THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 27, 1994 TAG: 9406250037
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
DATELINE: 940627 LENGTH: Medium
We are ashamed.
{REST} But don't judge us by the others.
We are males. We are postal employees, lumberjacks, cab drivers, doctors, teachers, clerks and firemen.
We are disgusted by the 911 calls that Nicole Simpson made in a desperate appeal for police protection. Shocked and saddened by every one. And sick in the gut at the butchery that took her life and that of Ronald Goldman.
We come in every color, every political persuasion, every section of the country. You won't find us on Jay Leno's show or in People magazine. Most of us never even made a touchdown in high school, let alone set a scoring record in pro football.
And we are disgusted. Disgusted at the scenes on television of people waving signs of encouragement to a sick person in the back seat of a car with a gun to his head.
We don't know - but strongly suspect - that O.J. is guilty as charged. We feel the deepest sympathy for the families of Nicole and Ronald, especially the motherless children. We try to suspend judgment on the case until all the evidence is in. But it's tough to do.
We are the male majority. We enjoy television football because it is an escape from the routine drudgery of our jobs. True, we once admired O.J. for his talent on the field, and, yes, his winning smile and charm. Now we don't.
We don't because he had a demon inside him that made him do cruel - possibly murderous things to a woman. That makes us sad. And angry.
We are your fathers, husbands, lovers and friends. In those places where we share a roof with women, we are the weaker sex - in so many ways. And we know it. We admire your ability in the workplace and your nurturing spirit at home. And we bow our heads in respect for your ability to express the most tender sentiments of the human heart - in both word and gesture - when we so often cannot.
When we see television photos of a pregnant woman whose face has been beaten to a pulp, we want to throw up. We are stunned to learn that 50 percent of the women who arrive at hospital emergency rooms for treatment are there because of male violence to them. And we are ashamed.
Ashamed that such violent acts are committed by those who call themselves men. They are not. We believe those who physically abuse women are more than sick. They reveal a darker side of their natures that is abhorrent and repulsive - lower than the apes. And we want them put behind bars.
We want to be for your sex what our mothers and sisters and wives have been for us - supportive and caring. And we know words aren't enough. We have to make men who do such things pariahs - in the workplace or the locker room. We must shake their sense of smugness to its foundation.
They must learn that their fists and weapons offend not just our sense of decency, but our memory of the good women who have loved and cared for us.
We are your neighbors and your co-workers. And we ask that you not judge us all by the cruelty of a vicious minority. In spirit and - hopefully - in deed, we stand beside you.
by CNB