Thread by @tanejamainhoon

#Thread on the memeification of the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial:

Alright, so I know I'm going to get hate for this thread, but I'm a bit fed up of seeing the hundreds of (mostly Heard) parody videos + memes from the trial, and I'm a bit sick about what they represent.

1/n

First: everything I know about the trial, I know against my will. I've never sought out, read up on, or watched videos of the trial - until it started seeking me. Until I wasn't able to escape it. Until it became pop culture the same way Trump did, *before* he was elected.

2/n

Second: I'm not going to get into the facts of the trial, because at this time, everyone has their own facts (her truth, his truth, the truth).

Irrespective of the trial's outcome, Heard has already lost. She's not a survivor, she's not even a perpetrator, she's a meme now.

3/n

And that's what I want to talk about.

The fact that our culture's takeaway from a widely publicised domestic abuse (+ alleged sexual abuse) trial is: humour. I have now *encountered* sketches, music & dance vids, make up vids and hashtags like 'Me Poo' of an.. abuse trial!

4/n

Is Heard faking it? Does she strategically cry in front of the cameras?
Is Depp enjoying it? Does he find the trial proceedings hilarious?
Is Heard's lawyer incompetent? Is Depp's awesome?

Yes. Only because this are the 'teasers' of the trial film being shared by millions.

5/n

I can’t help but find it tragic (+ horrifying) that thousands upon thousands of people are actively choosing to watch a domestic abuse trial, whether live or as packaged 'content'.

Among the billions of hours of content available to everyone today, *this* is entertainment to us.

By the laws of entertainment, we needed a ‘hero’ & a ‘villain’. Because Heard's an imperfect victim, she is a perfect villain. Because Depp has always played the hero, he knows how to act as one too well.

But there are no heroes in abuse trials, just survivors. And abusers.

7/n

At the beginning of the trial, perhaps some male abuse survivors did feel heard or seen. But how is any of this is respectful to any survivor of any gender anymore?

And if the roles were reversed, if the narrative was that Depp's lying, would there have been such mockery of him?

Before the trial, for a while, Depp was 'cancelled'. He lost work & faced a bunch of internet hate. But he's here now, and he's swashbuckling as ever. Heard, on the other hand, has been reduced to utter ridicule. So then, are these 'just jokes' or is this *incredibly* gendered?

Let's be honest here: this isn't humour. This is humiliation. It is dehumanisation. As Heard once wrote, it is 'the full force of culture's wrath'.

Whichever 'side' any of us is on, the truth is that we've collectively turned domestic abuse into sport. This is our Squid Games.

#EndThread

PS. Some links below, in case you want to read up more:
medium.com/@hannahxsummer…

newyorker.com/culture/cultur…

thecut.com/2022/05/why-do…

nytimes.com/2022/05/26/art…

nytimes.com/2022/05/18/opi…