Originally Posted by
RanRan79
Mary built a career on talent. If Diana did see it that way, that Mary felt like a victim, she still didn't contact Mary to see if she could play a part in turning that around since Diana believed that Mary blamed her for her "victimhood".
To Mary, Diana was family. To Diana, Mary was family. That can make for a complicated dynamic, and if nothing else we should all agree that this was a complicated dynamic. Lol And yes, I'm getting ready to put my Dr. RanRan79, resident psychologist, hat on: Mary had a psychological issue where she found it hard to let go of people, probably stemming from the initial "abandonment" by her mother and the subsequent removal from the home and parents she spent her early childhood with. It's likely the same thing about why she would re-sign with Motown in 74 and again in 78, and then feel some type a way about being shown the door in 1980. She couldn't let go. I believe this was Mary's mindset with Diana: that they were sisters, they didn't always get along but it was still love, and when Diana went wrong it was "Well, that's just Diane". [[I know from personal experience how damaging it can be when family members adopt a "well, that's just so-so" when a person is being toxic.) Mary likely didn't hold things against Diana in the 70s in the front of her mind. It wasn't like it was in the 60s when they were around each other 24/7 and even the little things become big things. But when Motown 25 happened, Mary decided to get even, and all those things she probably didn't think still bothered her, came rushing to the surface.
Even in 2023 it amazes me how little understanding people give the psychology of why we do the things we do. [[Not saying you in particular, talking broadly here.) Even Diana's actions toward the other Supremes had a psychology component, rooted in her childhood.
Mary and Diana included each other in their lives but they had issues that neither was savvy enough to deal with. And still, as I said previously, even after all the books, the 20/20 interviews, they still always found some way to get in touch with each other. That's what it's like when you have familial feelings for someone. That's not what it's like when you just "worked together" many years ago.
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