The Amber Heard Vs Johnny Depp case has opened a can of worms that we wish were never part of. Technically, we are not part of the case. But socially, we – the spectators – have been bombarded with all the information pertaining to the case – the ‘He said, She said’ drama. This implies, we may or may not have taken sides. However, at the heart of the drama lies the underlying social disease (which refuses to be treated) that we have been fighting for decades. There are lessons that need to be learnt from the Amber Heard vs Johnny Deep case
One of the lessons we have learnt from the events that unfolded following Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial is that sexism and patriarchy is spread across the world just like COVID. Be it, India or US, the world loves seeing a woman on trial. Second is how society breathes and digests patriarchy as good as a cat swallows fish. Third, sexism/patriarchy is a social disease that we may forever have to live with. Women may never be able to pull down their mask and probably breathe the air of equality. Fourth, we – the women – have been (and probably will be) forced to live in the cuckoo nest (the divided society) forever unless we start identifying cultural violence against women. Cultural violence against women is defined when certain existing prominent social norms validate direct and structural forms of violence.
So far, we know Amber Heard is facing defamation charges from Johnny Depp for writing a December 2018 op-ed in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse”. Amber Heard never mentioned Depp in the article but the lawyers say he was defamed, nevertheless. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp – both have testified in courts accusing each other of violence. Heard had accused Depp of abusing her (sexual violence included) while the latter denied it. In the midst of all the drama, many on social media are using the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp case to target women and call out the feminist movement.
Now, we may or may not support Amber Heard but we should be able to see signs how patriarchy is deep-rooted in our cultural and traditional norms. A certain section of the faceless men or women are using Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp case to promote misogyny. This army of hate is doing everything to discredit domestic violence cases while pointing out that women cannot be trusted. (In India, we have seen the version of the ‘women cannot be trusted’ in the Rhea Chakraborty case when she was blindly hunted by media and the public
