Did Stephen A. Smith cross the line?


A lot of women are wary of men to begin with, and understand how vulnerable they are. I'd think they understand that concept very well.

Long-time lurker and JSU supporter, as well as a big research enthusiast. Kendrick, you always seem to be one of the more rational thinkers and I usually side with your comments, however, your tone on this topic seems to subject that women can never be provokers. I usually resist the urge to respond, but I feel the following stats could provide a more comprehensive perspective on this particular topic:

Almost 24% of all relationships had some violence, and half (49.7%) of those were reciprocally violent (Men and Women hitting each other). In nonreciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases (When only one person is violent, Women are the perpetrators of over 70% of those cases). Reciprocity was associated with more frequent violence among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.9, 2.8), but not men (AOR=1.26; 95% CI=0.9, 1.7). Regarding injury, men were more likely to inflict injury than were women (AOR=1.3; 95% CI=1.1, 1.5), and reciprocal intimate partner violence was associated with greater injury than was nonreciprocal intimate partner violence regardless of the gender of the perpetrator (AOR=4.4; 95% CI=3.6, 5.5 (Whitaker, 2006; AJPH)
American Journal of Public Health: May 2007, Vol. 97, No. 5, pp. 941-947. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.079020

What's more, ....".......statistics have shown that lesbian people experience domestic violence at a very similar rate to that of heterosexual women (Waldner-Haygrud, 1997; AVP, 1992). It has been estimated that between 17-45% of lesbians have been the victim of at least one act of violence perpetrated by a female partner (Burke et al, 1999; Lie et al, 1991), and that 30% of lesbians have reported sexual assault / rape by another woman (Renzetti, 1992)."
- which seems to support that women are, more often than not, the more active aggressors and indirectly conflicts with your notion about women be "wary of men to begin with."
 



Ain't that plickup.

The only time I have ever hit a female I was in the sixth grade. I was walking away from an argument and she hit me, with her fist, in the back of my neck....before I knew it I had turned and popped her in the mouth cutting my knuckle on her teeth. She looked at me and went on her way. First and only time in my life.

Why did she hit me you ask? I am so glad you did. Well, she liked me but I did not like her.




Long-time lurker and JSU supporter, as well as a big research enthusiast. Kendrick, you always seem to be one of the more rational thinkers and I usually side with your comments, however, your tone on this topic seems to subject that women can never be provokers. I usually resist the urge to respond, but I feel the following stats could provide a more comprehensive perspective on this particular topic:

Almost 24% of all relationships had some violence, and half (49.7%) of those were reciprocally violent (Men and Women hitting each other). In nonreciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases (When only one person is violent, Women are the perpetrators of over 70% of those cases). Reciprocity was associated with more frequent violence among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.9, 2.8), but not men (AOR=1.26; 95% CI=0.9, 1.7). Regarding injury, men were more likely to inflict injury than were women (AOR=1.3; 95% CI=1.1, 1.5), and reciprocal intimate partner violence was associated with greater injury than was nonreciprocal intimate partner violence regardless of the gender of the perpetrator (AOR=4.4; 95% CI=3.6, 5.5 (Whitaker, 2006; AJPH)
American Journal of Public Health: May 2007, Vol. 97, No. 5, pp. 941-947. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.079020

What's more, ....".......statistics have shown that lesbian people experience domestic violence at a very similar rate to that of heterosexual women (Waldner-Haygrud, 1997; AVP, 1992). It has been estimated that between 17-45% of lesbians have been the victim of at least one act of violence perpetrated by a female partner (Burke et al, 1999; Lie et al, 1991), and that 30% of lesbians have reported sexual assault / rape by another woman (Renzetti, 1992)."
- which seems to support that women are, more often than not, the more active aggressors and indirectly conflicts with your notion about women be "wary of men to begin with."
 
Kendrick, you always seem to be one of the more rational thinkers and I usually side with your comments, however, your tone on this topic seems to subject that women can never be provokers.

I can respect your thoughts.

However, it's not accurate at all that I don't believe women can never be provokers (which could be anything aside from violence). I've acknowledged that there are women abusers in this thread (or another one). And the stats you've presented speak to the role some women play in either instigating or being just as or if not more violent than men in domestic violence situations.

But that does not change that the majority of women in general are and have been taught to be wary of males.

We tell our daughters, sisters and female friends and relatives to always be on alert and on guard when out or when around other men at an early age and beyond. Men don't have to worry about being harassed, cat-called or aggressively approached by strangers while walking down the street.

Men don't have to worry about going out at night alone most of the time. Men don't have to worry about being alone in a room with another man like a woman does. Men can go to the John by themselves at a nightclub or party without fear of being attacked or worse.

Men don't have to be wary of how they dress or look because it might attract someone they don't want to deal with.

One of my co-workers told me she was recently cat-called and chased down the street by several men in broad daylight. She has since bought pepper spray. We don't have to worry about that.

A friend, a reporter/producer at a local TV station here, said that a guy told her she looked good enough to rape. Again, we don't have to worry about that.

Another friend asked me to accompany her to the gas station one night and wait in my car in the parking lot until while she filled up her tank.

