Reid: 'Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive'

Reid: 'Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive'

thehill.com

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested Monday that domestic violence by men has increased due to U.S. joblessness.

Reid, speaking in the midst of a Senate debate over whether to pass a $15 billion package meant to spur job creation, appeared to argue that joblessness would lead to more domestic violence.

"Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive," the majority leader added. "Our domestic crisis shelters in Nevada are jammed.”

(visit the link for the full news article)

This guy has to go. You have millions of men in this economy who are working themselves to the bone to put food on the table, coach teams and keep some level of consistency and order in their homes.

These are the same men who know that their families can sense the stress and are taking extra steps to be more supportive and good fathers and husbands. Reid's comments are outrageous and insulting to say the least

That he could actually be Senate Majority Leader is a disgrace.

thehill.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I wonder if he ever thought the men he is referring to were already abusing women? Maybe it is just that those abusers are now home constantly with their wife or girlfriend. That would be too simple logic though. Instead Reid wants to blame joblessness on the actions of an individual and let me guess...a proposed government solution.

In other news 1 billion dollars is spent to buy punching bags for out of work men.

[edit on 22-2-2010 by ExPostFacto]

reply to post by dolphinfan


I don't know if I disagree with his statement.

Being out of work is a very stressful situation and a lot of us men feel a personal responsibility to provide for our families.

Would I be abusive if I was out of a job...no...I don't believe I would.


Do I think it is outrageous to think that for some men the stress of that situation may push them over the edge and they may become abusive...absolutely.

He isn't saying every man who is out of work becomes abusive...he is saying it is a possibility...and I agree.

reply to post by dolphinfan


I got news for Reid. Men who work their butts off and their taxes raised to pay for everyone else to the point that they can barely pay their own bills also become abusive.... to politicians who keep raising taxes and stripping them of their freedom

[edit on 22-2-2010 by Mr Sunchine]

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


He did not suggest that men who were already likely to be abusive were more likely to be abusive when out of work. I that is a reasonable and logical thing to say.

Thats not what he said though. He made a blanket statement about men and it is disgraceful. 99.99% of men don't engage in domestic violence when employed or not employed.

You could very easily make the statement that single mothers who are out of work are more likely to abuse their children.

Blanket statements are seldom wise. He was clearly making a connection between not passing the jobs bill and women and kids being beaten by their fathers and for the leader of the US Senate and one who represents several million men from Nevada, should be ashamed of himself

Well, you know, based on my personal studies; I've found that men who work as senators in Nevada and toe the line as Democrat, for some reason, beat and rape their significant others.

Reid, unfortunately, follows these astute guidelines and I fear we must do something about him before he starts striking his wife.

reply to post by dolphinfan


My my we are a sensitive bunch.

Here is the key point.

""Men, when they're out of work, tend to become abusive," the majority leader added. "Our domestic crisis shelters in Nevada are jammed.”"

Can anyone verify that the domestic crisis centre have become jammed as the local economy has declined? This would be a positive correlation between two events.

It seems sensible to expect that a certain kind of man would take out his frustrations in the wrong ways e.e.g boozing, fighting abusing your partner.

I am a healthy man but I have to say that when I was unemployed it was an eye opener in terms of mental health. Many of us need to work for our health



T

I have a bit of a suggestion . . . When it comes time to re-elect Mr. Phychoanalysis, why don't the electorate throw the mouthy, generalistic, now-it-all putzwad of a jerkoff out of work, then follow him around 24-7 and make generalized comments on how he lives his life because surely life according to Hank Reid is the be-all-end-all and truth of truths.



That'd be like me saying that women who lose at Nevada gambling casinos are more likely to work at Nevada's adult entertainment facilities or that kids who's education funding is used to build highways to nowhere are more likely to grow up to be drug users . . . or . . . rich white kids who grow up with silver spoons in their mouths are more apt to become mouth-breathing, follow-the-leader politicians . . . . or . . . .

sheesh

What a dick.

I just love these generalities....

SOME men may become abusive if they find themselves unemployed!!

SOME men may have have the opposite effect from it. I mean, it must be a very humbling experience to go from being the main breadwinner to the stay at home dad who's income is now less that their wives pathetic wage!

What gets me about these politicians (both parties) we have running the country is that they thing we are all stupid enough to just latch onto their words, and believe what they say!!! If you really listen to what they say, and think while you listen, you realize that they are saying some really dumb things!! Like this!!!

We should pass this job bill because these men are becoming abusive to their wives??? Really, that's the only reason you can think of to pass the danged thing?? The idea that millions of americans are going from productive, taxpaying citizens to wards of the state and eliminating your tax base (congress's spending power).....isn't a good enough reason for ya???

So, I suppose that the job bill will spend a billion or so to provide mandated counseling for these angry abusive unemployed men?? Right???
heck, let's make it good, we can give the money to the leftover remenants of acorn to set up the program!!!

Anyone know of a good planet to live on?? This one seems to have transformed itself into hades!

I suspect Reid has been working in the shadows to get into Nancy Pelosi's pants.

Originally posted by ViperFoxBat
I suspect Reid has been working in the shadows to get into Nancy Pelosi's pants.

Don't even go there.

Originally posted by JIMC5499

Originally posted by ViperFoxBat
I suspect Reid has been working in the shadows to get into Nancy Pelosi's pants.

Don't even go there.

I thought it was pretty funny

Originally posted by ViperFoxBat
I suspect Reid has been working in the shadows to get into Nancy Pelosi's pants.

Yup . . . there go my Eggo's . . . .

