How we react to the Baldoni/Lively situation says a lot about us.

Image taken from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/justin-baldoni-bahai-blake-lively-legal-feud-1236142565/

I have written about Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively before. I am interested in the accusations from both parties. She accuses him of sexual harassment and he accuses her of being a bully and making up the sexual harassment allegations.

The accusations against Lively have painted her as a narcissist as they have her husband, Ryan Reynolds. According the allegations against Lively, she and her husband are not only actors with big egos but toxic bullies.

I am interested in the psychology of narcissists, having been abused. As the Baldoni/Lively case is a public example of a possible narcissistic dynamic, I find myself curious about the allegations against Blake Lively. I have not made up my mind as to the truth and in order to do so I would have to analyse the details from all sides, in great detail. However, as I say, I am curious about a possible narcissistic dynamic and that is based on my own experience.

As a fellow substack writer pointed out to me, Hollywood is referred to as Hollyweird with good reason. So it is important to not project my own experiences on an environment that is said to be so outside the bounds of normal. It is also interesting to me how we do have a propensity to invest in certain narratives based on our own experiences. (There will be a clever psychological term for that I am sure).

Those who have experienced physical, sexual harassment and also abuse, will be looking at the Baldoni/Lively case with their own experiences in mind. As is the case for me, those who have experienced more so emotional abuse and bullying will look at the case with our experiences in mind. Anyone who has been ganged up on and gaslit by the narcissist and their enablers will certainly be curious when it comes to the concept of big stars, Lively and Reynolds, bullying Baldoni. I am not saying that happened and have also yet to read the website that Baldoni has set up detailing the specifics. From what I have heard outside of that website, Baldoni has provided a lot of evidence about the alleged bullying from Lively and Reynolds.

Ultimately, I am interested in the truth above any narrative but I doubt we will hear it. The truth remains between the participants and all the rest of us can do is read and listen.

The Baldoni/Lively case has also been politicised and so it is said that those supporting the former are on the alt right pipeline. According to that logic, they are misogynists (or for women; ones who hold internalised misogyny) as they tend to believe men over women. This is because of the toxic patriarchy often referred to by feminists. For merely feeling this way, I don’t admonish people as often their views are based on bad experiences. It is wrong to go by any extreme, like “believe all women” or “believe all men” but obviously as a human being, I relate to having biases. I also have sympathy for people who may have become jaded because of their past.

Whatever side you are on, if you are even on a side, the Baldoni/Lively case has attracted a lot of attention. I know that it is absolutely nothing compared to the catastrophes happening in this world but once again there may be an interesting psychological point to note there. That it may be a sort of escapism or perhaps to put it less callously, a better series of events to invest in compared to the large scale horrors of this world.

The movie based on the popular book of the same name, It Ends With Us, was dramatic in itself (I have watched it) but that the behind the scenes events drew the attention of critics like Critical Drinker (not exactly the movie’s key demographic) says something. Well, it certainly points to how weird Hollywood is and how the allegations, reflect different things to different people.

I’ll end it here (possible pun intended). Thank you for reading.

If you like you can buy me a coffee, which would be more worthwhile than a second showing of the movie (which I found rubbish and if rumours are to be believed, preferred the Baldoni draft over Lively’s finished product).

(There are more videos on Baldoni/Lively made by the creator..Lost Beyond Pluto..below).