or a woman.

 

[Dee]

I don't think you should hit anyone you're not equal with in terms of strength. It is entirely unfair to physically injure someone who does not have much of a chance of defending themselves if they were to be hit. This applies more so to men who are, in most cases, built stronger and bigger than women (though not always the case). As for the self-defense argument, I think it can be validated if ones life is at stake, regardless of gender.

 

[Tmoo]

I don't think you should hit anyone you're not equal with in terms of strength. It is entirely unfair to physically injure someone who does not have much of a chance of defending themselves if they were to be hit. This applies more so to men who are, in most cases, built stronger and bigger than women (though not always the case).

I disagree. no one should hit anyone, period. It's unfair to cause physical harm to ANYONE regardless of what disagreements you have. Unless the situation is life-threatening, violence of any kind is intolerable, regardless of who it is or how strong they are or what genitalia they have. The end. It applies equally to everyone; males, females, and hermaphrodites included.

And again, let me state that even granted men have more physical strength, so what? does that mean women have 'less' of an ability to defend themselves? No. Heard of tasers? Guns? or better yet, good old-fashioned resourcefulness and quick thinking? The way I'm seeing women described in this thread, it's as if they're weak and stupid when it comes to self-defense. Good lord, I pray that isn't the reality.

EDIT: i'm getting more passionate about this than i should be. moreso than violence though, i want to get rid of the stereotypes that women are weak and incapable of self-defense, and to a lesser extent that all (or most) men are brawny and will attack the meek. Neither is true. Not in today's society.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

Dude the thread is not discussing if women are good at self-defense its about if women should be hit period. All that stuff about weak men being as weak as weak women WTF
I dont know if you are M or F but there is a massive strength difference between women
of various sizes let alone men.

I;m not if the OP was saying women should not be by anyone but given the societal implications of the question you would assume it means men shouldnt hit women predominantley.

 

[Tmoo]

Dude the thread is not discussing if women are good at self-defense its about if women should be hit period. All that stuff about weak men being as weak as weak women WTF
I dont know if you are M or F but there is a massive strength difference between women
of various sizes let alone men.

I;m not if the OP was saying women should not be by anyone but given the societal implications of the question you would assume it means men shouldnt hit women predominantley.

You missed my point. I was pointing out that it's biased to say that it's more wrong for men to hit women than it is for women to hit men because men are stronger. I addressed strength specifically because I keep seeing these arguments saying 'well men are stronger so it applies to them more'. No - it applies to everyone equally, regardless of whatever physical differences exist. Yeah, I'm aware the thread is 'don't hit women!'. The title alone seems biased IMHO, it should have been about violence in general, or address a specific aspect of violence - say domestic abuse, in which case it should have been 'don't hit your spouse!'.

Alright, I'll get off my soapbox.

 

[Terra Branford]

I don't think you should ever hit women.

Your a coward if you do. She's weaker than you, smaller and have denser bones. Only cowards would hit a woman.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

And you miss the point entierly. friend
The fact is men are stronger than women, this is a natural fact beyond control.
As l have said previously its wrong for anyone with a greater physical advantage
to dominate, subjugate or oppress those weaker than them.

Violence agianst women by men is just one facet of this. You can't generalise or say its right or wrong for 1 group vs another group, and of course the bias is towards men given that they are the most common perps in this context.

Now I'll get of my soapbox......and on again in the future.....

 

[Rydia]

I disagree. no one should hit anyone, period. It's unfair to cause physical harm to ANYONE regardless of what disagreements you have. Unless the situation is life-threatening, violence of any kind is intolerable, regardless of who it is or how strong they are or what genitalia they have. The end. It applies equally to everyone; males, females, and hermaphrodites included.

And again, let me state that even granted men have more physical strength, so what? does that mean women have 'less' of an ability to defend themselves? No. Heard of tasers? Guns? or better yet, good old-fashioned resourcefulness and quick thinking? The way I'm seeing women described in this thread, it's as if they're weak and stupid when it comes to self-defense. Good lord, I pray that isn't the reality.

EDIT: i'm getting more passionate about this than i should be. moreso than violence though, i want to get rid of the stereotypes that women are weak and incapable of self-defense, and to a lesser extent that all (or most) men are brawny and will attack the meek. Neither is true. Not in today's society.

Not to mention that women can hit a guy between the legs which is quite painful from what I hear. Heck it's usually considered funny when a woman knees a man regardless of the reason. (Self defense, playing around, being cute)

And there are weak spots on people that can be eaisly hit. The neck, the toes, the eyes ect...

