Twitter went crazy this past Wednesday night over a Chicago hip hop artist who goes by the name of Lil Reese. I didn’t know this guy, but being that I’m in the music industry and want to stay informed, I did what any other curious person would do…Google him. Apparently, he recently signed with Def Jam records, but the sad part is that information was hard to find because of the countless pages of “Lil Reese beats woman” popped up.
Sigh.
Just a few weeks ago another video went viral about a Cleveland bus driver uppercutting a young woman. The lady repeatedly said crazy remarks and the bus driver was fed up, so he punched her and threw the woman out.
Sigh.
There are always consequences. Now, prosecutors filed misdemeanor criminal charges against both the driver and female passenger who fought on the bus. The driver remains suspended without pay from his RTA job, and faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1000 fine if convicted of the assault count. As for Lane, a lesser charge carries a maximum of 30 days in custody and a $250 fine. Was it worth it?
Lil Reese, on the other hand, is only a teenager. A TEENAGER. How did he think beating a woman was okay? He’s very unapologetic as he went to his twitter to say, “The haters tryna see a mf Dwn lol Dey gotta b broke and bored wanna upload sum sh– from years ago damnn we winnin it’s 2 late…#3hunna.” he continues, “Dis wat doin betta den da next mf bring small s*** it’s nothin time 2 turn Uppp f*** it…#3hunna.” And he still dmade excuses through his “apology,”… ” I apoligize for whoopin dat hoe *** but I was yung dumb n high sorry RT this for me.” He was just SIGNED to a major record label, but people will overlook that and know him only as the young boy who beat a girl. Was it worth it?
I won’t just point the finger at men. I also believe women shouldn’t hit or provoke men because some men are weak and can’t show restraint. I’m not justifying their actions in any way, but they react just like everyone else. Also, “She was provoking me….she want to act like a man so I’ll treat her like one” is becoming the new excuse from some men….It’s BS and it’s NOT okay.
In both cases, people laughed and cheered the man on. In both cases, the video went viral. I noticed with the bus driver, people laughed and thought it was pure comedy. I mean, this isn’t a comic book strip…it’s reality. With Lil Reese, people felt like his reaction was over the top. To me, the videos were equally disturbing. I didn’t chuckle at all.
So I ask, is this the new entertainment? What’s REALLY going on where people pull out their cell phone to record such instances instead of pulling the phone out to call for help? What’s REALLY going on where people find a man hitting a woman funny? What’s REALLY going on where people are glorifying violence? What’s REALLY going on where men are becoming weak and think hitting women is okay?
These videos are sick and disgusting. Some of the reactions to the videos are sick and disgusting. To all of the people who thought any of this was funny, how would you feel if the woman was your mother? Sister? Aunt? Cousin? Daughter? Think about it. I’m sure you wouldn’t laugh then. And to Lil Reese who has a mixtape coming out called “Don’t Like,” Here’s my response…Men hitting women? Yea, “that’s that sh*t I don’t like.” Grow up.
~I think it’s time to kill for our women, Time to heal our women, be real to our women. And if we don’t we’ll have a race of babies…That will hate the ladies, that make the babies. So will the real men get up?I know you’re fed up ladies, but keep your head up~2Pac- Keep Ya Head Up
Ashley Caprice 
You know I dont like this post, it makes me angry inside. I’m all disturbed! I recently saw the video of the bus driver and wanted to blow that whole scene up! (Not that that would have solved the problem), but, HOW in the hell can ANYONE find it ok to put there hands on anyone, to have an audience, and to LAUGH the entire time. I’m practically just as clueless as you are about the reality of this! The world I live in people respect each other! So if anyone I know ever finds it ok to be a participant of some BS like this…(nothing nice was about to be said)! ~Pernisha G.
Men, on the whole, have a physical advantage over women and therefore have a responsibility to not abuse that power – just like any other power that someone may have. It is never okay for anyone to abuse the power they have, whether it is physical, emotional, financial or psychological.
Some people will say a person has a right to defend themselves (I’m being gender non-specific because abuse can be, and often is, non-specific). But in the case of the bus driver can you argue he was defending himself? I don’t think so. He had a variety of other options to resolve the situation even if he had been the initial victim of verbal and physical abuse. He clearly had a physical advantage and chose to use it disproportionately.
Domestic abuse is a subject lightly touched on in the storyline of my novel. Young people need to be raised right, with suitable role models, and taught that violence doesn’t solve things. It may end them but not solve them. Violence and abuse only leads to a destructive path where you lose your friends, family, job, freedom and often your life. There are too many murder suicides originating in domestic abuse. It has to stop.