Whoopi Goldberg is taking a lot of heat for allegedly saying domestic violence is okay – except that’s not what she said. As an aside, can I say how tired I am of the media misrepresenting things to create stories out of nothing? What she actually said is that if you are a woman and decide to hit a man, you have to be prepared for the fact that he might hit you back. She didn’t say it was okay, she said it was reality. She said that if the man in question had an unusually bad day, he was more likely to hit you back, and so women need to consider that before they go hitting anyone.

She’s right.

We live in a culture where many people believe violence is the best way to solve a problem. Why wouldn’t they believe that? Our media are filled with that message, many forms of entertainment send the same message, even our government sends that message. It is pervasive in our culture. Many women believe that violence is the best way to solve their problems, even when those problems are with men bigger and stronger than they are. Whoopi Goldberg is saying that if women choose to hit a man, they may get their ass handed to them on a platter. It’s sage advice. Violence is always wrong, and if you want to decrease the likelihood of being involved in violence, don’t hit anyone yourself. It’s just common sense, and Whoopi needs to be applauded for having the courage to speak the truth rather than criticized for something she didn’t say.