There have been report after report verifiying this...don't believe me go ask the workers at the local abuse shelters.

Partner abuse is wrong period no matter who does it. And it does go up in times of economic stress regardless of whether its a Democratic recession or a Republican one so stop politicizing it.

I swear some of the people here on ATS have the social awareness of a newt.

...AND I don't mean gingrich.

[edit on 2/23/2010 by iMacFanatic]

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by dolphinfan

 

I don't know if I disagree with his statement.

Being out of work is a very stressful situation and a lot of us men feel a personal responsibility to provide for our families.

Would I be abusive if I was out of a job...no...I don't believe I would.


Do I think it is outrageous to think that for some men the stress of that situation may push them over the edge and they may become abusive...absolutely.

He isn't saying every man who is out of work becomes abusive...he is saying it is a possibility...and I agree.

I don't think it's possible to become abusive. You either are or you aren't. However, you might have a nagging wife, who could conceivably drive you to violence with her endless bartching. I know a good many men driven to drink by the blabbermouth woman. It is not surprising if some men, at the end of desperation, cannot any longer fight off the urge to 'reach out and touch' the source of their torment.

i wonder how many council estate drop outs they monitored for this one???

Originally posted by iMacFanatic
There have been report after report verifiying this...don't believe me go ask the workers at the local abuse shelters.

Partner abuse is wrong period no matter who does it. And it does go up in times of economic stress regardless of whether its a Democratic recession or a Republican one so stop politicizing it.

I swear some of the people here on ATS have the social awareness of a newt.

...AND I don't mean gingrich.

[edit on 2/23/2010 by iMacFanatic]

Could you dredge up a report or two . . . .

In that same vein, I could get a 'report or two' that backs a position that African Americans run faster . . . that Jewish people are richer . . . that Russian people drink a lot . . . . that southern rural white folks aren't as smart . . . that baby boomers smoke a lot of weed . . . etc. etc. etc.

All those statements can be supported by a 'report or two' but it doesn't make it any more tastful for somebody to blurt it out to make themselves sound better at the expese of the focus of the generalized statement.

I don't think anyone here is disputing that partner abuse is abhorent behavior . . . rather that Reid was way out of line flapping his gums with such generalizations.

Outrageous.

So here is yet ANOTHER thread in which MEN being unable to control their animal selves is the topic.

Harry Reid probably thinks women who wear mini skirts ask for rape, as well.

What an idiot.

Is there ANY stressful situation in which a man can control himself from turning into a monster? /rhetorical sarcasm

Your analogies are totally off the mark for this discussion...there isn't even the slightest parallel.

reply to post by GoalPoster

Domestic abuse on rise as economy sinks
Hotline calls up from last year as are cases of shaken baby syndrome
updated 4:20 p.m. ET April 10, 2009

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Some hospitals report seeing more than twice as many shaken babies as a year ago. Deaths from domestic violence have increased sharply in some areas.

Calls to domestic-violence hotlines have risen too, and more than half the callers said their families' financial situation has changed recently.

Across the country, these and other signs point to another troubling effect of the recession: The American home is becoming more violent, and the ailing economy could be at least partially to blame.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

Recession can be deadly for domestic abuse victims
By Mary R. Lauby and Sue Else
December 25, 2008

THE RIPPLE EFFECT of the economic crisis has multiplied in ways that many of us could never imagine: banks folding, stock markets diving, and an astronomical government bailout.

For victims of domestic violence, the impact of this downward economic spiral could be deadly.

Economic stresses often lead to more frequent abuse, more violent abuse, and more dangerous abuse when domestic violence already exists. Domestic violence programs report that victims experience an increase in abuse in part because out-of-work abusers have more opportunity to batter. Rhode Island, for example, has recently seen a 25 percent increase in felony-level domestic violence crimes. Victims end up with fewer opportunities to contact programs for help, attend support groups, or get away from the batterer.

www.boston.com...

Recession Triggers Rise in Domestic Abuse
Increasing Numbers of Battered Women are Seeking Shelter

Apr 28, 2009 Rupert Taylor
The Calgary Women's Shelter has reported a dramatic increase in the occurrence of domestic abuse, and lays the blame for this on the recession.

Sheryl Ubelacker is the Health Reporter for The Canadian Press. On April 13, 2009 she wrote a story “Domestic Abuse on Rise as Families Try to Cope with Recession” that was picked up by most news outlets in Canada.
Economic Downturn Causes Spike in Abuse

Ms. Ubelacker wrote that “Since the recession took hold, social service organizations say, there has been a significant spike in the number of Canadians seeking counselling for family violence – and the level of abuse has taken a disturbing turn for the worse.”

Following up on this, the CBC program The Current reported on April 20, 2009 that, “The Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter runs a 24-hour family violence help line. In February [2009], it took 1,366 calls. That's a 300 percent increase from the previous year."

Lisa Falkowsky is executive director of the Calgary shelter. She told The Canadian Press, “…we’re also finding that for the women coming forward, the complexity and severity of what they’re demonstrating is much more severe than we’ve seen in a long time. I’ve got counsellors who have worked in the field 20-plus years and they’ve never seen what they’re seeing now.”

physical-abuse.suite101.com...

Note that I chose articles to cite that are at least a year old so it couldn't be claimed that I am citing the current article Reid was referring to.

A simple google search will show numerous reports of increases of spousal, child and elder abuse rises during economic hard times.

AND again I stress abuse is wrong no matter who does it to whom or for what excuse.

[edit on 2/23/2010 by iMacFanatic]