You are in class minding your business. All of a sudden a boy and a girl start arguing. The girl is so angry she decides to punch him in the face. In retaliation he slaps her and she falls. Was he wrong? Not at all. For those who are unaware, there is a huge double standard between women hitting men and men hitting women.

Freshman Randolph Ontiveros said, “I don’t think women should hit men and if someone hits someone, they should be able to defend themselves.” Many people say that men are not allowed to hit women at all no matter the circumstance. Why? Just because they are a man and it’s sad because they can still bruise, cut, and bleed just like everyone else.

There are some women that walk around here with the mentality that no man should ever put their hands on them no matter the reason, but do not feel the same way vice versa. I have seen many videos on different social sites where there is a disagreement and the girl will go out out of her way to hit the guy.

She will keep trying to fight even though the boy is telling her to stop or to leave him alone and even warning her. While he’s obviously being assaulted no one does anything but record. Then the moment the boy gets fed up and pushes, slaps, or even punches back then everyone starts crying “Why would you hit a girl.” Where is that same energy when the guy is getting assaulted? Sadly, a lot of these particular altercations have occured in school.

As a female I would never go out of my way to put my hands on another person let alone a boy unless in self defense. On an episode of  “The View” from last year Whoopi Goldberg in a way defended ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith’s comments on Ray Rice’s domestic dispute with his wife by stating, “If you make the choice as a woman, who’s four foot three, and you decide to hit a guy who’s six feet tall and you’re the last thing he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised!”

She received major backlash from the rest of the panel, but stuck by her opinion regardless and I absolutely agree. Freshman Keyona Johnson stated, “Girls shouldn’t have the double standard of getting hit by a boy and “defending” themselves and then turning around and hitting a boy expecting him not to defend himself. Everyone should just keep their hands to themselves if they want to avoid conflict.”  You cannot go out of your way to hit a man and then cry when he hits you back. Many women want equality in all concepts except for that.

Even in society will criminalize a guy before a girl. My Dad’s friend got into a disagreement with his girlfriend at a club. When he turned his back she attempted to hit him with her heel shoe, but he turned around and caught her arm just in time. She was aiming for his face and almost hit him in his eye. All he did was try to push her away, but the police tried to arrest him. He did nothing wrong, but they still tried to incriminate him. He had a right to defend himself. If you want to go crazy and hit someone, then you can catch the hands, to put it bluntly.

Women need to stop thinking that every man is raised with the “I will never hit a woman” mentality. It is a new day and age and many people do not care and will hit back regardless of who you are.

The problem is that some women have been told all their lives that men are not allowed to hit them and some men have been taught no matter what they cannot hit a woman like it’s a law. How about teach your children to keep their hands to themselves period. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, do not put your hands on anybody.