Having spent several years in a "violent" home situation as a teenager...I would never ever advocate this kind of abuse.
However....it took me a long time to realize (through therapy, among other things) that there are women out there who know which "buttons" to push to trigger Gibson's explosion - for want of a better word. And sadly enough...there are also women who for whatever reason....will stay in an abusive relationship and also will behave in a way that they know will bring on more abuse. It's a type of sickness.
This woman was somewhere very safe, and able to remain very very calm, record the entire conversation and never lose her composure, but made sure that Gibson did. She knew exactly which buttons to push to trigger the abuse.
According to what I heard on the tv this morning...it has yet to be established, by voice recognition, that it really is Mel Gibson.
Based on his past behavior with alcoholism, racial rants....the tapes sound exactly like anyone would expect him to be...because we all "know" how he can be.
If a woman was devious enough....and wanted to destroy someone enough....what a perfect way to do it.
I'm sure there are many of us who have gotten extremely angry when the right buttons were pushed, that we have said things that we certainly wouldn't want recorded. I know I have. While I have never been violent, I do have a wicked temper that on the very rare occasions has come out, and I have been unbelievably hateful. (one person who witnessed it once, said they couldn't believe I had that capability!)
I'm not saying he never hit her, but it's been reported that even her friends have said they never saw any evidence of broken teeth or of any type of evidence that she has been physically abused.
He obviously needs to get some help....no doubt about it.
But I have to wonder ...what was her motive?