Y 'all, it would be remiss of me not to mention the incident that took place last Sunday at the Academy Awards show.
I can honestly say that I was shook over the slap-heard-round-the-world. My spouse and I were watching the show intently, hoping our favorite movies and actors would win their respective categories. I had just finished doing my homework (transcribing a counseling session with a client), and my spouse had just finished reading (not sure what she read, but she's usually found reading something on the weekends - unless she's filing reports for her DPS job). We both did a double take immediately after Smith slapped Rock, asking each other, "what just happened?" ... "was that real?' Then the video cut off followed by blank air space and white noise. I did what millions of people did that moment trying to figure out what had happened: I turned to Twitter. Regardless of the joke by Rock, Smith had absolutely no excuse for slapping Rock. As a survivor of domestic abuse by my pathetic first spouse (ex-husband now, thankfully), a couple of other relationships gone rogue, and now being in a healthy relationship and a facilitator at my University for Bystander Intervention, I cannot and will not condone what Smith or any bully does in the supposed name of love or protection of a loved one. One thing I have personally learned in my lifetime is that love is never violent.
