...wouldn't even be arrested.

The "rule of thumb" and all that.

What was equally perverse about that whole thing is the reaction I heard from students. The rumors went from "that bitch gave him syphilus!" to "she cheated on him and had it coming!" And a lot of that shit came from teenage girls. Really disturbing.

The "Rule of Thumb" is almost certainly a myth (there's no evidence for it, and "rule" usually meant "measure" at the time the expression came into being). Also, if you're going to believe the myth about the phrase's origins, you have to believe the myth. It's supposed to have happened in the late Middle Ages, not at any time that there were Christians in America. Since it's made up, though, I guess you can say it was the law in the 1970s, and be no less accurate.

<link>

...Domestic violence was not sanctioned if it was unprovoked or if the harm inflicted was permanent or serious. Wives seeking protection had to prove they did not provoke their husbands or show any sign of disrespect. Disagreeing with her husband's opinion, in addition to disobedience, could be considered provocation.

In an 1868 case, the North Carolina Supreme Court rejected chastisement as a formal legal right, but refused to intervene if a battery was "trivial." The domain of home, marriage and family was deemed part of a private realm largely beyond the purview of the courts. Domestic violence not causing serious bodily harm was ignored to preserve the sanctity of the home and promote reconciliation between spouses.

Um.. yeah. See, there's nothing in there about the "rule of thumb." Because it's a myth. You ought to be able to argue against domestic violence without making shit up.

Brit,

The rule of thumb was a myth...

""Rule of thumb" is a rude reference to an old law permitting men to beat their wives with a stick no thicker than a thumb, right? Wrong! Well, except that it may still be rude to use a phrase that you know will upset people. It may also be rude to assume that people who use the phrase are being rude..."

Continues here...

<link>

The term "rule of thumb" may not have had any legal relevance, but it was clearly legal to beat the heck out of your wife under the appropriate circumstances.