Because I love poking fun at myself. Whenever I get full of myself and want to go off half-cocked talking about something or other: Another Asshole with an Opinion.

Today on the docket: Adrian Peterson.

 

Did you watch that? No? Okay, go back and watch it. Seriously. Do it, it’s important.

Watch it now? Okay, let’s proceed.

The first thing you know is I’m not going to equivocate. I’m not going to spend a paragraph giving credence to the “other side” to try and somehow win them over to my side. I’m going to say what I mean and people can agree or disagree with as much as they want. Equivocation is getting to be a plague when it comes to real discussion.

As well, I’m not going to pretend like physical discipline always equals abuse or that there are not situations and children that need physical correction.

All that being said, in general: taking a belt or switch to your kid as a first resort is lazy parenting. And more likely shows that that you weren’t doing your job at a parent at some earlier date.

But even that’s not what I really want to attack. If I had, I wouldn’t have put that Colbert clip in. No, what I really want to attack is the defense that Sean Hannity and people like him use. “I got hit and I deserved it.”

You know who else typically says that? Battered women. Battered men. Grown adults that have been abused by their partners to the point that they truly believe that they deserve to be hit by someone that is supposed to be their equal loving partner.

And that’s awful. And we know it happens.

So why is it less awful and less likely to happen, when a child is hit by the one (or two or whatever) person that they love and trust more than anyone else in this world.

And that’s wrong.

But I’m just another asshole with an opinion.