I was driving down the street a couple of days ago, and I saw a girl standing on the curb of a highway-to-street intersection. She was wearing pajamas, stuffed animal slippers, hair undone, and looking completely distressed. She appeared to be in her late teens/early twenties and she was looking off into the distance, almost hopping from one foot to the other, as if she were looking for or waiting for someone. Tears were imminent, if she hadn't already been crying.
I was in the middle of a dangerous intersection, and couldn't stop my car to ask her what was wrong and if she needed to get help, so I went around the block and in the few minutes it took me to do that, she was gone. Two minutes. In two minutes, she could've gotten into the car with ANYONE and I wish I would've just slammed on the brakes and spoke to her. I don't know what was wrong, but my first thought was, Did she get get into an argument with her boyfriend and get put out of the car?
Domestic Violence is deeply entrenched in our culture, and it's swept under the rug like it's taboo. No one wants to be the one to own up to what's going on and get rid of this madness. If you aren't going to take on the responsibility, then whom?
DV isn't only about physical violence either. It's emotional, pyschological, financial (yes, I said financial). It's about control. Stop sitting around calling someone stupid for being in this situation. Judgements of their personal character is doing what exactly? Making them feel bad so they'll leave? NOT.
DO SOMETHING. SAVE A LIFE. ACT NOW.
Domestic Violence PSA from Tyler Johnson on Vimeo.
