Chris Brown and Rihanna

It's been nearly impossible for me not to follow the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation, at least from a distance. But I told myself I'd never write about the subject. I didn't believe I had anything to add. Everything had been said or was being said by people. I still believe there are subjects where my opinion just doesn't have a place in the free flow of discourse on the Web.

But I do want to call attention to an entry by Dr. Melissa Harris-Lacewell. Dr. Harris-Lacewell is my favorite commentator on MSNBC. She always says something completely on point and her chemistry with Rachel Maddow is must see TV.

Anyhow, onto the important part and enough from me, money quote:

It hurts because in just a decade Parker will enter the world of dating and therefore the world of this violence and I will have to find new ways to empower and protect her. The though terrifies me.

It hurts because I have had women students sit across from me during office hours with dark glasses on a dark fall afternoon and refuse to take them off.

It hurts because one of my sisters was held captive at gunpoint by an obsessive and abusive boyfriend.

It hurts because I still remember hands that once held and loved me wrapped around my own neck with brutality.

It hurts because I know that most of our readers have these stories too.

Please read the full entry by Dr. Harris-Lacewell.