sometimes i think people forget that Pink Diamond was abused by the other Diamonds.
(spoilers for the SU movie!)
i'm not going to say that what she did was okay, because it definitely wasn't, but everyone's been so caught up in Spinel's backstory that they've completely forgot about change your mind and escapism.
we see exactly what the other diamonds did to her, how they punished her, how they hurt her. it's only natural she wanted to leave homeworld. in hindsight, she had no choice but to leave spinel behind if she wanted her own colony. (of course, forcing her to stand in place for 6000 years isn't too ideal.)
where am i getting with this?
the fact that she was abused. even just treated badly. it mirrors real life - those abused or in a toxic family carry on said toxicity, unless they learn not to. it isn't their fault; that's all they've ever known, and it's normal for them to act that way.
that's why it's so important to understand Pink Diamond's actions. i don't think they were meant to be so harmful, but they ended up being so.
and, they're all diamonds. if gems on homeworld are so rigid and emotionless, how were the diamonds? this abuse was probably normalized in their family.
now, i'm by no means an expert on abuse and its effects on others. but this is just a little something i thought about at 1am.
tl;dr: Pink Diamond treated others (specifically Spinel) the way she did because she was abused, and it was the only way she knew how to treat others.