 

[Dee]

I disagree. no one should hit anyone, period. It's unfair to cause physical harm to ANYONE regardless of what disagreements you have. Unless the situation is life-threatening, violence of any kind is intolerable, regardless of who it is or how strong they are or what genitalia they have. The end. It applies equally to everyone; males, females, and hermaphrodites included.

And again, let me state that even granted men have more physical strength, so what? does that mean women have 'less' of an ability to defend themselves? No. Heard of tasers? Guns? or better yet, good old-fashioned resourcefulness and quick thinking? The way I'm seeing women described in this thread, it's as if they're weak and stupid when it comes to self-defense. Good lord, I pray that isn't the reality.

EDIT: i'm getting more passionate about this than i should be. moreso than violence though, i want to get rid of the stereotypes that women are weak and incapable of self-defense, and to a lesser extent that all (or most) men are brawny and will attack the meek. Neither is true. Not in today's society.

I get your point, and I agree that the only reason where hitting could be warranted is if the situation is life-threatening/possible serious injury could occur (ie. self defense).

I'm one of those chicks who's taken some self defense courses/grew up with two brothers, one who is studying to be a police officer. I'm your average-sized, petite female who looks nowhere near intimidating or even like I might know how to begin defending myself, which is one thing a woman has going for her. Unless you're ripped, like a body builder, in general, when someone attacks a woman, they don't expect them to be able to bust out a combination of punches and kicks to vital areas. And if they have a weapon, how to disarm them.

You really can't tell how you're going to act in a situation that might get physical, however. Many people tend to react with fear and fear leads to your mind going blank/hesitating, etc. There are many factors that go into account here, though; ones I don't really feel like getting in too deeply at the moment.

 

[Coco]

I just felt like I had to say what's on my mind here. The first boyfriend I had, hit me. We got into a huge, serious fight and I hit him with my bag, so he hit me back more times than I did to him. I haven't spoken to him since (and I never want to) and it took a while for me to get over it. I don't see then need for me to go into the details, but this is all leading to my point.

Any woman who's been physically hurt by a man would tell you that it's the worst thing--second only to rape--that you could to do to them. Because it's just not a fair fight. I think, even for self defense, there's a proper way of dealing with it if you're a man. If the woman is just out of control, it's possible to just restrain her. I don't think there's a need to slap her or bruise her intentionally--whether or not they deserve it. I really hope I'm not coming off as sexist here, but I plainly think that men hurting women is just inexcusable.

 

[Tmoo]

I don't think you should ever hit women.

Your a coward if you do. She's weaker than you, smaller and have denser bones. Only cowards would hit a woman.

And only Cowardly women would hit men. It applies to both genders, strength has nothing to do with the act itself. It's just wrong to commit violence against anyone, period.

You really can't tell how you're going to act in a situation that might get physical, however. Many people tend to react with fear and fear leads to your mind going blank/hesitating, etc. There are many factors that go into account here, though; ones I don't really feel like getting in too deeply at the moment.

I understand. However, there are situations where women get violent as well, in which case it applies to both genders...

Any woman who's been physically hurt by a man would tell you that it's the worst thing--second only to rape--that you could to do to them. Because it's just not a fair fight. I think, even for self defense, there's a proper way of dealing with it if you're a man. If the woman is just out of control, it's possible to just restrain her. I don't think there's a need to slap her or bruise her intentionally--whether or not they deserve it. I really hope I'm not coming off as sexist here, but I plainly think that men hurting women is just inexcusable.

'Fair' would depend on each person's skill in physical combat. And there is no 'proper' way of restraining a violent woman; she can claim you assaulted her. I know my mother did when my father had to restrain her to keep himself from being hit with a vase in my childhood. The issue I have with many of the arguments in this thread is they say it's mortally wrong for men to hit women, yet no mention is given of women hitting men (many, not all!). I see this as unfair. It's just as wrong for women to bruise or slap men as it is for men to slap women. Physical strength has no say in the morality of the act.

And you miss the point entierly. friend
The fact is men are stronger than women, this is a natural fact beyond control.
As l have said previously its wrong for anyone with a greater physical advantage
to dominate, subjugate or oppress those weaker than them.

Violence agianst women by men is just one facet of this. You can't generalise or say its right or wrong for 1 group vs another group, and of course the bias is towards men given that they are the most common perps in this context.

