Domestic Violence and Us
More about the causes and cures
Reconciliation Considerations for Victims of Domestic Violence or Abuse
Before reconciling after abuse, victims should look for evidence of real change in their partner. This post guides survivors through the reconciliation process, emphasizing the importance of going slow, maintaining realistic expectations, and ensuring the relationship is genuinely different before resuming it.
Poverty and Domestic Violence: Being Poor Does Not Mean We Can’t Change
Poverty and domestic violence are linked because the lack of money limits the ability to get help. The situation is not hopeless, however.
What We Can Learn about Domestic Violence from the Will Smith/Chris Rock Incident
The well-publicized and over-analyzed Will Smith/Chris Rock incident at the Oscars offers us a powerful teaching moment. While not a domestic situation, the implications are highly relevant for those of us who are working to stop our acts of domestic violence. And,...
Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Abuse in LGBTQ+ Relationships
When I was arrested for domestic violence, part of me was convinced they had it all wrong. I was not what the typical “batterer” looked like - some controlling woman-hater who beats up his wife to show her who’s boss. As awareness of abuse in LGBTQ relationships...
Connecting Violence in the Media and Domestic Violence
I’m going to say something you already know: what we see in movies and on television doesn’t always reflect reality. Producers often have to suspend the truth in order to keep the story flowing and prevent audience boredom. While these liberties are usually harmless,...
Domestic Violence Statistics Show It is Not Just a Man Problem
Many media depictions, domestic violence advocates, and websites will lead you to believe that domestic abuse is something that men do to women. Domestic violence statistics show, however, that domestic abuse is not just a man problem. This fact has huge implications...
Our Reaction to Domestic Violence Actually Hurts the Cause
Public outrage over intimate partner violence is no surprise. We don’t like to see innocent people hurt. We defend victims. We want justice. However, our collective response to domestic abuse is actually part of the problem. There are far better ways to end domestic...
The Two Courts and Sets of Punishments Domestic Violence Offenders Must Face
I saw a video that went viral last week of minor league baseball player Danry Vasquez battering his girlfriend in a stairwell of a baseball stadium. The video showed him striking her at least a half-dozen times as they made their way down the stairs. It was painful to...
Study: More Empathy for Dogs than Humans
What it means for domestic violence treatment programs I recently read about a study that said people feel more empathy for dogs than each other. The research showed people fake news clips of a brutal attack on 4 different victims: a puppy, an older dog, a...
Can a Logo Symbolize Our Values and Inspire People? We Hope So.
While the Ananias Foundation is still a relatively new organization, we’ve worked hard for several months to put key pieces in place. We had a very long “To Do” list from the beginning, and we’ve systematically checked off many of those initial items as the year...
A Different Approach Toward Domestic Violence Help
Once upon a time, there were some people who lived in a village next to a river. One day, a villager noticed a woman floating down the river. The woman was in the middle of the current and obviously in trouble, so the person did the right thing and pulled her to...
Finding Yourself in the Story of Saul and Ananias
How can a true story about a couple of guys that lived two thousand years ago be relevant to you and me today? After all, people and society have changed so much—few of us herd sheep anymore. One story might be very relevant, however, because human nature has not...
A Domestic Violence Hotline Like No Other
Recently, my garage door opener remotes stopped working. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong or how to fix it (yes, I tried replacing the batteries). Then, I discovered a local garage door company that had a trouble-shooting hotline. After answering a few questions,...
What Everyone Seems to Get Wrong About the Causes of Domestic Violence
We’ve all heard the expression, “Blind as a bat”, right? Most of us believe it. I did. It turns out bats can see almost as well as humans, but they also rely on their advanced sonar capabilities in the dark. This is just one of many examples of “common knowledge” that...
The Search for Meaningful Work
How Volunteering Can Provide Relevance and Opportunity When Your Job Does Not I once had a job where I submitted policy language from new insurance products to state regulators for their approval. No offense to anyone in the insurance industry or government...