Generally speaking I’m not interested in celebrities or the gossip that gets labelled as news but the Depp/Heard defamation case is a weird one for social politics so the outcome had my attention. Depp technically won with more money being demanded in favour of him.

Why the title then? What was Heard right about? That recording, the one played during the trial where she’s heard taunting Depp because he’s an abused man who nobody would believe.

“Tell the world, Johnny, tell them, “Johnny Depp, I, a man, I’m a victim, too, of domestic violence’ — and see how many people believe or side with you”

She was right. An abused woman is a very serious thing and although feminism demands that we recognise the strength of women there’s a lot done to defend their weaknesses. I believe in doing right, I would instinctively be more inclined to help someone who is weak and without meaning anything offensive I’d be most likely to assume a small or non-aggressive woman is more likely to need help.

Men became slightly demonised by the media and no matter what happened within the relationship the man would have become a villain. Look how Disney and Warner Bros both turned on Depp so quickly with fewer well known consequences happening to Heard. She was right that a man would have been less believable in such a claim.

There’s the thing though, Johnny Depp is not a man. He’s transcended the idea of being a man, putting him on the unbelievable level of a real world Captain Jack Sparrow, by his level of fame a huge proportion of fans rallied in support of him. The claims weren’t man versus woman in abuse. A more level playing field was created to allow Depp’s lawyers to take on Heard’s, through it something closer to a truly factual case was able to be put to the jury.

Heard was right, but thankfully she didn’t get the big win and the court of public opinion along with the court’s jury made their choices. Hopefully this allows for a precedent of fairness in other abuse or reputation cases in future.