Now I'll get of my soapbox......and on again in the future.....

I've acknowledged that men are stronger than women in my previous posts. I say it's wrong to hit anyone regardless of their physical build and it's not 'more wrong' to hit someone weaker, it's just wrong, period. I can and WILL apply this to general violence because it DOES apply. I can and WILL apply this to both genders because it DOES apply.

Apart from that, I agree to disagree. Good day to you sir.

 

[Dionysos]

I just don't think it is possible to really say you will never defend yourself against a woman. Let's say a female comes at you with a knife, or an axe or some sort of weapon that is likely to kill you. There's nowhere to run as you are trapped. Do you really just stand there and let yourself die a painful death just because you don't want to hit a girl?

Extreme scenario, I know, but I'm just saying that sometimes if your life literally depends on it you might HAVE to. You could try to restrain her, perhaps, but some people might want to think "ok, if this was a man, I'd be more aggressive in disarming this person. Since this is a woman, should I be as aggressive, or should I just try and disarm her as softly as possible and hope that this doesn't weaken my chances of survival?". Someone with a weapon is someone with a weapon, and that instantly puts a female as stronger than most men (unless they have a body of steel), so man's hesitation, while justified, could prove his downfall in this situation.

I agree with people that say that men shouldn't hit women. They shouldn't, and the thought makes me and most people uncomfortable. But I also believe that women need to calm things down too. I often see them kick men in the balls as a joke, or just for the simplest comment that was a little bit off. Seriously? That hurts. And girls that think they can just freely slap a man annoys me too. Then there are the girls that are more masculine-aggressive and hit with fists and no boundaries. Since we've established that men can't really fight back it's unfair for females to still hit males.

I guess this will remain a "I hope I never get into this situation" issue.

 

[JesusVsThePolice]

S'up, all women want to be treated and have equal rights like a man until she gets her ass beat. That's when they want to call the law. I've never hit a woman, but a good majority of the female population need to have a good ass whippin'. You want to get all up in a man's face and flap off at the beak until the rooster puts the hen in check. "Waaaah, I can't believe he did that!"

But yeah, if a woman came at me with a knife or some form of weapon. I'll follow the whole "Only use enough force necessary." But best believe since I'm only gettin' one shot, I'm going to try my best to knock her teeth down her throat.

But honestly, don't hit a woman. As nice as it would be sometimes, it ain't worth the jail time or having a bunch of other people try to fight you.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

You small minded little man l should beat your ass just for being such a biggot!!!!

I'm sorry if this has taken on a personal edge fpr me. I'd like to say sorry to Tmoo for becoming slightly angry in that little exchange a while back.

In terms of defending yourself against an attack by female it falls on the male to exersize
restraint when you have defended your self self awareness in this case is a must knowing how far you can be pushed and the ammount of force used.

Ssometimes in hand to hand combat even domestic violence counts here, the desire to counter an offensive move is strong but....bare with me here....if having defended your self your opponent is likely to be in a defenseless state and vulnerable to excessive force like a punch or a slap.

This discussion makes me wonder just how much real world experience you kids have in terms of ccombat or domestic violence merely beyond having a moral point of view.

Sanction me if you have to for my comments if you need to Mods but in the real world a beating is the only response people like that know.....

 

[Dionysos]

Ssometimes in hand to hand combat even doestic violence counts here, the desire to counter an offensive move is strong but....bare with me here....if having deended your self your opponent is likely to be in a defense less state and vulnerable to excessive force like a punch or a slap.

Well when I meant defending yourself (non-domestic abuse) I didn't mean beating the girl to a pulp, unless doing so would be the only way that you can survive the situation. Unlikely, but I'm just saying. Or take another situation... She has an axe and is attacking your son with it. Do you let your son get beheaded because you don't feel right using force against a woman?

Perhaps enough force to disarm the woman or knock her back to give you room for you (and your son - if we follow that scenario) to escape unharmed. If she picks up the axe again and follows, and it turns out she is faster than either you or your son then you may have to do more. It's not a pleasant thought.

