The Difficult Truth About the Ray Rice Video

Remember when Robin Williams committed suicide? On social media, we got together to grieve and offer each other solace. And then we passed along numbers and web sites where others could seek help if they were depressed and feeling like they might end it all.

So where amid the finger pointing and judging on social media was the help offered in the Ray Rice video scandal? Did anyone of us offer a helping hand to the victims of domestic violence? No -- and here's why...

The TMZ story featuring video of Ray Rice blasting his fiancee with a left cross in an elevator is now their highest viewed story of all time. Discussions on social media have involved topics like whether his suspension was fair, whether people should burn his jersey in protest, and whether he was the victim of a social media lynching.

Everyone seems to be ignoring the 300-pound gorilla in the room: domestic violence. I've seen studies that report that over 25 percent of women will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. Three million children this year will see abuse in their homes.

Those numbers are staggering, and yet everyone walks on eggshells when broaching the subject. I will admit, it was hard for me to talk about it on the air this morning. Even hardened police officers will tell you the last type of case they want to deal with is domestic violence.

Why? Because it isn't easy, it's complicated and it passes over many difficult gray areas. It makes us uncomfortable and uneasy. In the case of Ray Rice, who has done many good things in the Baltimore community, it makes us confront the duality of human nature: that someone could do wonderful things on one hand, and do something so despicable on the other.

Making things even more complicated is that sometimes the victim will defend the assaulter, as Janay Rice, who married ray after the incident did yesterday, with a heartfelt plea for privacy.

I don't know enough about domestic violence to open a knowledgeable dialogue on the topic, other than to say, if you're experiencing domestic violence in your life, there is help. Listed below are a national and a local hotline that you can call and seek advice, resources, and hopefully a way out of your situation. I'm just sorry it took me this long to get to it.

Safe Haven Ministries in Grand Rapids: 616-452-6664

The Hotline (National Hotline for the Prevention of Domestic Violence): 1-800-799-7233

After giving this information out on this morning's show, a caller shared her story of climbing out of a bad situation. This is the voice of domestic violence, and it's a voice that needs to be heard.