Idk how I feel about this piece, it low key risks romanticizing betrayal and over-intellectualizing a fundamentally harmful act. Framing cheating as a byproduct of internal inadequacies or unmet needs might help explain it, but it does not excuse it. Human beings may be complex, but so is the commitment of a relationship—choosing to cheat is still a breach of trust, regardless of the emotional justification behind it.
I definitely agree, and I don’t want to minimise the pain of betrayal or romanticise it. But at its core, cheating is messy — and the reasons behind it are often more complex than the commitment itself. People are complicated, and so are promises, love, and the hurt that follows.
I’m not trying to absolve anyone, but I also don’t think the binary of good vs. bad — or the “cheater = evil” label — is enough to make sense of the situation. It’s easier to label someone a cheater, reduce them to a “bad person,” and, as the “good person,” feel like we don’t have to understand them. But I think holding space for both accountability and introspection is necessary — especially if we want to understand why infidelity keeps showing up in relationships that are supposedly rooted in love. But all in all, cheating is wrong — but I believe we can hold that truth while still trying to understand why
this is very interesting to think about
Idk how I feel about this piece, it low key risks romanticizing betrayal and over-intellectualizing a fundamentally harmful act. Framing cheating as a byproduct of internal inadequacies or unmet needs might help explain it, but it does not excuse it. Human beings may be complex, but so is the commitment of a relationship—choosing to cheat is still a breach of trust, regardless of the emotional justification behind it.
I definitely agree, and I don’t want to minimise the pain of betrayal or romanticise it. But at its core, cheating is messy — and the reasons behind it are often more complex than the commitment itself. People are complicated, and so are promises, love, and the hurt that follows.
I’m not trying to absolve anyone, but I also don’t think the binary of good vs. bad — or the “cheater = evil” label — is enough to make sense of the situation. It’s easier to label someone a cheater, reduce them to a “bad person,” and, as the “good person,” feel like we don’t have to understand them. But I think holding space for both accountability and introspection is necessary — especially if we want to understand why infidelity keeps showing up in relationships that are supposedly rooted in love. But all in all, cheating is wrong — but I believe we can hold that truth while still trying to understand why