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AIBU?

To stay the Hell away from this "night out"

38 replies

maidmarian2012 · 10/07/2013 18:48

A close friend of DP has a significant birthday coming up. All well and good, they are nice people, lovely kids. We have been invited to a restaurant for a meal.

Unfortunately, there are a few more people going. Including a couple who have just got together after him viciously (headbutting several times and full-on punching) assaulting her. He is a binge drinker. Their 3 year old DS saw it.

I cannot possibly sit there with that couple. DV is a subject very close to my heart, XP was a violent bully.

My friends have annoyed me, how can you paper over the cracks on this??
How the Hell can they forgive him?

I'm just going to descend into a rant if I carry on.
BTW DP is equally disgusted, think we may pass on this, maybe do something else to mark our friends birthday?

OP posts:

Report

thebody · 10/07/2013 18:49

Say you can't make it that night and reschedule.

maidmarian2012 · 10/07/2013 18:51

Yes, keep it short and simple.
We have found ourselves avoiding occasions because of him before, I just cant bear what he's done to her

OP posts:

BMW6 · 10/07/2013 18:52

Think you should pass & explain to Birthday Boy that you cannot socialise with the assaulter (maybe give a bit of your own bad experience).

Suggest you get together seperatley.

Tiredemma · 10/07/2013 18:52

your other friends maybe considering the woman though- is it fair to alienate her because of him?

WhoNickedMyName · 10/07/2013 18:53

If this blokes partner has taken him back, then if you or your friends punish or express your opinion of him by exuding them as a couple, from group events, you are ultimately punishing and isolating his partner - the victim, too.

ThingummyBob · 10/07/2013 18:55

I'll offer the flip side.

Perhaps your friends invited them rather than NOT inviting him, so she would be 'allowed' to go if you see what I mean?

Don't not go though, that poor woman needs support and she might really need the company of nice normal people I wouldn't abandon a friend after she has suffered DV I'd stay close and make sure the bully knew I was staying close.

ImNotBloody14 · 10/07/2013 18:55

yes I would feel the same as you. tell the birthday person you wont be attending due to the presence of the other man. if you matter to your friends they will make sure he isn't invited the next time.

ThingummyBob · 10/07/2013 18:56

x -post, I see others agree though OP.

maidmarian2012 · 10/07/2013 19:00

I know WhoNicked its very difficult.

BMW6 DP is going to do just that, its how everyone has forgotten what he did and now they're all going bowling/pubs/wherever like he's a great guy. It really annoys me. She's such a lovely girl and he's a vile thug. He gets in some right states on nights out, he's nearly 40 ffs.

OP posts:

neunundneunzigluftballons · 10/07/2013 19:00

YANBU I actually think that by papering over the cracks and going you would be complicit in convincing an already conditioned victim that this behaviour is excusible. I suggest if you want to help the victim insist nothing is said to her about the reasons for not going and arrange to meet her seperately.

softlysoftly · 10/07/2013 19:03

I couldn't play nice with him but also wouldn't want her any more isolated, tricky!

Agree with neun, don't go but do try to be with the victim in other ways.

WhoNickedMyName · 10/07/2013 19:06

I'd go. I really would.

My feelings about him would be clear to him and everyone else anyway, because I just absolutely wouldn't acknowledge him except to look at him like he was something I'd just scraped off my shoe.

quesadilla · 10/07/2013 19:09

This is a really tricky one, I can see both sides if this argument. I don't think the woman deserves to be isolated from her friends because her partner is a vicious thug but I don't know if I could make small talk with him.

I had a similar situation with a friend who for a time was with a guy who assaulted her so badly she ended up in hospital (she had walked out of a marriage with a guy who was an absolute gem to be with this piece of shit which made it harder to take.) I never really resolved it properly. I took the decision not to boycott events because my friendship with the woman was important and I knew she would sense that people were dropping out because of him. What made it harder was she never told me about the DV so I didn't officially know and didn't have an obvious reason not to like him.

They have split up, thankfully.

My personal feeling, I think, is that I would go to the party for a brief time to say hello and leave, then privately tell your friend later why.

