Why is it so easy to hate women?

The Monday discussion thread

This weekend, the New York Times reported that Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni for orchestrating a smear campaign against her during the “It Ends with Us” press tour. The details of it are gross. The story highlights the ways that a PR company was able to manipulate the discourse. But the aspect that I think is worse is everyone fell for it. I remember seeing the onslaught of social media posts where everyone turned on Blake Lively. Respected cultural commentators, pundits, critics, everyone began to criticize the actress. Video clips from interviews past were dug up and reinterpreted to paint her as a racist and an awful snob. People commented on her looks, her clothes, her acting. She suddenly became someone who deserved every bad thing.

It was as if people were just waiting for an excuse to pounce and rip her apart.

I’m glad Blake Lively has the resources to fight back. Not all women who have found themselves in the center of bad faith attacks have those resources. *Stares pointedly.*