Why The Amber Heard v/s Johnny Depp Modern Day Witch Hunt Is A Nightmare For Domestic Violence Survivors!

The lives of actors, be they from Hollywood or Bollywood, trouble my peace. Though they are worshipped by their fans, the real-life of many is quite troubled. It is scary to see what money and fame can do to a person. These are the people who have made me realize that fame and money are not that important.

I usually try to avoid reading about actors and their lives but there is no escape when the internet gets flooded with news and you come across it again and again as it happened with Aryan Khan’s arrest, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, or now Amber Heard v/s Johnny Depp case.

We clearly see the pattern of uncivilized society in the above-mentioned cases where the mass verdict is passed even before the jury or judge passes the sentence.  Usually, there is no middle ground for these people who are just there to make a topic trending on the internet. One is black and the other is white, there are no shades of grey for these modern-day witch hunters.

A bad marriage now out in the open

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp have gone through a very bad marriage and they have thrown it out in the open for the whole globe to watch their very dirty laundry washed in public by many witnesses, experts, and both the exes.

Even though Amber Heard received support when she earlier accused Johnny Depp of IPV (intimate partner violence) the internet has mocked, laughed, and accused her when the case went open for everyone to judge.

Keeping aside the fact that whether AH is the monster the internet is making her be, we have to think about the implications this case will have on other victims who are just garnering enough courage to speak up. This case is way beyond what happened to Johnny Depp or Amber Heard because it is being telecast and many victims and abusers are both watching the drama unfold.

A witch hunt

Even if AH is wrong, the flood of memes, jokes, and videos mocking her looks like a present-day witch hunt where the mass decides who is a witch and burns her on the stake of the internet. Have we ever wondered why there were no wizards hunted and burned? Are there only witches and no wizards?

Any sane impartial person observing the case would realize that both of them are responsible for what happened rather than saying who is right and who is wrong. Like in the movies they watch, here there is no Hero and Villain but just two troubled people who got into a relationship and messed it up.

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AH has her own faults and so does JD. He has fought alcoholism and drug use. He has used foul language and shown his anger (even if it is on cabinets or furniture). He did not face the situation and ended the abuse when he could, but waited until the op-ed publication to file a case. He also waited for AH to divorce him and did not file for it himself.

But the mass hunters do not want to even think there could be a bit of mistake from the one they support. They have their hero and their villain and they have to prove that now.

We saw the same pattern in many cases where celebrities were involved, where they lost their contracts as well. BYJU’s ended its contract with SRK even before the case was in court. It happened to Johnny Depp earlier when he was accused of being a wife-beater.

You can have an opinion, but think before you put it out publicly

I have my own opinions when I observe the case, but they can be discussed in the family or with friends instead of going public about it on the internet. The main reason is, that this can have a drastic effect on other victims of domestic violence. It will also encourage the abuser that they can now threaten their victim that he/she may end up like Amber Heard on the internet.

I am a fan of Johnny Depp as an actor. I don’t even know who Amber Heard is other than watching her in Aquaman. But I have no reason to mock, ridicule, and laugh at a person who is saying she is the victim of domestic abuse. There is always a tiny bit of chance that she is right. Even if it is proven she is wrong and she was the abuser in the relationship, it is for the court to take action and not the mass.

A civilized society would trust the judge and the jury to evaluate the case and pass judgment.

We all should keep our fingers crossed and hope that this will be a passing phase in our society and it will not leave a permanent effect on IPV or DV victims who want to break free from their abusers, especially in a country like India, where marital rape is legalized.

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