No, the public's memory is not short. People still remember George Clooney’s first marriage to Talia Balsam 30 years after their divorce, and her name resurfaces with every mention of his marriage to Amal.
The public also still remembers Tom Hanks’ first marriage to Samantha Lewes, practically 40 years after their separation.
And now, imagine that all the people who are or will be connected to Chris, whether professionally or personally, with all their background—basically, everything that forms any person's identity—will be used as a guarantee for a lifelong social credit of trust for a racist, talentless porn actress because of the notorious halo effect. This is insanely unfair to these people when she takes a place right next to them in the media space, which she completely does not deserve. Look at how much of people's reputations, from family members to his friends, have been already damaged.
Did you have to look up those names? Because I honestly had no idea who they were. Yes, I know they were married before, but when I think of George Clooney, I think of Amal. When I think of Tom Hanks, I think of Rita. That's the public perception now.
Will some people remember? Of course. People who followed it in real time, people on Tumblr, people who were invested from the beginning. I'm not saying everyone forgets. But I disagree that this is something that permanently follows him because a lot of people still need to be reminded this "relationship" even exists. Every time they show up at a contracted event, there are comments saying, "I forgot they were together." A lot of people still have to say "Captain America" before they say Chris Evans so people know who they're talking about.
That's why I think we're looking at this differently. You're looking at it from the perspective of people who've been paying attention for years. I'm looking at it from the perspective of the general public, who largely moves on and forgets. I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.
