Nikhil Taneja Discusses The Memefication Of The Amber Heard Vs Johnny Depp Trial. We Think He Has A Point
I think at this point it is fair to say that the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial has turned into a reality show rather than an actual court case. And while I have admittedly tried to follow the case as closely as possible, I will say that I have had my reservations about this case being televised. I feel like way too many people are a part of something as sensitive as a domestic abuse case. Now I do not want to get into the logistics of who is siding with who. My point is just that this is a topic too sensitive and triggering to be memed upon and mocked like this.
Many have come forth and pointed out the insensitivity in the mockery and trolling that Amber Heard is facing on the internet and in the media currently. With the closing statements over and no judgement yet, the outcome of the infamous Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp case is yet to be disclosed. Amongst all this, Hindustan Times columnist and Yuvaa CEO Nikhil Taneja has written an apt Twitter thread on the memification of Heard on the internet throughout this trial. Let’s take a look at it,
#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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
This I agree with. The trial being televised must have been triggering for so many victims of abuse.
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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
Also Read: Amber Heard Says She’s ‘Not Surprised’ Kate Moss And Others Came Out To Support Johnny Depp
Heard being constantly mocked definitely has turned her into a meme,
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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
It is genuinely so messed up if you think about it. That people took a highly publicised domestic abuse case and made a mockery out of it,
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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
Exactly, the fact that this has ceased to be an actual trial and is just entertainment for people is appalling,
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.
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
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
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
I feel like the mockery of the trial itself is a slap in the face of so many survivors who felt seen or heard when this all began,
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?
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
Something to think about
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?
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
To be honest, this is less about justice and more about winning and losing,
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.
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
Also Read: A Twitter User Receives Some Very Valid Backlash For His Twitter Thread On Why Women Shouldn’t Code
PS. Some links below, in case you want to read up more:https://t.co/7N8MyAd2cRhttps://t.co/elgA46C48Qhttps://t.co/nqab3lkaLMhttps://t.co/FNYNIcOeDKhttps://t.co/64ZmYXTYQL
— Nikhil Taneja (@tanejamainhoon) May 30, 2022
While I might not completely agree with everything Nikhil Taneja said in his thread, I do agree that the televisation and mockery of something so sensitive is unfair. There are many abuse victims who are following the Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp and makin jokes of it is not helping them.
First Published: May 31, 2022 3:22 PM
