Yeah - they're not "scum", because their situation is different. Okay, so they hit (wife/child), but they didn't use a weapon so it's not that bad. And there were mitigating circumstances, I mean, it's not asking much to expect dinner cooked when you get in/all the shoes to be neatly lined up/the kids to not have their homework spread all over the table/other so-called Reason For Excessive Violence, is it? And it's been a really long day, (wife/child) doesn't know how good they have it, stupid ungrateful.... etc etc blah blah.