By now, most of us have heard portions of the Melle Mel Gibson mix tape. It's straight lunacy. But you have to admit his freestyle skills are a gift. Hopefully, Mel sent Satan a thank you card. After all, in order to separate yourself from the person you love in such a scornful way, one must first separate himself from his soul. It's a prerequisite to going ape sh*t.

But look, things happen. Couples have intense disagreements all the time, though usually not so colorful. And, granted, they're typically not recorded and leaked to the public in daily installments on tabloid television. Nonetheless, it's not uncommon for a couple to love hard and fight harder, nor is it healthy. But, unfortunately, it's more universal than it is unique. And to that end it transcends race. If I'm not mistaken, Mel even samples Ike Turner in his tirade. Listen closely to the mix tape and you can hear Mel say something to the effect of "goddamn it, Annie Mae!" I swore I heard it.

More importantly, we're presented us with the question: What makes a man behave this way? To be fair, by the time it escalates to this level of crazy, both sides are usually complicit in antagonizing the other. But don't misunderstand me: physical and emotional abuse is abhorrent and unjustifiable. Speaking for men, we have to know when to step away, count to 10, look at porn and redirect ourselves – anything other than self-detonating. No one is impressed with the relationship jihadist.

Resuming business as usual is kind of difficult after you've impaled everyone around you with your fire-breathing shrapnel. Apologies aren't always enough. Sometimes we go too far and end up doing irreparable damage to our reputations, our families and livelihoods. And that's the lesson to be learned here.


Mason Jamal lives, observes and comments. He writes about issues pertaining to the style, substance and sensibilities of men, women and relationships. For more of his musings, you can visit www.MasonSays.com. To have his commentary delivered to your e-mail, subscribe here. Keep up with Mason's daily thoughts and observations on Facebook and Twitter @masonsays.