Modified from an uncredited image on marca.com.
I’m not the first to say it, but the unfolding Depp v. Heard defamation trial is serving to further expose the infantile and misguided nature of the “#BelieveAllWomen” sloganeering that arose from the “#MeToo” movement.
Seeing Amber Heard’s narrative fall apart in real time underscores the hastiness of the knee-jerk condemnation Johnny Depp faced when she first accused him of domestic abuse, as well as the insanity of the de rigueur tendency to conflate mere accusation with actual guilt, presumably in the name of identity politics. As Eliana Dockterman wrote in November 2020 after Depp was pressured by Warner Brothers to resign from the cast of Fantastic Beasts 3, “It’s astounding in a post-#MeToo world that a major studio like Warner Bros. would continue to film with Depp even as he was accused of assault in the courts.”
What seems to have been forgotten in this age of “#BelieveAllWomen” is the importance of due process, and the presumption of innocence. Saying that you unconditionally “believe all women” who happen to voice accusations (or even press charges) implies that you support the presumption of guilt, and undue process (for lack of a better term), especially if the accused happens to be a man. (Note: I’m not a lawyer, and am only writing from my own gut instincts about what is right and wrong. Mileage may vary.)
While proponents of “#BelieveAllWomen” may feel that they are fighting to empower women and address female injustice (as if that could be accomplished via a measly hashtag), I believe they are inadvertently debasing women, and thus advocating for anti-woman unhumanity without even realizing it.
To Err is Human
At the most basic level, all humans are fallible. After all, “nobody’s perfect”, and so we all make mistakes from time to time. Some mistakes are honest (i.e. “I forgot to set my alarm”), and others are driven either by unhealthy negative emotions or impure motives.
Making an accusation that is ultimately untrue can fall under any of the above categories of mistakes. (I’ll give Heard the benefit of the doubt by not commenting on which category her accusation falls under, if it is indeed untrue.)
While the propensity to make a mistake is a definitively human trait, the courage to acknowledge and take responsibility for a mistake is a true marker of adulthood. Unfortunately, when we avoid testing the veracity of an accusation before pronouncing the defendant guilty, we devalue the very notion of justice by not entertaining the possibility that the accuser may have made a mistake, honest or otherwise. In this way, by denying the accuser their humanity and adulthood, we are unwittingly pushing for a kind of justice that is not above reproach, and which therefore isn’t actually any kind of justice at all, given that it lacks definitive closure. (At best, it’s tribal catharsis. Rather than “believe all women”, the more responsible and sane slogan should be, “listen to all accusers”, or even “investigate all accusations”, regardless of where any of the players fall on the Victim Usefulness Scale implied by that activist ideology that calls itself “intersectionality”.)
Taking it one step further, when we deny someone their human propensity to make a mistake, and thus also their adult courage to take responsibility for it, by default we also short circuit their ability to advance to the next rung on the ladder: redemption.
Ultimately, it’s not for me to say whether or not Heard’s accusations are true or false (her less-than-convincing testimony notwithstanding), nor do I have any skin in the game either way. I’m not “rooting” for one side or the other to win out— as with any legal proceeding, I simply want the full truth to be revealed, justice to be served, and any genuine wrongdoers in this affair to start the righteous (and healing) process of redeeming themselves, whatever that actually looks like.
I've paid zero attention to this case intentionally but from what I have heard, Depp comes across as the more believable and sympathetic person and the evidence tends not to support Heard.
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
such a sad state of affairs going on here, she is mentally ill and is probably so embarrassed now. her lawyer and psychologist are the ones she actually needs to sue for defamation not Johnny.