The Amber Heard / Johnny Depp Case

[TheFeministShrug]

Now, I am not defending Amber here. It sounds like she was abusive towards Johnny, but it also seems that he was abusive too. I think this is one of those rare cases where they're both as bad as each other.

However, as a feminist, I am concerned about the narrative people are pushing with this case. Despite the evidence, Amber seems to be getting a far harder time. There's also lots of "See! Women are just as abusive as men!" rhetoric swimming around.

Men who admit to abuse aren't treated half as bad as Amber is being right now. It's like the people watching want her to be as abusive as possible.

I’ve only read a few bits about this court case and don’t have an opinion on who’s most guilty as I wasn’t there. But it does seem like the price of fame is too high. Fame should be classed as a health hazard: it’s bad for your mental health; you’re likely to become substance dependent; likely to attract stalkers; reduces life expectancy. Too many papers and people invested in famous people’s private lives. The only winners in this case are the lawyers and papers who are making a shed load out of this circus.

There is the additional factor involved with this situation if Depp's paid media smear campaign.

Thousands, if not millions are being manipulated by false stories and social media bombs about how Amber is the aggressor and no one believes poor Johnny plus he lost work while she gets away with abuse punishment free.

That narrative has infuriated people and he continually riles up his fans.

Very few actually stopped to question these fake stories or question his evidence because we don't do that to a victim, do we?

I love Depp the actor and initially believed Heard was a gold digger who lied too but then Depp released that short snippet of audio that starts mid sentence of Heard calling him a baby and how no one would believe him. I thought that was really strange and then he refused to release the rest to UK civil court and I realised he was deliberately manipulating fans.

Heard could be lying but she could also be telling the truth and no one seems to give her the same 'protection' of voice that Depp is getting.

Especially frustrating since we know he made his career by being the 90s Hollywood Bad Boy and has been aggressive with previous partners. That should have given Heard benefit of doubt while we waited for BOTH sides to give evidence.

It's actually disgusting how Heard is being treated before the evidence is even concluded.

@Midlifemusings Depp likes to release snippets, edited clips and audio without context.

What was said and done that caused a verbal reaction like that? Was he innocently talking to her, calm and trying to diffuse her anger or was he yelling at her, accusing her and being drink/high and Leary? Context is everything.

It's very telling that so many forgive Depp who we now know introduced his 13 year old to weed, got high while he was supposed to be spending time with and looking after 15yr old Jack and allowed and facilitated his 15 year old daughter to live with a 23 year old man.

Even if you believe he was abused and doesn't have drug abuse issues, how can anyone justify these facts? His own testimony revealed this info.

It's definitely one rule for him and a different standard for her and she is absolutely being punished for speaking out.

@FartSock5000

I’ve been particularly aware of this on YouTube? JD/AH clips are continually coming up (even though initially I wasn’t following). Clicking on/watching one now appears to have brought lots up in a similar vein.
They always have inflammatory writing sprawled across - capital letters, always against Heard.

So where are these coming from?

I can't believe the general consensus amongst young people is that Depp is just a bit of a loveable rogue. I had to talk to my daughter about this. He's cracking jokes and stuff in court and she seemed to find it endearing. He's a fucking prick.

I find it quite easy to believe why Depp is getting support, people on the whole can be quite forgiving. There are some things that cross a line and if those watching believed Amber then it would be over for Depp. But a large majority of people do not believe Amber and the more the disbelieve the stronger the forgiveness for Depp. He is getting support from a few camps those who love him, those who believe mens voices are silenced and what to me seems the biggest group is those who see Amber as the Abuser.

They both are.

Just because he wasn’t violent to past girlfriends, doesn’t mean Amber didn’t push his buttons.
She is extremely unlikeable isn’t she? So I can see she would annoy him, wind him up and push him.

They are both to blame. They are both actors. We will never know the truth.

I listened to the extended version. Not clips. Context matters a lot and I always check the context. You are welcome to listen to it too. However I realize you won't because it wont support your theory that sweet innocent Amber would never ever say anything like that unless that big mean abusive man was screaming at her and she would only say something rude in self defense to try and save her life. Right?

