I take it offensively when sombody says that verbal abuse is worse than physical abuse. Their argument is that it causes their emotional state more harm than physical. My problem with this statement is that it implies that the physical abusers (usually parents) randomly and simply start punching, scratching, pushing, throwing, etc without saying a single hurtful word. The abuser is hurting the child regardless of what form of abuse it is. The emotional side of it is what hurts the child the most because it’s like they said bruises can heal but I’m not gonna pretend like my physical abuse wasn’t accompanied by verbal abuse thus leading to emotional abuse. And while they both have pretty much the same affects on the child in the end….I’d rather only have the verbal side of it if i had to pick. Lets not pretend that physical abuse doesn’t hurt like a *****…lets also not act is if a punch can’t express the way our parents feel about us just as much as words. I’d rather only have the verbal side of the abuse. But to think that physical abuse can’t be accompanied by verbal abuse is silly.
I’m pretty sure someone being verbally abused wouldn’t think something like “I really wish she would hit me while saying these things”. I also don’t think a kid being hit thinks anything like “oh i think dad just threw me 5 feet across my room, kicked me, scratched me just for fun even though it hurt. It felt kinda good to get kicked”
I would have to argue that simply having nothing but physical abuse is rare in comparison to a combo deal. In the long run one cannot really say one is worse than the other because the emotional state is harmed either way. But in the moment when it’s happening I’d rather have only the verbal side.
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did you watch this from the Seeker YouTube channel? anyway, yeah.
My mum is volatile with her words, growing up, when she was angry with me she’d yell at me saying how I should be grateful that she didn’t poison me as a child. Or how I should be grateful she didn’t physically hit me to death.
And I grow up feeling kind of grateful for that when I compare myself to people like you. I didn’t mean to offend you, by saying that. It’s just what I think. I’m sorry this happened to you still.
I used to wonder which hurts more, physical or verbal abuse. Often times I concluded on my own that physical abuse must’ve been accompanied with verbal abuse as well so I…yeah, I used to be grateful I wasn’t beaten to death.
Now I think I’m probably better off dead as a kid.
Oh, no don’t be silly. You didn’t offend me. And I also don’t think death is better. After all…the abused can leave their ugly past behind along with their abusers. I think distancing yourself from the abuser is a good thing. And by the way what is the seeker YouTube channel? You got me curious now. I might have to check it out.
it’s this video. but otherwise, it’s a cool channel. I sometimes watch some of the videos they posted.
It’s
It is often said that actions speak louder than words. It is so sad that anyone is treated this way. Abuse hurts regardless of verbal or physical, but I can’t imagine the terror of a child fearing for their life and living with that fear and anger and bewilderment with the physical pain as a reminder of the assault. No one should have to endure what you’ve been through. I’m glad you survived it and I hope your healing continues.
You have a good point but they are both bad.
i want to leave a link but they dont let me. oh well.
Thank you for sharing this.
I think people who say things like that a) may not have experienced long-term (or even any) physical abuse, and b) are probably just saying that because physical abuse is always priotirised over emotional abuse, even though we know emotional abuse can literally destroy a person and prevent a child from being able to develop fully and cope in adulthood with all kinds of things.
I think it’s probably a hurt reaction to the pervasive ‘sticks and stones’ point of view without really thinking it through.