Reply #44: i voted it depends on the circumstances

[pitohui]

but yeah if the woman is much smaller and weaker than the man, and just delivering a movie star spoiled bitch slap, the man should leave and just dump the woman out of his life

if the man is in a self defense situation where he has no other way to get to safety but to strike back, he has that right, as anyone should have

i do know a man who was a victim of domestic abuse and it can get into a situation where even if the man does not wish to hit back, if the woman is threatening with a knife, as this woman did, there may be times when there is no choice but to fight back in self defense

in his case it took a long time to make a final break w. the woman -- ten years!

what is this hold that abusers have over their victims?

if a woman hits a man, then she should expect to be dumped, just as she should dump a man who hits her

if the man is unable to make the break because of an addiction to the abuser, well, we need better support systems to help him make the break

and that's my 2 cents