Shaker Kira emailed me an amazing example of how violence against women is minimized in news reporting.
The headline is: "Man badly burned when girlfriend's house set on fire."
The opening paragraph is: "Clark County sheriff's deputies say a Vancouver man was badly burned when a house with his girlfriend and three others inside was set on fire."
OMG this poor guy, right?!
The sheriff's office says deputies responding to a domestic disturbance Friday night were told the boyfriend had doused the 23-year-old woman with gasoline, poured gas around the house and fled.Oh.
A fire broke out, but the woman, her 5-year-old son, her sister and mother were able to escape.
The girlfriend's father said she had just broken up with Miller.So...not so much a "girlfriend," then, as much as an ex-girlfriend. And Miller is not the "boyfriend" as which he is identified as in the headline as much as he is a vengeful stalker.
The father said Miller texted the family Friday afternoon, saying he was going to burn the house down.They are not burned. Calling them "OK" nonetheless frankly feels a little presumptuous.
The father said his daughter did not get burned but did get gasoline in her eyes. The 5-year-old son also got gasoline on him but he is OK, too.
And minimizing: The violent stalker is badly burned. His intended victims, who merely were doused with gasoline and terrorized, are OK.
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