True defining moments are rare in any movement, cause or social issue. Sure, there are events and circumstances that serve to immortalize the theme one is promoting, but to call something a defining moment, it has to have a significant impact across the spectrum of interest and not just within the community devoted to that cause.
Civil rights, gay rights and women’s rights each have had their defining moments that can be articulated among not only those who are impacted by the movement but others outside that given community. I hope I am not premature, but I am feeling strongly that the movement against domestic violence might have had its defining moment on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014.
One way you can identify a true defining moment is when you can recite the date that something so radical occurred that the entire nation took notice. Each of the aforementioned movements can probably identify and recite the event that was so important it changed the course of history. For civil rights and LGBT rights, Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat in 1955 and the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969 are such dates that are oft cited as defining moments.
What happened earlier this month on Sept. 8 that is so pivotal, you may ask?
You probably won’t remember the date in the future, but on that day, the entire nation took notice of the problem of domestic violence in our country. On Sept. 8, the most powerful and most popular professional sport stood tall, recognized the problem of domestic violence and took drastic action to deal with it.
Why is this so defining? For far too long, professional athletes as well as some college athletes, seemed invulnerable to the societal issues we all face. This is not to say they were immune — as many cases have shown they are no different from any of us when it comes to taking part or being caught up in such actions. It is just uncanny how athletes seem to lack accountability and avoid the usual punishments and sanctions most others suffer for the same conduct.
Some are saying the NFL was pressured and backed into a corner to take the action it did. Regardless of its motivation, the league’s actions shook the sports world like a tsunami with the attention of domestic violence going mainstream.
Many have said a subculture that exists in sports that places athletes beyond the reach of civilian authorities. There is no question certain sports teams have circled the wagons when one of their own has crossed the line or been accused of committing a crime. So, for the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL to take the action they did on Sept. 8 — respectively, cutting running back Ray Rice and indefinitely suspending him from play — was a defining moment. No longer will domestic violence be tolerated by this multibillion dollar organization. No longer will the actions of an abuser be covered and protected. No longer will high-profile athletes be held to a different standard.
This is a rare case in which a professional sport has helped to raise the profile of a social issue such as domestic violence to this level in the public arena. Even the former New England Patriot sitting in jail for murder, Aaron Hernandez, was just a blip to the nonsports citizen. The Rice episode, however, has drawn attention from all corners of society.
Domestic violence is everywhere, and maybe it took the firing of a professional football player to get the attention of those who normally don’t know or don’t care about such things. Now, at least, public attention is focused on domestic violence — largely thanks to the defining moment on Sept. 8.
I have long held that in my capacity as a domestic violence investigator, public attention and awareness about the cause are just as important as interviewing defendants and victims. For once, a high-profile case is doing part of the job for me.
I hope I am not being overly optimistic.
We have had some false starts in the past with significant events that have garnered considerable attention only to lose their momentum. I have stated in past interviews and OpEds that we are an event-driven society. Our attention is focused on the newspaper headlines of the day and the lead story on the evening news.
Domestic violence has held that crown in the past — unfortunately only after the latest gruesome homicide or the arrest of a pseudo-celebrity. As in most cases, domestic violence no longer held the spotlight after a few days, and it was replaced by war, disease or the economy. Until the next gruesome event, the cause is typically forgotten by the masses. The unaffected move on as if nothing happened.
Maybe we have crossed over that line this time. Maybe domestic violence will remain relevant, and it will no longer be regarded as that problem that only affects other people. Only time will tell.
Regardless, Sept. 8, 2014, was a pretty significant date for domestic violence. Yes, this incident will eventually be bumped from the headlines. If it is that defining moment for domestic violence, though, it won’t be bumped from your consciousness.
Steven Edmondson is the domestic violence investigator for the Sagadahoc County district attorney’s office in Bath.