20 May
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The Johnny Depp – Amber Heard defamation trial could possibly be the single most defining event of 2022, one that flung open a window to the ugly, real and toxic side of stardom. The most private details of the couple’s relationship have been discussed and dissected in the public discourse, thanks to it being live-streamed on Court TV and YouTube. Surprisingly, (or is it, really?) Heard has been facing widespread hate campaigns and hoards of memes online mocking her expressions, words, and mannerisms.

Amidst the mud-slinging, comedian Chris Rock, during an ongoing tour of his stand-up show, attacked Heard (and the #MeToo movement) in one of his ‘jokes’. According to a LadBible report, Rock went on to say “Believe all women, believe all women… except Amber Heard.” The comedian, who was hit by Will Smith, for poking fun during Oscars 2022 at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald condition owing to alopecia, referred to Depp’s accusation of Heard defecating on their bed. Heard’s team has, however, rejected it claiming it was done by a dog of the former couple. Reportedly, Rock made the statements on May 12, Thursday, “What the f*** is she on? She s*** in his bed! She’s fine but she’s not s***ing fine. Once you s**t in someone’s bed you (are) just guilty of everything. Wow. And they had a relationship after that… I’ve been with some crazy b*****s but goddammit.”

‘Believe Women’, a phrase that urged people to believe a woman, who comes out as a survivor of sexual assault and abuse, arose out of the #MeToo movement. Rock has been facing backlash for undermining the feminist slogan at the expense of Heard. One Twitter user wrote, “Chris Rock wasn’t laughing when Will Smith assaulted him yet it’s okay to laugh and joke about a female victim of domestic abuse when the perpetrator is a Hollywood actor.”

Another user asked, “Why is Chris Rock being slapped by Will Smith a horrific tragedy… But Amber Heard’s disturbing testimony is laughable?”

Depp has filed a $50 million defamation case against Heard for a 2018 Washington Post op-ed article that talked about her being subject to domestic abuse, without explicitly mentioning the former’s name. In the highly publicized trial that started on April 11, 2022, gory details of “mutual abuse” have come out. Yet, it is Heard, who has been called names, ridiculed for “overacting” and judged for “tearless crying” while recalling disturbing details of her alleged abuse. The immense popularity of Depp as opposed to the lack of recognition for Heard, cannot be missed in this power struggle playing out on the stands and on social media. Despite the jury (literally) still out on the highly publicized case, social media has already concluded who abused whom here. While #AmberHeardIsALiar, #JusticeforJohnny is centre stage, never mind the fact that he lost a defamation claim against The Sun for calling him a “wife beater” or the London High Court ruling that he did assault Heard.
Maybe it’s his charm, courtroom humour, or that he’s now a flagbearer of male domestic abuse, love for Depp from fans is overflowing, while Heard is met with a volley of misogyny, despite both admitting to violence towards each other. As per NBC News, 2,300 Twitter profiles analysed in relation to the Depp-Heard trial found a whopping 93% of users in support of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor. While the world scrutinises over why Amber Heard is not the ‘perfect victim’, it shows society still runs on deep-seated sexism.
In an era where victim blaming is the immediate reflex to an allegation of abuse, callous statements that diminish a survivor’s recount of trauma, by celebrities like Rock, further cement the stigma around women who speak out. If Heard, a Hollywood actor, with her fame, money and proof, has to go through this, imagine the plight of women survivors with no such resources.

Chris Rock is not the first man to trivialise #MeToo, nor will he be the last. Recently, Malayalam film actor and producer Vijay Babu, did a Facebook live where he revealed the name of the survivor who had filed a rape case against him. With an air of machismo, he twirled his moustache and termed his response as a sort of countermovement to #MeToo. Babu claimed to be the actual victim and called the supporters of the survivor “leeches.” Although he said he was not “scared of the law,” while violating Section 228A which protects a victim’s anonymity, the State Film Awardee has been absconding since. “When I, the victim, am suffering, why should she live her life happily? She’s safe under our so-called law’s protection. How is that fair?” he had questioned during his 10-minute live.

The #MeToo movement was a way for women to fight back (either anonymously or not) and warn others about their abusers, since the legal and justice system couldn’t always be relied upon. The onus of the crime almost always rests with the victim, going by how society questions them based on their clothing, time and place at which the alleged abuse took place, and many more ridiculous reasons. From self-blaming to lack of awareness, research shows that women survivors take years to come out and when they do, shaming, blaming and social isolation await them. Men rarely get cancelled or lose out on opportunities or their positions of power, examples being R Kelly, Vairamuthu, and so on. This is precisely why a law protecting the identity of a victim exists.

“Let’s put a break to #MeToo. We will fight. This will be the beginning of a new chapter in MeToo,” he proclaimed on the live. With such an irresponsible statement, the actor casually dismissed the allegations raised under the #MeToo movement, implying it as fake. Undoubtedly, the live session was met with hordes of supporting comments from males who took Babu as a crusader for “men’s justice” and “equality,” along with verbal abuse aimed at the survivor.

Babu’s move reeked of entitlement and toxic masculinity, which left the survivor scampering to secure herself and her social media accounts from the consequent public harassment. Needless to say, Babu has set a dangerous precedent in cases of alleged abuse, which will dissuade more survivors from coming forward, fearing such backlash.

Last week, Dhyan Sreenivasan, a Malayalam actor/director, during a promotional interview for his latest film, casually said that he’d have been behind bars if the #MeToo “trend” started 10-12 years back. “My #MeToo happened long back,” he continues proudly with a smirk. The actor and the anchor can barely control their laughter as Dhyan further ‘jokes’ that he would have been missing for 14-15 years if #MeToo existed long back. Writer NS Madhavan clapped back at his outrageous statements explaining that crimes are not time-barred, and his victims should put an end to his boasting.

#MeToo heralded hope for a new era with increased accountability for abusers and safer spaces for women, as the initial movement helped bring down the most powerful of men from Harvey Weinstein to Jeffrey Epstein. But, with the current treatment meted out to survivors of abuse and some men (and women) trying to undo the movement, victims are likely to be more hesitant now than ever before to out their abusers in a culture that openly supports predators.

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