As for domestic abuse that is something entirely different, and much much worse as it is prolonged abuse that damages people psychologically. Hitting a woman in any circumstances is bad (as is a woman hitting a man, or a man hitting a man, though there is no social stigma attached to that), but constant abuse of your partner is sick. You're supposed to love your partner. While I find it uncomfortable to accept that relationships break apart and people move away from each other, if it is getting to the extent that you are fighting each other then the relationship obviously isn't working out. Though there are people that want to control their women by being aggressive (and women that do the same to their men in some cases), and they come under a different category. For semi-normal though slightly angered people I'd say that even in retaliation you shouldn't hit your partner, but there shouldn't even be a need for retaliation, for your partner shouldn't hit you either. If you were hit though, I wouldn't advise beating her up, or reacting like that at all, and if you love her you wouldn't want to either. Though I can't possibly be one to tell anyone that, as I have never been in this situation, and I know things can get heated and emotional, and people lash out, often out of character. You'd likely be heartbroken that your girlfriend / wife had attacked you and suggests that she hates you. But we really can't know until the situation happens. Sometimes it can send people mad and they use force that they regret and didn't intend to use. So I'd probably feel some sympathy for the guy that reacted, though I'd be against his actions, but I'd be very upset that the entire situation erupted at all.

This discussion makes me wonder just how much real world you kids have in terms of ccombat or domestic violence merely beyond having a moral point of view.

I admit I have no life experience of any of this. I've not even had a fight with a man before in my life. I'd only ever had play-fights as a child, and that's pretty much where my fighting experience ends. I didn't even get attacked much by bullies at school. A few punches here and there, but I never gave them back, and they never wanted to do it again after each time they did it.

If I was attacked by a woman with an axe I'd likely not be able to defend myself even if I did have to attack her to do so. I'm just saying that, although an unlikely situation, you can't rule out what you might have to do if you absolutely had to do it, unpleasant as it might be.

That said, for the poll I answered "No", as I am against it, but saying that I don't hit women and that I am against it can't cover every possible situation. And even if I am always against it I might have to go against what feels right and moral if lives depended on it.

 

[Tom Marvolo Riddle]

well what was i to do when i got beaten up by a bloke? I was far too scared to hit him back as i had no confidence and I am karate trained as well!

 

[GalaxyFlare]

This may be personal here Zell but was your disability......acquired before or after your attack coz if it was before then all l can sat is that lm sorry.....if you like me you have deep convictions about certain things you can feel guilt for dimply beimg capable of the same thing as other men. A sad experience for you my frirnd.

I'm trained in several hand to hand styles karate, kick boxing and jeet kun Do(variant)
so l know about forcr required to kill and force needed to stop.

Argor as an older guy l have to say your ideas are right on the money as for as defense
goes......if only everyone had that kind of fore thought

 

[Tmoo]

no offense taken, mate. keep in mind when i mention defense i don't mean street-fighter style. there's always a line that shouldn't be crossed.

In terms of defending yourself against an attack by female it falls on the male to exersize
restraint when you have defended your self self awareness in this case is a must knowing how far you can be pushed and the ammount of force used.

Ssometimes in hand to hand combat even domestic violence counts here, the desire to counter an offensive move is strong but....bare with me here....if having defended your self your opponent is likely to be in a defenseless state and vulnerable to excessive force like a punch or a slap.

This discussion makes me wonder just how much real world experience you kids have in terms of ccombat or domestic violence merely beyond having a moral point of view.

Sanction me if you have to for my comments if you need to Mods but in the real world a beating is the only response people like that know.....

Defense should always be limited to stopping the assailant. This applies to both genders though. If a woman knows how to disarm or kill a man and she has to defend herself against a violent partner, does she have the right to kill him just because she's a woman? Both cases are equally bad.

I don't have any experience with violent women aside from my mother (insert mother joke here), but do my posts carry more weight if I have experience with a woman attacking me? I'm not arguing strength, I'm arguing gender equality - revulsion for violence on the part of both sides, with no bias towards either.

I think we have a misunderstanding. Maybe you think I'm one of the people who say it's okay to be violent. I'm not. I don't advocate hitting women. I also don't advocate hitting children. Or other men. Or the elderly. I don't advocate hitting anyone. That's why I'm trying to kill the stereotypes, 'cause I keep seeing 'it's horrible that men hit women!' when it should be 'it's horrible that people hit each other!'...IMHO.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

Point made and understood!

This is why we're here is it it not to debate, I agree that violence in forms, except for Video games, is abhorrent. its just the thread is not about violence and its social acceptance, maybe you should appeal to the mods to have the name of the Thread changed to go along with your stereotype snuffing?.....its worth a shot maybe

a question like this may seem archaic but its still a big societal problem.

 

[Oblivion_XIII]

I think hitting women is very wrong.
But I would only hit a girl if they attacked me and it was my last resort. Who wouldn't?