I have no idea what the heck is going on in this country. I am an attorney and it is laughable that Depp had any claim. The key issue is he has a lousy reputation regardless of this case. Heard didn’t defame him because he defames himself with his own behavior. I have a strong suspicion that this verdict is going to get tossed but the fact that an group of childish jurors came to this conclusion offers no solace that community members have anything resembling good judgment. They shamed themselves by becoming bullies like Johnny Depp. I know this is patriarchal but Heard needs to hire a tough ruthless guy to handle this critical appeal and tear Johnny Depp apart like a shark with a seal in its mouth. I recommend Daniel Petrocelli. Her talented attorney, who won in the UK, is no match for this nightmarish vipers den in the US.
We are living through a vicious misogynist backlash against women, against our humanity, and against our entitlement to basic human rights. What is so heartbreaking is how many women - my once beloved conservative relatives! - are participating in this orgy of hate against other women. I do not understand how any woman could vote Republican now, but they do.
And someone I have held in high esteem since we were children has been meme-ing like crazy about this trial. I'm not sure I'll ever see him the same way again.
Absolutely agree. The evidence was there about Depp’s violence and madness- his self- confessed ‘ monster’ self. In addition the vicious violence he used in describing wanting to kill her and desecrate her. Terrifying but also confusing verdict - contradictory.
Yes. This is so terrifying. I want to push back on the people saying "me too is dead" though because I don't like admitting defeat. We knew the backlash would come, it always does, we have to keep fighting harder. I'm thankful for voices like yours who keep speaking out and pushing back. This is not the end. They have not won. (It's a heavy blow though. And it feels like every new instance of public misogyny puts another weight on my shoulders.)
It felt like something died in me when I heard the verdict. I've been no fan of Amber Heard, but I've known enough to know this would set a dangerous precedent. What I didn't realize was what a gut punch it would be to feel such naked misogyny validated by a jury and celebrated by so many people. Every time I think I'm past being shaken by how horrible people can be, I'm shaken even more.
Man all I can think of is Lorena Bobbitt. Another person who had to wait 20 years to get a relook at how she was done dirty. The facts of the abuse do not even seem to be in question and there's a mountain of evidence. But people fixated on the bed-pooping thing (another late night joke, just like the Bobbitt case), which dehumanized her effectively, and now the celebration following the verdict is just nauseating. And everywhere! My mother was talking to me the other day about poor Johnny Depp! The precedent set here is so damning!
I was one of those who felt it wasn’t any of my business, it’s between them, etc. However, it finally hit me what his success at sueing for “defamation” really means, and it is frightening. Any man with money can do this now. We just keep going backwards.
All those women siding with him, they're all like those women who are like, "he never hit me, so..." I always think of that song with the words that go, "I don't care what you did to them, just be good to me." Screw that mentality. The whole thing made me sick.
Why just her? I saw enough of the headlines etc to know that Depp did many heinous things. But the overwhelming avalanche of memes and hate are directed at HER? Don't people have something better to do? Its chilling how much people want to hate, and hate women in particular. It reminds me of the Salem witch trials. People will overlook a man's bad behavior, even make excuses for him, and vilify the same behavior when a woman dares to do the same, or even when she dares to speak up. People still want women to be pretty and quiet in the corner. Its disgusting and exhausting, I'm so tired of it.
I did not follow the trial closely, but the few parts I did see or read turned my previously neutral view of Depp to one of revulsion, primarily based on his presentation which aligned closely with controlling men I've interacted with in real life.
The participation of female friends and family in the social media pillorying of Heard has been especially upsetting to me.
I have stayed well away from this, especially the online stuff, during the trial, knowing that would just have me in a state of near-permanent rage, but I did scan the headlines in the regular newspapers and earlier today read a story that carried this quote - which I found perhaps even worse than the (misogynistic) crap people write on social media:
"Recordings of Depp admitting to hitting Heard were not introduced as evidence at the trial because “it didn’t happen”, Depp attorney Camille Vasquez said."
I do know that, legally speaking, confessions don't count as proof... but it also proves how useless our court systems are when it comes to abuse.
People always come up with this 'He says, she says' stuff but when it's not even enough when that 'he says' is an actual (series of) confession(s), what good will any court of justice ever be in the vast majority of cases?
Anyway, yes, I am sure that this will lead to even worse abuse of victims coming forward - but a bitter voice inside my head now asks, 'And when has any trial by (social) media ever led to *less* abuse, when it's a woman in the spotlight?'
This is brilliant. I wish everyone could see it. Johnny Depp is such a powerful cultural figure, it would be easy to swallow that side of the story. Reading your analysis, I feel a strong sense of revulsion toward that knee-jerk reaction. Thank you!
