So why do people abuse others?
I wrote this in response to a column on domestic abuse, which never once mentioned alcoholism as the root cause. The editor of the paper wrote back, "very interesting information," but failed to publish my piece. Oh well.
Dear Editor,
Rob Rephan's discussion omitted the crucial underlying factor in most abuse: alcohol and other drug addiction. Alcoholism in particular results in distortions of perception and memory that cause the afflicted person to view everything he or she does in a self-favoring light. This results in a god-like sense of self, which the addict feeds by wielding power over others. To accomplish this end, he or she sometimes engages in physical violence and always in its psychological counterpart.
Charm is a particularly perverse method ...
