Twitter users take a stand against victim blaming
Netizens tell their stories of domestic violence with pairing hashtags following American football star abuse video.
UPDATE: On Friday, November 28, the National Football League (NFL) website reported that player Ray Rice won an appeal against his suspension. He has been reinstated to the NFL and is eligible to sign with any team.
The recently released video of American Football player Ray Rice punching then-fiancé and now wife Janay in an elevator prompted nationwide uproar. The National Football League suspended him indefinitely and his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, terminated his contract on Monday.
Some, however, felt there was too much victim blaming going in conversations that asked why Janay still married him despite the abuse. In an effort to change the tone, writer Beverly Gooden asked users to share their stories of domestic abuse and highlight the complexities surrounding the issue using #WhyIStayed. The hashtag received massive feedback and was used more than 58,000 times on Tuesday. #WhyILeft was created in response.