While there are some women who are violent and confrontational with men, on balance they're still perpetually more vulnerable in any situation than men will ever be.

This doesn't excuse what Solange did in pounding Jay-Z, or all the other instances where women are violent against men. Their actions should never be condoned. Never. But, women overall are at a disadvantage for the most part in a lot of circumstances, as the stats bear out.
 
I can respect your thoughts.

However, it's not accurate at all that I don't believe women can never be provokers (which could be anything aside from violence). I've acknowledged that there are women abusers in this thread (or another one). And the stats you've presented speak to the role some women play in either instigating or being just as or if not more violent than men in domestic violence situations.

But that does not change that the majority of women in general are and have been taught to be wary of males.

We tell our daughters, sisters and female friends and relatives to always be on alert and on guard when out or when around other men at an early age and beyond. Men don't have to worry about being harassed, cat-called or aggressively approached by strangers while walking down the street.

Men don't have to worry about going out at night alone most of the time. Men don't have to worry about being alone in a room with another man like a woman does. Men can go to the John by themselves at a nightclub or party without fear of being attacked or worse.

Men don't have to be wary of how they dress or look because it might attract someone they don't want to deal with.

One of my co-workers told me she was recently cat-called and chased down the street by several men in broad daylight. She has since bought pepper spray. We don't have to worry about that.

A friend, a reporter/producer at a local TV station here, said that a guy told her she looked good enough to rape. Again, we don't have to worry about that.

Another friend asked me to accompany her to the gas station one night and wait in my car in the parking lot until while she filled up her tank.

While there are some women who are violent and confrontational with men, on balance they're still perpetually more vulnerable in any situation than men will ever be.

This doesn't excuse what Solange did in pounding Jay-Z, or all the other instances where women are violent against men. Their actions should never be condoned. Never. But, women overall are at a disadvantage for the most part in a lot of circumstances, as the stats bear out.

All of this!
 
He also said under no circumstance should a man ever hit a woman. Y'all keep leaving out that part.

Nobody is leaving that part out...or overlooking it, everyone agrees with that statement. And if he had just left it at that this wouldn't even be a discussion. But he wanted to make it personal by bringing his female family members into the topic and that's when he started going left. :noidea:
 
Nobody is leaving that part out...or overlooking it, everyone agrees with that statement. And if he had just left it at that this wouldn't even be a discussion. But he wanted to make it personal by bringing his female family members into the topic and that's when he started going left. :noidea:

How did he go into left field when all he did was first be fair to women, then he was fair to the men. When he chose not to take sides, that's when folks started pissing a fit.
The dude CLEARLY prefaced his comments about "women not provoking men" by saying that men should NEVER put their hands on a woman under ANY circumstance.
It was irresponsible for him to even say that because if a man's life is on the line and a woman would perhaps be the cause of his safety, he should have the right to defend himself just as a woman does.
 
He also said under no circumstance should a man ever hit a woman. Y'all keep leaving out that part.
Nobody is leaving that part out...or overlooking it, everyone agrees with that statement. And if he had just left it at that this wouldn't even be a discussion. But he wanted to make it personal by bringing his female family members into the topic and that's when he started going left. :noidea:

A lot of people are leaving that part out people are leaving out that part and overlooking it. It is being done in articles and on social media.

Many are overlooking what Bill Maher said.
 
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A lot of people are leaving that part out people are leaving out that part and overlooking it. It is being done in articles and on social media.

Many are overlooking what Bill Maher said.

Different factions have agendas that has nothing to do with fairness. News outlets look for ratings, women advocate groups use things like this to further their cause, weak brothers use it in hopes of getting pudding.........It goes on and on.
 
Society is out to get the black man. Society has told black women they're better then black men. These new age black women really are lost.
 
I think everything went downhill when he said women shouldn't provoke men and he provided no clarity to that statement even in his apology. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but he was on the wrong platform for it. A nobody can say what he wants but SAS does not have that same luxury. He better head over to Sirius xm where he won't be censored as much.
 
I can respect your thoughts.

However, it's not accurate at all that I don't believe women can never be provokers (which could be anything aside from violence). I've acknowledged that there are women abusers in this thread (or another one). And the stats you've presented speak to the role some women play in either instigating or being just as or if not more violent than men in domestic violence situations.
But that does not change that the majority of women in general are and have been taught to be wary of males.

We tell our daughters, sisters and female friends and relatives to always be on alert and on guard when out or when around other men at an early age and beyond. Men don't have to worry about being harassed, cat-called or aggressively approached by strangers while walking down the street.

Men don't have to worry about going out at night alone most of the time. Men don't have to worry about being alone in a room with another man like a woman does. Men can go to the John by themselves at a nightclub or party without fear of being attacked or worse.

Men don't have to be wary of how they dress or look because it might attract someone they don't want to deal with.

One of my co-workers told me she was recently cat-called and chased down the street by several men in broad daylight. She has since bought pepper spray. We don't have to worry about that.

A friend, a reporter/producer at a local TV station here, said that a guy told her she looked good enough to rape. Again, we don't have to worry about that.

