What Can We Learn from the Depp-Heard Trial?

            The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns safety and security at home. Domestic violence has been a problem for many years, but it grew worse during the pandemic lockdowns. Abuse of children was widely discussed, but the nation is gaining understanding from the saga of Johnny Depp suing his former wife Amber Heard for defamation.

            I have not paid much attention to the trial, but I have heard snippets of the testimony of the problems that was in the Depp-Heard marriage. I heard much about character flaws of each spouse, much substance abuse, and lots of physical violence. I feel much sympathy for both parties in the lawsuit.

            Depp is suing Heard for defamation and ruining his career, but his tale of spousal abuse is coming through loud and clear. Most domestic violence brings to mind husbands being violent with their wives, but Depp reminds us that wives are also violent with their husbands. Both Depp and Heard testified of physical violence, but Depp has opened many eyes about men being victims also. Heard obviously believed that no one would believe Depp because she is heard saying the following in a recording that was played at the trial:

Tell people it was a fair flight and see what the jury and judge think. Tell the world, Johnny. Tell them, “I, Johnny Depp, I’m a victim, too, of domestic violence, and it was fair fight,” and see if people believe or side with you.

            Most people do not think about men being the victim in domestic violence, but there is evidence that there are more than a few women being violent with men. Ari David Blaff wrote about domestic violence and the Depp-Heard trial and made this statement: 

The statistical reality paints a different picture. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined a sample of nearly 12,000 young adults in heterosexual relationships and were startled by the results. Women were found to perpetrate physical violence at over double the rate of men and women instigated nearly three-quarters of “nonreciprocal partner violence.” The results shocked the researchers, who wrote,” This is important as violence perpetrated by women is often seen as not serious.” [Emphasis added.]

This is the deeply uncomfortable – and rarely acknowledged – truth about intimate partner violence. A growing body of literature supports a more nuanced perspective, that men represent a significant number of victims. However, it bears underscoring that while men can be victimized at rates close to women, the severity of the attacks are not the same. Women experience dramatically higher levels of serious violence than men do.

            Depp has done great good for the men who are abused by their intimate partner. Now that men have watched Depp stand up for himself, “male victims of domestic abuse are suddenly coming out of the woodwork.” It is a “turning point in the stigma against male survivors.” Depp’s story gives courage to other male victims to stand up for themselves. Domestic violence is perpetrated by both men and women, which means that victims includes both men and women.