Few Mentions of Domestic Violence in Benoit Murder Coverage By now, everyone has heard that Fayetteville police suspect pro-wrestler Chris Benoit of murdering his wife and son before committing suicide. Media portrayals of the tragedy have been quick to blame steroid use or the stress of raising a child with a rare disease, but few mention that Nancy Benoit filed for divorce and sought protection from her husband 4 years ago.
Judge Clarence Seeliger, a DeKalb Superior Court Judge and friend of Women's Resource Center, criticized the media for ignoring the topic of domestic violence in an AJC editorial on June 28th. "It was not spontaneous," he writes. "It was part of a long cycle, sadly familiar to those who deal with domestic violence."
It's a disturbing truth that it often takes tragedy to begin the conversation about domestic violence, but Women's Resource Center hopes that this case will do exactly that. We ask that you begin talking, to your family, friends, and colleagues, about what you know to be true: that women die every day at the hands of those they love, and that the men who kill them don't need steroids to get angry. Instead, they live in a society that doesn't express outrage over violence against women, and by ignoring it, we tell them that abuse is ok. Become part of the solution by raising your voice on behalf of those that are now silenced.
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