Another friend asked me to accompany her to the gas station one night and wait in my car in the parking lot until while she filled up her tank.

While there are some women who are violent and confrontational with men, on balance they're still perpetually more vulnerable in any situation than men will ever be.

This doesn't excuse what Solange did in pounding Jay-Z, or all the other instances where women are violent against men. Their actions should never be condoned. Never. But, women overall are at a disadvantage for the most part in a lot of circumstances, as the stats bear out.

I can see your point and I can agree that from an emotional perspective, some females feel uncomfortable in the presence of men. However, statistically, this emotion is unwarranted considering that women are more likely to experience violence from another woman. You also mention that most women have been taught to be wary of men, but again, from a statistical perspective, this extra caution is unwarranted.

I also understand that there are many, many incidents were men have violated women their due respect, but it's nearly as prominent as our emotions would lead us to believe. I only wish to interject a brief abstract of stats so that we may all know if perception is actually reality.

In regard to the comments by SAS, I personally believe he did not go too far. His quote was to not provoke the wrong actions, which doesn't necessarily imply violence. If we're going to generalize his comments to encompass all of domestic violence, then we also have take his exact words at face value. These "wrong actions" can be as wide as the Mississippi, so it irresponsible for anyone (especially a colleague) to insinuate that these "actions" equate to physical violence.
 



I think everything went downhill when he said women shouldn't provoke men and he provided no clarity to that statement even in his apology. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but he was on the wrong platform for it. A nobody can say what he wants but SAS does not have that same luxury. He better head over to Sirius xm where he won't be censored as much.

I believe this was his biggest error. There's a time and a place for progressive dialogue, but his comments (and delivery) were ill-advised.
 
I think everything went downhill when he said women shouldn't provoke men and he provided no clarity to that statement even in his apology. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but he was on the wrong platform for it. A nobody can say what he wants but SAS does not have that same luxury. He better head over to Sirius xm where he won't be censored as much.

That's why he is suspended. By the tone of his apology, you can tell he was being forced to apologize even when 90% of the country knew what he meant.

As I said earlier... to put this in the words of former ESPN personality Rob Parker (who SAS oddly enough threw under the bus for a statement a lot less controversial that his) "that's barbershop talk".
 
This is a fox news trick. They took a portion of what he said and blew it out of proportion. They used the word PROVOKE to get the response they wanted. We all knew what he was talking about. The problem is he was being too politically correct with his answer. All he should've said was "don't hit don't get hit."

how is it that Whoopi Goldberg can come right out and say "if you hit a man don't be surprised if he hits you back," yet SAS went out of his way to be politically correct but get suspended, yet they work for the same company?
 
I can respect your thoughts.

However, it's not accurate at all that I don't believe women can never be provokers (which could be anything aside from violence). I've acknowledged that there are women abusers in this thread (or another one). And the stats you've presented speak to the role some women play in either instigating or being just as or if not more violent than men in domestic violence situations.

But that does not change that the majority of women in general are and have been taught to be wary of males.

We tell our daughters, sisters and female friends and relatives to always be on alert and on guard when out or when around other men at an early age and beyond. Men don't have to worry about being harassed, cat-called or aggressively approached by strangers while walking down the street.

Men don't have to worry about going out at night alone most of the time. Men don't have to worry about being alone in a room with another man like a woman does. Men can go to the John by themselves at a nightclub or party without fear of being attacked or worse.

Men don't have to be wary of how they dress or look because it might attract someone they don't want to deal with.


One of my co-workers told me she was recently cat-called and chased down the street by several men in broad daylight. She has since bought pepper spray. We don't have to worry about that.

A friend, a reporter/producer at a local TV station here, said that a guy told her she looked good enough to rape. Again, we don't have to worry about that.

Another friend asked me to accompany her to the gas station one night and wait in my car in the parking lot until while she filled up her tank.

While there are some women who are violent and confrontational with men, on balance they're still perpetually more vulnerable in any situation than men will ever be.

This doesn't excuse what Solange did in pounding Jay-Z, or all the other instances where women are violent against men. Their actions should never be condoned. Never. But, women overall are at a disadvantage for the most part in a lot of circumstances, as the stats bear out.


Everything in bold men have to worry about too just not as much. Anybody can get attacked mane
 
Espn revels in controversy and that is the main reason Stephen A. Smith is on the air at espn. If people had not started whining about a non issue they would never have done anything.



I think everything went downhill when he said women shouldn't provoke men and he provided no clarity to that statement even in his apology. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but he was on the wrong platform for it. A nobody can say what he wants but SAS does not have that same luxury. He better head over to Sirius xm where he won't be censored as much.
 
I will be honest. I have never in my life hit a woman but I had an ex that had a slapping problem and one day I shook the living hell out of her. I broke up with her after that. I saw jail coming. She had been a violent relationship before that and that is all she knew.

This chick had the nerve to later say, "that if I loved her, I wouldn't break up with her over an issue so small, that I should help her work through her anger and violence problems"



Been there before! Lol.




Anyway, Stephen A said nothing wrong! This world has gotten so weak it's amazing.
 
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