I watched the bulk of this video the other morning, though I skipped through parts that I found redundant or just documenting her whole social media persona which basically grosses me out.
On the one hand it's pretty easy for me to sit back and judge her lifestyle and choices, and I'll admit I'd probably never be able to be a friend of hers or want to walk with her / help her. However, that said, I can also say that in watching the video I did sense kind of where she is coming from and why she is where she is and who she is -- and for that I can see the humanity and empathize.
To earlier posters / questions, I think one can 100% be deeply impacted with 'just' a year of trauma. Whether or not other people would judge it as trauma might be beside the point; if it impacts the person greatly, it's trauma for them. I have been deeply impacted by certain situations or dynamics in my life, that may have only lasted a few months, or a few years, or whatever, but there have been lasting impressions and changing of perceptions in my life. So I think it's very realistic that just one year can impact someone greatly.
I would say too though that to other posters' comments, with Paris, it likely has been her whole lifetime. I was chatting with a coworker and he was saying he empathized but also didn't really feel sorry for her per se, and I kind of agree with him, or at least can see where he's coming from. I think we can 'get' people but it doesn't mean we have to dive into their lives and relate or be the ones to help them through. Anyway, my kneejerk opinion from the video is that something is going on with her mom -- like she's completely out of touch with things or represses her own feelings, and seemed in denial or just totally checked out of Paris' life. I also can understand that relationships are complex, and I can see that it's possible being a parent of Paris or sibling, etc, could be totally challenging and I'm sure there's another side to the coin. So I also 'get' that maybe there's a reason for the mom seeming so cold and checked out.
Similarly, I didn't feel in a position to judge the little clip with Paris and her boyfriend where she kicked him out of the concert and I assume they broke up -- we have no idea what their dynamic was behind the scenes / off camera, and it's highly possible the guy was just as manipulative and controlling on his end as she seemed to 'dominate' him in that little clip.
The only other larger thought I had was that by this point, with 20+ years of being on camera and defining ones' self and life via being on camera, it's likely nearly impossible for Paris to check out from that -- to be able to identify who she'd be off camera. It's so essential at this point to her sense of self that I guess I wasn't too bothered by the fact that the documentary seemed a bit contrived and like there was a hidden motive behind it; I mean, I would expect nothing less given the fact she's almost 24/7 catering to her 'fans' and tailoring her image to the masses and to the whole presentation thing. I imagine it would be pretty hard at this point for her to not do that.
The other thing I was thinking about regarding all of the school stuff is that, what parent, intuitively, actually thinks it's going to be *beneficial* to a kid to ship them off somewhere for a year or two in their formative years? What parent in their right mind could think it's psychologically going to be 'ok' and the kid won't end up with lasting trust or trauma issues to have them straight-jacketed in the middle of the night and taken somewhere? How terrifying. Why people don't think about the psychological and relational repercussions to things like this is beyond me. Maybe some are aware of this, and if so, I guess they are making the choice; at least there's that. But I think many just have no idea - seems an almost guaranteed way to ensure the kid is going to have perpetual trust/love issues. Maybe in their mind that's worth the price of the other issues the kid is having? I have no idea.
With all of the above I'm not really intending to 'defend' her -- these were just some of my thoughts, and like I said in reality I would stay far away from her (nothing in common, no interest in being a 'white knight', etc). But I was thinking this stuff while watching the documentary. I don't doubt the school stuff, and I suspect her family dynamic is really warped. I also enjoyed seeing another side of her -- whether or not it was designed to give a certain impression, I at least came away knowing a little more about her.
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