I know it’s not fair, but news stories about battered husbands seem somehow more ambiguous than stories about battered wives. After all, men are supposed to be tough and strong and they are generally more physically strong than women and so should be able to defend themselves well. Of course, they can’t do that when they’re asleep, and weapons like knives make great equalizers. I do find that both kinds of stories leave many of us not in the situation wondering, “Why do you stay? Why don’t you leave?” This seems especially true when the subjects are people of some financial means, like, say, professional golfers. But of course, it must seem very different to the people involved; as in the linked story, the victim still professes love for the attacker. For the record, I don’t believe for a second that people fake these kinds of injuries on themselves, as the wife claims John Daly did in this case. Maybe in “smart thief” or “elaborate con job” movies, they do, but not in real life. I hope that things work out for the Dalys and that they are able to go their separate ways without further violence, of course, but the whole thing just makes me sad that such things happen.
