Amber Heard - trial by social media

[DysmalRadius]

I have to admit, I haven't been following this case, but what little I do know about it has been filtered through the prism of social media and I have noticed that Facebook seems to be serving me a LOT of pro-Johnny Depp stories. I've already seen a couple this week (from film-based sites that I do not follow, coming up as 'suggested for you') and have just had another.

I am not a huge film fan, so have never interacted with these film sites, but they are coming up in my feed regularly now, including one page (I just blocked it at the time as it was one of the first) that included a long rant about how 'If these accusations were made about a man, everyone would be crying abuse'.

As I say, I'm not really following the case, but I am finding it sinister how there seems to be a paid PR campaign to promote Johnny's innocence in the wider world, presumably paving the way for him to return to Hollywood relatively unscathed once the dust settles and the trial is over. Am I only just noticing this now or is this becoming a more common method of manipulating the public over relatively trivial (compared to elections, covid misinformation etc) matters?

I also find what I've found about this on social media sinister. People completely ignore the abusive behaviour by Depp because people like to think of him as a lovable rogue. The way he has spoken about Amber, evidenced by recordings and text messages and other women is highly misogynistic, and it's repulsive that a partner would speak that way about the woman he supposedly loves. What I also find disturbing is that he downplays his clearly excessive drug and alcohol abuse and the effects it has on him, evidenced by recordings, videos etc. I have seen this pattern in an ex-partner, who would get abusive and careless with his physicality, shall we say, when he was drunk or on drugs. He never admitted he had a problem, yet he would start fights, all his insecurities came pouring out and of course I was to blame for all of them, an emotional punchbag. From what I've seen Depp looks similar, and it's absolute hell to walk on eggshells around such unpredictable behaviour.
JD started flirting with Amber when she was working for him on a film and she was half his age, which is an abuse of power. He also has a history of violent behaviour. So yes, the endless reels I see on Instagram about #justiceforjohnnydepp and 'poor baby he was abused for years' and 'the court can't help be charmed by him' (so what?!) are all disturbing. JD seems to idolise the beatnik archetype from a previous generation, and within that culture was a lot of misogyny - even in the film where they met by Hunter S Thompson, AH was playing a 'dream woman' not an actual sentient human being, but a male fantasy. Coupled with his mummy issues, I'd say JD would be a nightmare to be in a relationship with.
All that said, I don't think these things are black and white. I don't expect anyone to take my word for it, but I can see that some of the things AH says in court are truthful and some are not. She's actually a terrible actress and can't lie well at all - her speech patters, eye contact, shaking her head when she's answering in the affirmative etc. What I believe has happened is that JD was abusive, but perhaps she has stretched the truth in places for her PR machine to sell her as a victim of domestic violence. Now she's dug a hole that's difficult to get out of. Pure speculation on my part, I know. In any case, what worries me is that now the whole 'what about the menz' will be all over this, and it will make things more difficult for women reporting domestic abuse.

JD seems to idolise the beatnik archetype from a previous generation, and within that culture was a lot of misogyny

That's an interesting observation, I felt he was trying to (1) re-live the Hellraisers style of actors such as Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole (I think Russell Crowe tried to do this too) problem is JD is not in their league regarding acting ability (and neither is Russell Crowe), and (2) the lifestyle of the heavy rockers he craves to be like such as Keith Richards but again he is not in their league talent wise and they have drastically toned down their behaviour since their heady days.

I don't think he's bright enough to separate the art from the artist, and to realise that whilst someone like Hunter S Thompson or Jack Kerouac (I remember he bought some personal items of Kerouac) may have been great writers, they're perhaps not the best people to model your personal relationships on. And yes, imitating their drug use doesn't make you a great artist yourself - it's all very teenage, actually, his adulation.

I read the previous transcripts and have watched much of this trial. In my opinion they are both abusive horrible human beings. I don't believe JD wants to win as he clearly is abusive, I believe they just want to destroy and inflict as much pain to the other as possible. Its horrible to watch and I think the "Team Amber vs Team Depp narrative is extremely damaging to all victims of abuse.

I don't believe JD wants to win as he clearly is abusive, I believe they just want to destroy and inflict as much pain to the other as possible.

I must admit I have wondered what the point of all this is, the AH Op-Ed was, presumably, against the terms of their divorce, however, all of this is just an extreme, damaging circus for both parties and there were far better ways of dealing with it without going to these lengths.

Bollocks did he
He lost films for being drunk, high and violent on set, unpredictable and probably uninsurable

I have to say this thread is a lot more balanced than the AIBU thread I'm on. I am very disturbed by the rampant misogyny surrounding this case and the complete lack of curiosity around what's being reported.
Loads of stuff stated as "fact" (e.g. Amber cut his finger off as stated up thread) and an undertone of "she deserved it so its not abuse"
It's disgusting really

The facts as we know them are that his finger was sliced off when she threw a bottle at him and some aspect of the bottle or something that it hit broke his finger and cut off the end. She didn't intentionally cut off his finger but she indirectly cut off his finger from her actions.

