Johnny Depp and justice
A few days ago a good friend called me to ask my opinion about what happened to the actor Johnny Depp and the situation of abuse that he suffered at the hands of his ex-wife, also actress Amber Heard. The news went viral last week and by the time I received the call it was already a matter of worldwide discussion, after the Daily Mail newspaper published a group of audios in which Heard revealed in a very direct way her violent behavior against Depp. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a good slap in the face, but I hit you, I didn't punch you," insists the actress in great detail.
- My opinion is that Depp deserves to be protected and helped, besides that Heard must answer before the law - I replied - What else can I think?
- Well, you have to admit that for once, men won - he answered me and laughed - will you admit that you and all the feminists were wrong?
I was left without knowing what to answer. I remembered Depp's bruised, sad and tired face in the photograph that I had seen in one of the many reviews I read about the unexpected turn of the divorce process in which he stars. I was amazed at his helpless appearance. And then I thought that's what all victims look like, actually. How can anyone consider that face the symbol of some victory? Or the situation that lives part of some twisted version of a war between genders? I was deeply distressed by the mere thought that most of the people I know are convinced, as is my friend, that the struggle and efforts of feminist organizations to provide support and protection to those who suffer abuse go further Beyond dialectical battles in social networks, superficial discussions on the subject or basic notions about the protection of victims in vulnerable situations.
- What exactly were we wrong? - I ask him.
- Won't you admit it? They blamed Johnny without even presuming his innocence.
- There was a trial in which evidence was presented - I remind you -, the fact is that until now there was no evidence of the version against Heard's.
In 2016, the couple signed the divorce, after a bloody and very public legal battle, the climax of which was a photograph of Amber Heard published by People magazine, in which marks of violence could be clearly seen on the face of the woman. actress. As if that weren't enough, she also stated that Depp had thrown a cell phone at her face and that, in short, the short year and a little more of marriage had been one hell of physical abuse in which Heard had borne the worstAfter the long process was completed, the actor paid his ex-wife a millionaire sum as compensation, in addition to running all the legal expenses involved in the legal battle.
However, Depp always denied having mistreated Heard, and in fact it was a letter from the actress published in the Washington Post in December 2018 in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence that caused the actor to decide to take his wife to court. ex-partner and demand financial compensation for defamation. In the subsequent trial, Heard insisted on her version and detailed the alleged situations of mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of Depp, which included not only beatings and mistreatment but also a situation of constant and brutal terror: “She threw a jug at meShe slapped me hard, grabbed me by the hair and dragged me from the stairs to the office, to the house and the kitchen of the room and then to the guest room ", Heard declared about a fight that the couple had when they were still married in 2015.
Of course, with the appearance of the audios - which are part of voluntary therapy in which the couple participated - it is clear that what happened between the two was completely different or that at least part of what Heard told the media is partially false. The mere fact that the actress admitted that she had hit Depp on more than one occasion and that she had even caused him considerable physical harm, makes the scenes about the allegations of domestic abuse take a completely different turn. In the recordings, Heard can be heard admitting to throwing "plates and pans", and Depp trying to make her understand that the situation is increasingly untenable.
A few days ago a good friend called me to ask my opinion about what happened to the actor Johnny Depp and the situation of abuse that he suffered at the hands of his ex-wife, also actress Amber Heard. The news went viral last week and by the time I received the call it was already a matter of worldwide discussion, after the Daily Mail newspaper published a group of audios in which Heard revealed in a very direct way her violent behavior against Depp. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a good slap in the face, but I hit you, I didn't punch you," insists the actress in great detail.
- My opinion is that Depp deserves to be protected and helped, besides that Heard must answer before the law - I replied - What else can I think?
- Well, you have to admit that for once, men won - he answered me and laughed - will you admit that you and all the feminists were wrong?
I was left without knowing what to answer. I remembered Depp's bruised, sad and tired face in the photograph that I had seen in one of the many reviews I read about the unexpected turn of the divorce process in which he stars. I was amazed at his helpless appearance. And then I thought that's what all victims look like, actually. How can anyone consider that face the symbol of some victory? Or the situation that lives part of some twisted version of a war between genders? I was deeply distressed by the mere thought that most of the people I know are convinced, as is my friend, that the struggle and efforts of feminist organizations to provide support and protection to those who suffer abuse go further Beyond dialectical battles in social networks, superficial discussions on the subject or basic notions about the protection of victims in vulnerable situations.
- What exactly were we wrong? - I ask him.
- Won't you admit it? They blamed Johnny without even presuming his innocence.
- There was a trial in which evidence was presented - I remind you -, the fact is that until now there was no evidence of the version against Heard's.
In 2016, the couple signed the divorce, after a bloody and very public legal battle, the climax of which was a photograph of Amber Heard published by People magazine, in which marks of violence could be clearly seen on the face of the woman. actress. As if that weren't enough, she also stated that Depp had thrown a cell phone at her face and that, in short, the short year and a little more of marriage had been one hell of physical abuse in which Heard had borne the worstAfter the long process was completed, the actor paid his ex-wife a millionaire sum as compensation, in addition to running all the legal expenses involved in the legal battle.
However, Depp always denied having mistreated Heard, and in fact it was a letter from the actress published in the Washington Post in December 2018 in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic violence that caused the actor to decide to take his wife to court. ex-partner and demand financial compensation for defamation. In the subsequent trial, Heard insisted on her version and detailed the alleged situations of mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of Depp, which included not only beatings and mistreatment but also a situation of constant and brutal terror: “She threw a jug at meShe slapped me hard, grabbed me by the hair and dragged me from the stairs to the office, to the house and the kitchen of the room and then to the guest room ", Heard declared about a fight that the couple had when they were still married in 2015.
Of course, with the appearance of the audios - which are part of voluntary therapy in which the couple participated - it is clear that what happened between the two was completely different or that at least part of what Heard told the media is partially false. The mere fact that the actress admitted that she had hit Depp on more than one occasion and that she had even caused him considerable physical harm, makes the scenes about the allegations of domestic abuse take a completely different turn. In the recordings, Heard can be heard admitting to throwing "plates and pans", and Depp trying to make her understand that the situation is increasingly untenable.
Did public opinion rush to favor Amber Heard amid an awkward legal battle?
Of course, very few of the men interested in making Heard's deception visible and recognized advance or delve into what abuse actually means to such a level. None mentions the need to offer support to the victim and, above all, the fact that she must be assisted at all levels, under all aspects. That what happened during the tortuous divorce process of the couple is just one aspect of the horrific situations that men and women experience every day in the rest of the world. That Depp and his situation are not the trophy of an absurd, superficial and harmful confrontation between the sexes, but the most recent face of a painful circumstance that highlights the way in which machismo has become an endemic problem in much of the world. world. That no one is safe from violence, that we all need protection, comfort and moral support.
I keep wondering if all those who right now cling to the situation of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp to insist on belittling the scale of the problem of gender abuse will continue their unrestricted support to the victims once the case disappears from the immediate and incomplete collective memory. Yes, from now on, they will offer their outstretched hand to all those who every day struggle to survive in the midst of unsustainable situations, increasingly harsh and violent. I wonder if all those who have viralized what happened with Depp and Heard will also do so when so many other women and men show the bruised, injured and tired face of a victim, with all the weight that such a situation carries.
The mere thought makes me feel a deep bitterness. Because maybe, I know the answer too well.