GiveMumABreak · 10/07/2013 19:11

You simply cannot socialise with this man (and by socialising with him condone his behaviour). Avoid it at all cost (especially as there will be drinking at birthday celebration) find another way to mark friends birthday.

maidmarian2012 · 10/07/2013 19:13

Thanks everyone, its very tricky. All our other friend (Male and Female) are great decent folk but this guy incenses me

I just can't bring myself to be civil and all "Hi how are you? Yes it's a lovely day....." With him.

OP posts:

quoteunquote · 10/07/2013 19:15

I ended up sat near a similarly nasty piece of work at an event,

Eventually he was silly enough to ask me why I was staring,

I just told him, I knew he was violent and was keeping a careful eye on him,

He left.

Not any help to you, but there is no way I would give anyone like that any kind of tolerance, it is the tolerance that enables them to behave that way.

I hope his partner realises that her one life is being wasted on this twonk.

Justforlaughs · 10/07/2013 19:17

It's a difficult one, my immediate reaction was "stay away" but having read other posts I've changed my mind. I think there is a real danger of this lady becoming isolated and totally dependent on him. Speak to your friends about your feelings, you may find that they have only invited them for HER sake. You don't have to speak to HIM at all, (and could probably find a way to tip a drink in his lap if you try hard enough! ). See how your mutual friends really feel about it, are they really accepting of his behaviour or are they supporting her in a decision that they don't agree with but can't change. If you find that they are all happy to be "friends" with him then rethink.

Chrysanthemum5 · 10/07/2013 19:25

I wouldn't go because I think it will just be too hard for you. I've experienced violence, and now I struggle to be around people who are aggressive. I would know that if I went on the night out with this man I'd spend the evening worrying about him kicking off.

I appreciate people saying that maybe the couple have been invited so that the female partner is not being isolated, but I suspect it's more that people just want to ignore what happened.

maidmarian2012 · 10/07/2013 19:35

Chrysanthemum yes, I just feel that all seems forgiven and forgotten. He has done it to her a few times, it's not a one off.

I saw him in a petrol station recently, we made eye contact but I just blanked him. No dirty looks or aggravation, I just erased him from the situation.

He's the type of guy to be on the Stella at 11am, and has apparently used being drunk as an excuse for his behaviour. He has caused drunken scenes a good few times, you know, picking silly fights, due to him having already drank alcohol prior to the night out.

OP posts:

McNewPants2013 · 10/07/2013 19:41

I wouldn't go because I couldn't be civil to him and I fear that he will blame her for it and "punish" her for it.

BMW6 · 10/07/2013 19:43

I do understand what others are saying about isolating the woman who is the victim, but won't people ignoring the elephant in the room normalise the behaviour for her too IYSWIM?
Surely she has to be made to realise that his behaviour is unacceptable to Society at large and is gross abuse,

If he is rejected by people she may realise he is the wankbadger that everyone else can see so clearly.

RubyrooUK · 10/07/2013 19:50

It's very difficult though, OP.

One of my friends was in a relationship with an abusive arsehole. My other friend and I couldn't bear him and felt if we spent time with him, we were condoning his behaviour.

What actually happened when we stayed away was my friend had no-one normal to see, no normal relationships to witness, no positive social life to fall back on and no reason to think she could leave him because she'd get by.

In the end, my other friend and I saw that our hardline approach was not working. We ended up seeing them again and trying our best to remain on very good terms with our abused friend, so she would know that she could come to us and her other friends when she left him.

Thankfully she did and has now moved on. We are still friends. I wish with hindsight I hadn't made her feel more alone though.

Don't go if you can't bear it. Of course not. But I think your friends - if they are kind - may well be trying to help their female friend and sadly that means for now that they have to put up with her partner.

ImNotBloody14 · 10/07/2013 19:50

those who are saying they would go and make their feelings known about him i.e; don't acknowledge him- well that is a recipe for disaster and ruining the whole evening for everyone- especially if he kicks off which abusive people tend to do when they're called on their behaviour.

ImNotBloody14 · 10/07/2013 19:52

especially if he's drunk.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 10/07/2013 19:53

I wouldn't go but I would try and reach out to her separately and see if you can carry on socialising with her and without him.

"reach out" - I am so fucking corporate

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