The Performance Artist
How Justin Baldoni’s Act Fell Apart in Real Time
Note: For the spirit in which this essay should be read, see my prefatory post: “Shitposting to the Point of Tears,” https://www.respectthekayfabe.com/p/shtposting-to-the-point-of-tears.
Justin Baldoni has no one else to blame for this situation with Blake Lively but Justin Baldoni, because no sane woman would trust a male feminist.1 It’s something ingrained in all women—to instinctively exercise what is now known as Law 19 from The 48 Laws of Power: Know Who You’re Dealing With – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person.2
Moving Blake Lively aside for a moment—because, in my opinion, she’s also putting other laws of power into play that have nothing to do with what I want to point out here—a man like Justin, who, because he dresses in pink at times (the supposed expression of “positive masculinity”),3 says all the right things, and is so focused on the aesthetics of his looks (a combination of masculine muscularity with feminine facial features), will trigger skepticism in women.4 That skepticism would have developed naturally as a survival mechanism, forged through countless horrible experiences. They’ve learned the hard way that it’s all a mask of performative masculinity5—a disavowal of the shadow that femcels6 would call toxic masculinity.
There’s no such thing as toxic for either masculinity or femininity; there are just good people and bad people. And even what would be considered badness is subject to interpretation because, oftentimes, the honest communication of desires would be seen as bad by those who haven’t lived enough to have positive interactions with the opposite sex—interactions that didn’t require hiding the badness. That suppression leads to nice guy and nice girl behaviors.7
I have no doubt that Justin and men like him believe in what they’re saying. But it’s that belief in what I would say is their own bullshit that makes them blind to how clearly women see it.
And because they believe in their own bullshit, they also become blind to the kind of women who are playing the same Hollywood game8—a game that had women at its mercy for years. Until recently. Now those women can put into play any law of power that helps them get ahead, whereas in years past, getting ahead meant laying back on a casting couch.9
With no mercy, a smart woman who sees through the bullshit would be courting attention at all costs (Law 6),10 crushing her enemies totally (Law 15),11 and creating compelling spectacles (Law 47).12
In Blake Lively’s case, because she also believes in her own bullshit (which seems to come naturally to her), she failed to anticipate the impact (Law 5)13 that pushing the accusation would have on her reputation. We now live in a post-MeToo society, where, after seeing countless accusations against men—including for something as trivial as a bad date (see Aziz Ansari)14—people are starting to realize that the believe all women mindset, taken to its extreme, can and will lead to outcomes like the lynching of Emmett Till—all because a Machiavellian woman like Carolyn Bryant was taken at her word.15
And what’s happening now in pop culture is the systematic lynching of a male feminist at the word of a Machiavellian actress.16 In the past, men in that position would have taken the hit, guilty or not. But because chivalry is dead—women having killed it17—there is no longer a social contract demanding that a man remain a gentleman while being lynched in the court of public opinion.18
Justin is doing what was once unthinkable—fighting back. And in the deepest corners of the brain rot that is social media, the consensus among Blake’s supporters is: See? He was never a feminist because he’s dragging Blake with “receipts” (a container word for proof).19 Somehow, defending oneself and showing proof is not very male feminist of him.
A man—especially one who considers himself creative and routinely works on projects with women—would be smart not to call himself a feminist, because women instinctively know that’s a sneaky fucker game.20
Real men, as I define them (and only men can make such a definition—one based on their usefulness to the group, with honor being among the most useful traits because it’s tied to honesty), know better than to play the sneaky fucker game. Instead, they own their desires—preserving their personal power and wielding it.
Women are more inclined to trust a man like that because his self-awareness signals something deeper—an ability to hold himself accountable. And if he is truly a man, he will.
It is only in accountability that one is able to lead. Without it, there’s nothing but finger-pointing when things go wrong. And historically, who has always been the first to be blamed?
Women.
Justin has no one else to blame. He should’ve just said it straight out:
“I read Colleen Hoover books because I want to better connect with women while being addicted to porn.”
Talk about hiding the badness.
Being an advocate for women while watching them get bukkake’d.
Justin is the real deal.
Some games are played in real life. Others, on the page—like the one played out in my novel The Desert Road of Night, now available on Amazon and other outlets—where it seems a woman, in the words of Fiona Apple in her song Criminal, is destroying a man “just because she can.”
But is she?
Or is she trying to save him because that’s what love demands—and in the process, not only destroys him but herself as well? It depends on how you see the world and the power dynamics that, whether we admit it or not, shape the way we deal with each other.
See Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power, particularly Law 19, which highlights how misreading others leads to disaster.
Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, Law 19.
“Positive masculinity” is often defined in opposition to traditional masculinity—framing assertiveness, dominance, and self-interest as "toxic" while pushing a more passive, accommodating alternative.
Evolutionary psychology studies suggest women are wired to detect deception and incongruence in male behavior as a survival instinct.
Performative masculinity refers to men who display “acceptable” masculinity for social validation rather than being authentic.
Femcel (female incel) culture often demonizes traditional masculinity while simultaneously craving its presence in romantic dynamics.
Nice guy/girl syndrome is a term that refers to men and women who suppress their true desires in favor of social acceptance, leading to passive-aggressive resentment.
Hollywood’s power shift from male-dominated casting couch culture to women wielding their own power through calculated social strategies.
See accounts of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the dynamics of old-school Hollywood exploitation
Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, Law 6—“Court Attention at All Costs.”
Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, Law 15—“Crush Your Enemy Totally.”
Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, Law 47—“Create Compelling Spectacles.”
Greene, The 48 Laws of Power, Law 5—“Reputation Is Everything.”
Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct in a 2018 Babe.net article, where a woman using the pseudonym Grace described a date with him that she later regretted. She alleged that Ansari ignored her nonverbal cues and pressured her into sexual activity, though she never claimed he forced her. The article sparked intense debate, with many arguing that the situation reflected bad communication rather than assault. Critics saw it as an example of how the #MeToo movement, when taken to extremes, blurred the lines between coercion and consensual but regretted encounters.
The 1955 lynching of Emmett Till was based on false accusations by Carolyn Bryant, a historical parallel to modern weaponization of false allegations.
Machiavellianism refers to strategic manipulation and self-serving social tactics, common in Hollywood politics.
The “death of chivalry” is frequently debated in modern gender discourse, with many arguing feminism dismantled the protective role of men in society.
Public opinion trials, particularly post-MeToo, where accusations alone are often enough to destroy a man’s career.
“Receipts” as an internet term functions as a container word—vague but powerful in shifting narratives without full scrutiny.
Sneaky fucker theory is an evolutionary biology concept where less dominant males attempt to mate through deception rather than strength.