From the article: A Comprehensive Look At Domestic Abuse
Did Mel Gibson abuse Oksana Grigorieva or is Oksana's motive for releasing the tapes an attempt to extort money from Mel? From what I've read in comments on other sites men and most women are viewing Oksana as a gold digger. Here is your opportunity to share your opinion. Is Mel the bad guy or just a guy with a huge cross to bear? Is Mel Gibson an Abuser?
Yes, He is!!
- I feel really bad about his behavior but it has to stop!!! He should realize that he needs help urgently!!! He is an abuser and the sad thing is that he believes he has the right to be like that. He is getting nowhere and getting in trouble all the time. He already lost work and friends because of his temper; Please Mel, WAKE UP!!!
- —Guest jlo172000
Something Doesn't Ring True
- I disagree with this article. I am a domestic abuse survivor, and her constantly changing stories do not ring true. Verbal abuse is not domestic violence, and Mel should be ashamed...I don't care how many buttons she pushed. But it is what Oksana didn't do on the night of Jan. 6th that I also find troubling. Something just doesn't add up.
- —Guest Kitty
Yes, He is an Abuser!
- Yes he is! All men are in one or the other level! The problem is that the eastern European women do not accept abuse of any kind and this is historical tradition. The western women wait too long ,some times for ever,because......! Too sad!
- —Guest adde
Yes, Mel Gibson is an Abusive Man
- I agree with you, Cathy, on your assessment that this was an abusive relationship. Functioning, healthy adults simply do not find themselves provoked or in some other way caused to scream and spit obscenities the way Mel Gibson did on those tapes. The rumors that Gibson was abused when he was young hints at why he is abusive like this, but it does NOT in any way excuse or mitigate the choices he made, as an adult, in his abuse towards his then girlfriend. I also agree with you at feeling horrified at the internet public's response to this story. What I find difficult to understand is the level of vehemence some of these internet comment posters (who, as you have already noted, seem to be mostly women) exhibit in defending Mel's actions. Note, that it is not only that they seem sympathetic to Gibson, but many seem to be aggressivly determined to villify Oksana Grigorieva. I can only hope that these posters are a self-selecting group of people and do not represent women as a whole
- —virginiaalex
Maybe/Maybe Not
- He certainly is verbally abusive towards her, but the only reason I have any doubt is that he was married for such a long time to Robyn and there was not a hint that he was abusive...also Robyn has somewhat defended him publicly. He certainly has a bad temper that seems to have exploded at an age when most men are mellowing...I have not been a fan of his since the time he was abusive towards the police man, but I must admit, I am suspicious of her role in all this.
- —Guest tracy
Difficult to Say One Way or The Other
- Personally I think it is difficult to say if he is an abuser or something else. Were his tirades in response to something said or done by the other side? My marriage to a foreign national is ending, and reflecting on the past six years I have had with my chinese wife I won't pass judgement on Mel. I consider myslef an abused spouse. At first the attacks on me were verbal...not a man, fat pig etc. they then escalated to physical, where if my wife did not have her way she would stand there and hit me. In my own deffense, and possibly Mel's, I will say that when atacked verbally I would defend myslef verbally, perhaps this is what is going on. when I came to the physical hitting, I would stand there and take it until I thought I would lose control and hit back...this is when I called the police for help. So I can not judge what is happening in the hollywood marriage, I just hope it all works out well for both of them, as it usually does.
- —Guest who knows
Each deserves the other
- She is what he gets for messing around on his wife and he is what she deserves for fooling around with a married man.
- —Guest Bev
Gibson is an Abuser
- Who would have believed her if she had told anyone how unbelievably nasty, angry etc. he could be. Unfortunately, nobody believes someone is an abuser until they actually see or hear them in full abusive mode. Think of it this way......nobody can tell a seriel killer until he's caught.
- —Guest Deb
Is Mel an Abuser
- I think either can be the case and only they know the details. Issues such as these are personal and complex and should stay between the two of them and the proper experts they choose to engage in the situation. You should not judge if you don't know the fact.
- —Guest Lorraine
He is ABUSIVE
- From what I've heard on the tapes there is no question, he is abusive. I can't imagine how I would feel if I were on the receiving end of all that rage. Mel Gibson needs help and any man who thinks what he has done isn't abusive needs to join him in a therapist's office.
- —Guest Niki
