In March 2014, NFL athlete Ray Rice was indicted for aggravated assault against his fiancée (now wife), sparking mass media and social network coverage. Most of the controversy that ensued came after TMZ released video footage of the assault taking place, but it wasn’t what you would expect.
In a world where all one needs to hear is “man hit woman” to lock him in jail and throw away the key regardless of any sort of context, this was the first time that I could ever remember where many men and women alike were coming out to publicly defend a man assaulting a woman.
Maybe it was the brief opening of the video showcasing Rice’s fiancée striking him first (which many news outlets cut out for obvious reasons). Maybe it was because the league had already known what he had done and had penalized him with suspension, but only after the story caught media attention was he officially expelled, fueling a debate about double jeopardy.
Rice’s wife forgave him for the incident. The public, however, did not.
But on February 28th, 2015, Ray Rice has confirmed the real effect of what happens when you drag a man’s name through the mud; thoughts of, or following through, with suicide. In a statement made during an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Rice made the comment, “Honestly, I almost felt like at one point that it wasn’t worth living. I see why people commit suicide.”
I want to make it clear; I don’t advocate for domestic violence in any sense. But like many have said before me, had the person he hit been a man, this would not even be a news article. This is just a symptom of the larger issue of men being driven to the point of suicidal thoughts or going through with the action—not because they can’t live with the guilt of hitting someone, but because the person they hit happened to be of a particular gender, which automatically means being stripped of everything you have ever worked for in your life.
And of course this doesn’t just extend to controversial domestic violence cases. In the modern era of trial by public opinion, it is impossible to come back from any sort of accusations towards men at the hands of women. In the countless rape accusations that have turned up false, many have turned towards the gun because one can never recover from the stigma of a false accusation, no matter how much evidence is on their side. If a woman accuses him, he’ll go down in history as a woman abuser in the eyes of the people.
This is the fate of the modern man who does not turn towards the red pill. Tow the gynocentric line of “guilty until proven innocent,” or face ostracism to the fullest extent until you’re pushed to the brink of suicide.
And of course in typical corporate fashion, general manager of the Baltimore Ravens Ozzie Newsome also told the Baltimore Sun, “If [Rice] gets another opportunity to play with another club, I’d be happy for him.”
Sever a man like a cancerous tumor when angry women are watching, and when the dust has settled a year later and most people aren’t paying attention anymore, slip in that you’d had his back all along.
Read More: Why Did A High School Prank Lead To A Young Man’s Suicide?
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