Well then. Sadly, another couple seems to have bitten the dust, and luckily for the gossip columns, they're famous to boot. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (or are they Jolie-Pitt, I'm not sure...) are reportedly splitting after Angelina filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Since then there have been various media mentions of the possible cause of the split, but since there are children involved, in depth speculation on this makes me feel kind of icky.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the collective internet has leapt to its favourite digital dessert - the meme. Main attraction, none other than Jennifer Aniston, Brad's ex-wife and supposed scorned woman. For years people have taken sides, Team Jen or Team Ang, postulating that there was an affair leading to the breakdown of their marriage. In the wake of the split news, Team Jen has been utterly beside itself with joy, posting meme after meme of what I will refer to as 'sassy Jen face' to essentially point out that karma is a bitch and the internet #neverforgets.
This is something that kind of scares me about the internet. I wish there was some kind of time limit on our online fingerprints so that after five years or so, we could choose what we wanted to stay there and what was horrifically embarrassing and needed to go. You know, embarrassing hair cuts, weird fad trends... or less educated views of the world.
I'm reading Sara Pascoe's book, Animal, at the moment (I'm halfway through and obsessed with it, hugely recommend) and through talking about human evolution and sexuality and how women shape and are shaped by our biology and society, she mentions a lot how silly she feels for her views as a younger woman. It's great to be able to reflect and realise how much we've learned and changed, but on the internet it's often the case that your earlier mindset can be dug up to be thrown in your face and lambast you with.
It's hard to discuss this topic at the moment without mentioning the harsh criticism surrounding Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer for various race related tweets - which, I would like to say from the outset, I found offensive and not ok.
But, although I'm not leaping to anyone's defence and assuming to understand their thoughts on the matter, this is an example of how the elephant-like nature of our hive mind online can be really detrimental to you down the road. If you're the one to point out your own flawed history and hold it up regretfully then you'll probably get away with it, compassionate people will understand and relate to your honesty. But if they dig it up for you and poke you with it, you're already on the back foot and are forced to explain yourself under intense scrutiny. Again, I'm not saying this to excuse anyone, because I don't know how their views have changed or evolved, but I find it interesting how quick we are to crucify someone for a past indiscretion.
Back to Brad and Angelina. I think the part that makes me feel weird is the vaguely threatening undertone of the reaction - 'we never forget so you'd better not step out of line.' I know what you did last summer.
In a place where we aren't allowed to make mistakes, or cannot be forgiven for them then we're all on eggshells. Some things aren't just slips off the tongue, and I'm not saying everyone should be forgiven for anything they've done simply because it was a while ago, but in a community that never forgets, we need to build in a good amount of judgment and forgiveness or risk throwing all the babies out with the bath water... even if they don't deserve it.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.