Why don't you listen to the recordings and see if Johnny is yelling and screaming at her before deciding that must be the case. There are hours of recordings you could listen to.

@FartSock5000

And the remainder of your post has zero to do with anything I have said or think but if making things up makes you feel good, then say whatever you want.

Just wondered if people still feel the same after this week?
I still feel it’s likely that she was abused by JD, and that it was likely that she was abusive towards him.
So if the crux of this trial is whether the newspaper article was a permissible account of her experience of abuse - yes.
Equally if JD wanted to write a similar article about his experience of abuse? Yes.
I really can’t see how he is going to ‘win’ this trial.

At the outset I thought they were both abusive to each other.
Now having listened to her and watched her, I see a woman who had a traumatic childhood, probably an anxious attachment, with a man who stonewalls. She says nasty stuff to break the wall, he reacts with violence. Then because she's anxious, she fronts up to her role in the dynamic, apologising and trying to rebuild the relationship because she can't let go.

It's actually a really common pattern in abusive relationships and that's what's upsetting me so much about the narrative surrounding the trial. No doubt she has issues. That's why she got into a relationship with an abuser. They deliberately go for women with these kinds of histories precisely because they can twist the narrative.

And MSM are just allowing it to happen. It's very distressing.

This! Stonewalling is evil beyond belief because only the person on the receiving knows how tremendously painful it is. To everyone else the stonewaller is ‘the bigger person.’

Anyone else sick to death of going on YouTube and seeing these stupid videos about ‘Amber rolling her eyes,’ as if that’s the worst thing in the world when you’re being cross examined by an extremely patronising lawyer? Followed by snippets of Depp visiting sick children 29 years ago or laughing with an elderly person at the mall. 🤮

@redhoodred1

Very good article here:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/amber-heard-johnny-depp-memes-reddit-tiktok-b2082450.html?amp

An excerpt : A spokesperson for Women’s Aid, a leading domestic abuse charity, told The Independent domestic abuse should never be laughed about.

The representative added: “A domestic abuse case being used as entertainment for memes and jokes is likely to have a long-term impact on how seriously people take domestic abuse.

Memes and videos mocking Amber Heard expose the “deep hatred” and distrust of women as well as revealing the prevalence of misogyny, experts have warned.

Campaigners from leading UK charities and experts told The Independent viral online responses to the lawsuit between Johnny Depp and Ms Heard shed light on how many people assume women who report domestic abuse and sexual violence are lying.

The thing that is genuinely worrying about Amber, in the article and the court stuff, is she genuinely believes herself to be some kind of inspirational woman who has fought through years of domestic abuse and should be held up as some sort of champion, while continuing to wail about Johnny not looking at her. Shes absolutely deluded. She implies things then plays the victim, has failed miserably at manipulation, and is now paying the price. Zero sympathy, and shes an insult to victims.

Incidentally I dont think Johnny will win on a technicality but what she has done is rescue his career and sink her own.

It does nothing of the sort.

The mocking is because she is lying.

Doesnt mean I domt believe other women.

Or does society rule that we must believe women and not believe men?

There are several videos of Johnny being exasperated with Amber's useless lawyer. He just gave his evidence first so hers is more common now.

No, it doesn’t.

It shows that people are very canny about when they are being lied to and they don’t like it. She was caught lying to the court at least three time during the trial. She perjured herself in the U.K. too.

I cannot she how anyone who has listen to the tapes and watched all the evidence still thinks she is a victim. She admits to hitting him on the tapes, calls him a baby for running away from her and belittles him as a fat old, man. On one tape she talks about why she hit him and chased him into the bathroom- he had been home later than she wanted him to be. After twenty minutes of denial, name calling and manipulating she gaslights him into saying it is his fault she gets mad because he was late home.

It is so fucking text book that if it were a woman it would be blindingly obvious to everyone. I actually think there a bit of internalised misogyny at play here: that beautiful, blonde girl could never hurt someone. Look how innocent she is.

So you think trying to clear your name is abusing the system?

I know. The irony. She is trying to destroy him!