Domestic Violence

Compared to our last article, I found this author's objective, logos based approach refreshing. The author references detailed studies done by the CDC. Above all I found the statistics on intimate partner violence to be startling. I cannot imagine being trapped in a relationship with an abusive partner. I understand most people are fearful to distance themselves from a violent partner. But I strongly believe that this attitude is the cause of these alarming statistics. Without abused partners rising up for change, these numbers will only get worse and worse. One thing I found interesting about the article involved the tone. It almost seemed like the author was putting off or discrediting the women surveyed at times. At the beginning, the author introduces the studies stating, "The survey, released by the CDC Wednesday, marks the beginning of a new annual project to look at how many women say they've been abused." "Say they've been abused" is much more questioning than "have been abused." The extremely high rape statistics also disturbed me. The article stated that this elevation could be due to "how the surveys were done, who chose to participate and how "rape" and other types of assault were defined or interpreted." This statement reminded me of how important context is when looking at statistics. No one statistic tells the entire story, so we must seek out all sides.