A week or so ago, I sank down on the couch and flipped on the T.V. to relax for a minute before finishing up a few work related items on the computer. I surfed through the channels a bit and ended up watching a television show called "Here Come the Newlyweds". It's something of a reality/game show where newlywed couples team up and compete to win a pot of money they've all contributed to week to week by winning various tasks aimed at showing team work, communication, etc.

My dubious choice of viewing material aside.....allow me to relate the following,

Dr. Ruth (psychosexual therapist extraordinaire) was a visitor on the show, there to advise the couples in matters of intimacy and answer any questions they may have. One of the husbands, a Mr. Huffman, knowing Mrs. Huffman was a bit uncomfortable discussing matters of a sexual nature in public, as a joke, pretended his wife wanted to ask a question. Once it had been cleared up that she didn't, the camera showed Mrs. Huffman berating her husband under her breath and telling him that she was going to punch him "in the nuts" later on.

In the couple's rooms, cameras are placed to capture their conversations before going to bed. Clips are shown from all the couple's bedrooms. When it's time to check in on the Huffmans, we see the couple on the bed together and then Mrs. Huffman reaches over and, with closed fist, hits her husband in his genitals. Needless to say, he doubles up, says "Ow"....goes through the normal and expected stages of pain. While he's recovering from the blow, his wife is saying, "I told you! I told you!"....expressing that he knew this was coming and was well deserved for his actions. He,in an obviously hurt and injured tone, said something along the lines of "we're not going to be able to have kids if you keep doing this,".....leaving one to wonder how common this form of retaliation is in their marriage.

Needless to say, I was appalled by his wife's behavior....appalled and disgusted. I was also a bit bothered that Mr. Huffman would sit there and allow himself to be treated in such a fashion. Incidentally, the scene ended with her "kind of" forgiving him and allowing a good night peck.

Now, let's go back and imagine the exact same scenario in reverse. Imagine had Mrs. Huffman played a little joke on her husband and he'd muttered under his breath that when they got back to the room he was going to punch her in her genitals. Imagine that, when they got back to the room, Mr. Huffman did indeed punch his wife in the genitals (all caught on camera, of course), telling her as she cringed in pain "I told you! I told you!"

Would Mr. and Mrs. Huffman still be on their little reality show competing with couples? Or would cops have busted into their room that very night and dragged Mr. Huffman away? Instead of trying to win cute little competitions with his wife, Mr. Huffman would be sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial for domestic violence. His picture would be on every paper and his name on every news station where the clip documenting the unthinkable, horrific abuse of his wife would be played every hour on the hour. The general shock and outrage would be palpable.

Would be.

Had it been Mrs. Huffman who was assaulted thus.

However, it was only Mr. Huffman. So there are no cops, no arrests, no court trials, charges of assault, news headlines or angry feminists using the incident to prove the great and hideous evil that is man. Instead, I imagine the incident will be considered entertaining and amusing and our newlyweds are going forward as if nothing happened, ....after all, according to most, because it happened to Mr. Huffman....nothing did.


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