I have no idea what the heck is going on in this country. I am an attorney and it is laughable that Depp had any claim. The key issue is he has a lousy reputation regardless of this case. Heard didn’t defame him because he defames himself with his own behavior. I have a strong suspicion that this verdict is going to get tossed but the fact that an group of childish jurors came to this conclusion offers no solace that community members have anything resembling good judgment. They shamed themselves by becoming bullies like Johnny Depp. I know this is patriarchal but Heard needs to hire a tough ruthless guy to handle this critical appeal and tear Johnny Depp apart like a shark with a seal in its mouth. I recommend Daniel Petrocelli. Her talented attorney, who won in the UK, is no match for this nightmarish vipers den in the US.
We are living through a vicious misogynist backlash against women, against our humanity, and against our entitlement to basic human rights. What is so heartbreaking is how many women - my once beloved conservative relatives! - are participating in this orgy of hate against other women. I do not understand how any woman could vote Republican now, but they do.
The precedent this trial sets is terrifying.
And someone I have held in high esteem since we were children has been meme-ing like crazy about this trial. I'm not sure I'll ever see him the same way again.
Had Johnny Depp been of a different hue would the verdict have been the same? even with his current status.
Absolutely agree. The evidence was there about Depp’s violence and madness- his self- confessed ‘ monster’ self. In addition the vicious violence he used in describing wanting to kill her and desecrate her. Terrifying but also confusing verdict - contradictory.
Yes. This is so terrifying. I want to push back on the people saying "me too is dead" though because I don't like admitting defeat. We knew the backlash would come, it always does, we have to keep fighting harder. I'm thankful for voices like yours who keep speaking out and pushing back. This is not the end. They have not won. (It's a heavy blow though. And it feels like every new instance of public misogyny puts another weight on my shoulders.)
Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. I cursed out loud in the supermarket when I saw the headline. As always, you nailed it.
It felt like something died in me when I heard the verdict. I've been no fan of Amber Heard, but I've known enough to know this would set a dangerous precedent. What I didn't realize was what a gut punch it would be to feel such naked misogyny validated by a jury and celebrated by so many people. Every time I think I'm past being shaken by how horrible people can be, I'm shaken even more.
Man all I can think of is Lorena Bobbitt. Another person who had to wait 20 years to get a relook at how she was done dirty. The facts of the abuse do not even seem to be in question and there's a mountain of evidence. But people fixated on the bed-pooping thing (another late night joke, just like the Bobbitt case), which dehumanized her effectively, and now the celebration following the verdict is just nauseating. And everywhere! My mother was talking to me the other day about poor Johnny Depp! The precedent set here is so damning!
I was one of those who felt it wasn’t any of my business, it’s between them, etc. However, it finally hit me what his success at sueing for “defamation” really means, and it is frightening. Any man with money can do this now. We just keep going backwards.
All those women siding with him, they're all like those women who are like, "he never hit me, so..." I always think of that song with the words that go, "I don't care what you did to them, just be good to me." Screw that mentality. The whole thing made me sick.
Why just her? I saw enough of the headlines etc to know that Depp did many heinous things. But the overwhelming avalanche of memes and hate are directed at HER? Don't people have something better to do? Its chilling how much people want to hate, and hate women in particular. It reminds me of the Salem witch trials. People will overlook a man's bad behavior, even make excuses for him, and vilify the same behavior when a woman dares to do the same, or even when she dares to speak up. People still want women to be pretty and quiet in the corner. Its disgusting and exhausting, I'm so tired of it.
Thank you.
I did not follow the trial closely, but the few parts I did see or read turned my previously neutral view of Depp to one of revulsion, primarily based on his presentation which aligned closely with controlling men I've interacted with in real life.
The participation of female friends and family in the social media pillorying of Heard has been especially upsetting to me.
I have stayed well away from this, especially the online stuff, during the trial, knowing that would just have me in a state of near-permanent rage, but I did scan the headlines in the regular newspapers and earlier today read a story that carried this quote - which I found perhaps even worse than the (misogynistic) crap people write on social media:
"Recordings of Depp admitting to hitting Heard were not introduced as evidence at the trial because “it didn’t happen”, Depp attorney Camille Vasquez said."
I do know that, legally speaking, confessions don't count as proof... but it also proves how useless our court systems are when it comes to abuse.
People always come up with this 'He says, she says' stuff but when it's not even enough when that 'he says' is an actual (series of) confession(s), what good will any court of justice ever be in the vast majority of cases?
Anyway, yes, I am sure that this will lead to even worse abuse of victims coming forward - but a bitter voice inside my head now asks, 'And when has any trial by (social) media ever led to *less* abuse, when it's a woman in the spotlight?'
This is brilliant. I wish everyone could see it. Johnny Depp is such a powerful cultural figure, it would be easy to swallow that side of the story. Reading your analysis, I feel a strong sense of revulsion toward that knee-jerk reaction. Thank you!
This is so timely...thank you for writing this!