Neither of them 'deserved' it. Two toxic people in a very dysfunctional relationship, each with varying degrees of drug / alchol use that contrinuted to an unready unhealthy dynamic.

The facts as we know them are that his finger was sliced off when she threw a bottle at him and some aspect of the bottle or something that it hit broke his finger and cut off the end. She didn't intentionally cut off his finger but she indirectly cut off his finger from her actions.

I wouldn't call what we know as facts, there is dispute around the incident and the medical people who treated JD after the event didn't back up this version of events in their testimony.

Did you listen to the full recording of the medical people and house managers in the house during that event? Amber had left her phone on and recording in her bag. It is pretty telling. Long and not great audio but worth a listen.

No, I haven't listened to it. I may do so, where would I find it?

However, neither the house managers nor the medical people were there at the time the incident occurred were they?

No they weren't there at the time (as far as I know).

They guy who made the video talks for the first 3 minutes or so and then the recording starts.

I don’t believe JD is abusive. I do believe AH is. I have been following the trial and Amber does not come across as authentic. Her stories and recollections change all the time

I've seen a few comments from posters on these threads stating that they did not know much about these two people before this case and Johnny Depp's earlier libel action against The Sun.

Of course, none of us 'know' what happened in the way that these two people and their entourages, housekeeping and cleaning staff know about the relationship but what I do know is that Amber Heard was once arrested for hitting an ex girlfriend and that Winona Ryder and Vanessa Paradis have given evidence that he was not violent to them.

Domestic abuse takes many forms. It overwhelmingly involves men abusing women but more rarely there are women who abuse men or same sex partners. I personally don't think that any of the women too afraid to ask for help or economically dependent on their abuser are remotely helped by treating Amber Heard as the victim and Johnny Depp as the perpetrator.

Both parties are trying to manipulate social media. Neither party comes out of this well. We know that people often assume actors are the same in real life as the roles they play when acting and Johnny Depp has specialised in playing romantic, misunderstood outsiders. Amber Heard arrives in court in suits, minimal make up and with her hair plaited or worn up. Both are playing a role. I agree with the posters who think this case is damaging to better public awareness and understanding of domestic abuse.

Why do you hate women?

What a weird post.

I too think this was a highly toxic, terrible relationship BUT she has already been done for DV on a previous partner.

Just because I believe JD over her, does not mean I hate women. I believe he was a victim of DV. Not that anyone gives a rat's shit what I think.

There are some bad violent women too!!

As AH said the reason she took photos and recordings was because:
there was no one to back me up. [It was] just him, his employees, and everyone who had been taking care of him versus my word, and so I started to take pictures [to] say: "Look, this is happening."'
........................
If she understood what was happening, how awful it was and wasn't minimising it. Why didn't she leave? Why stay for it to keep on happening to her?

Amber Heard arrives in court in suits, minimal make up and with her hair plaited or worn up. Both are playing a role.

What on earth does that have to do with it? That sounds like default court attire.
Should she be wearing full make up, none? A ball gown? Her pyjamas.
Of course she's wearing a suit and minimal maje up. She's in court.

I just listened to it and there is nothing in there thar screams out to me that she is abusive. Depp on the other hand sounds terrifying at the start (and completely smashed).

Okay I've listened to that recording Midlifemusings, thank you, and Jerry (?) comes across as a manipulative cover up artist, it's all about JD and covering up for him, he keeps tripping himself up more than once he said JD did all the damage, then changed his tune to say AH did it. JD's staff were circling the waggons to protect him. No smoking gun there to say that AH was definitely directly or indirectly responsible for JD losing the tip of his finger, she may have been and equally she may not have been.

What is an eye opener is just how much the people around these stars are prepared to do to cover up their actions.

You clearly listened to it with your own confirmation blinders on. The security guy who is talking says that Amber told him she hit Johnny first and threw the bottle at him. He also talks about how Johnny threw a bottle through a window and made a massive mess and how drunk / under the influence he is. He talks about a cup hitting a TV but not knowing who did that. The medical team is on site and speaking to Amber (Johnny is in bed) and their only treatment is to give her medication to calm her down and help her sleep (despite her claims she had been walking on glass, dragged naked through class, punched in the face, head slammed on the floor, and bleeding vaginally). They talk about needing to send someone on the flight with her in case she 'kicks off again'. Johnny says one line and I am not sure what you find terrifying about it.

I just listened to it and there is nothing in there thar screams out to me that she is abusive. Depp on the other hand sounds terrifying at the start (and completely smashed).

She's recording it so she's going to know to control herself to put herself in the best possible light. That's why tapes, from both sides, are unreliable evidence.

That is not how I heard it or interpreted it at all. They all sound tired of it all. Nothing about him seems manipulative or covering up.

I mean, one of the men says "she [heard] says he drank a bottle of vodka, a bottle of tequila and took 10 ecstasy" and the other man isn't surprised.

The Doctor is clearly focussed on finding Depps finger so his answer to Heard being upset is to drug her. I think her upset is understandable as her partner is rage filled, drunk and seriously injured.

I tend to think that audio supports her version of events.

The way he's talking is scary. He sounds like he's very very angry.