TL;DR
People become emotionally invested in high-profile infidelity cases because cheating is so pervasive in culture that we instinctively identify villains and victims, then rally around the wronged party.
Key Takeaways
- 1Cheating resonates deeply with audiences because it affects most people either directly or through people they know
- 2We quickly categorize cheating situations into a binary: the cheater is bad, the cheated-on person is good
- 3Celebrity infidelity cases draw public anger partly because we want to see famous couples succeed or are drawn to the drama
- 4Our culture's pervasiveness of cheating makes us reflexively identify sides and want to support the victim
Notable Quotes
“If you cheated, you're a bad person. If you were cheated on, you're a good person. And that's not obviously always the case, but because cheating happens so much, I think that's a really quick assumption that we can make”
Chapters
1. High-Profile Cheating Cases
Overview of well-known celebrity infidelity cases including Megan Thee Stallion and Clay Thompson, Coldplay couple, Ariana and Sandoval, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z
2. Why We Care About Celebrity Drama
Explanation of why the public gets upset about cheating even when not directly involved: we want to see couples succeed or are excited by the unfolding drama
3. Cheating's Cultural Prevalence
Discussion of how cheating is so common in society that it impacts most people either directly in their own relationships or indirectly through loved ones
4. The Binary Moral Response
Analysis of how we oversimplify cheating situations into a clear moral framework where the cheater is villainized and the victim is supported
Glossary
- Infidelity
- Unfaithfulness in a romantic relationship; cheating on a partner