By Kalhan Rosenblatt -
NBC News
Ruth M. Glenn survived domestic abuse.
But the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial is stirring her up.
It is not that I believe one of the parties above the other.
But the memes and jokes on social media emanating from the trial have exacerbated the trauma of surviving abuse to another level.
[Was it a “mutual abuse” that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard suffered? Many experts doubt it]
Depp and Heard have had a weeks-long battle in a court in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The Pirates of the Caribbean
actor
is suing Heard for $50 million in damages over a 2018 essay he wrote for The Washington Post in which he said he had become the "public figure representing abuse." domestic".
Although the essay never mentions Depp by name, his lawyers said it indirectly refers to the accusations she made against him during their 2016 divorce. Heard is countersuing Depp, asking for $100 million in damages.
Glenn, who is executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, is part of a contingent of social media users following the case who have been horrified by the way some on platforms like TikTok and Twitter have turned the Heard's testimony about the alleged abuse she suffered during her relationship with Depp in memes, jokes and lip sync.
Amber Heard accuses Johnny Depp of beating her and sexually abusing her
May 5, 202200:25
Tags like #AmberHeardIsAPsycho or #AmberHeardIsALiar have racked up billions of views on TikTok and Twitter.
Even searching for content that appears to favor Amber, such as the hashtag #IBelieveAmberHeard, often returns videos and posts that defame the actor.
"I can't imagine what this can do to someone who wants to seek safety and support," Glenn said.
"Whether it's Amber Heard or Johnny Depp, how dare we mock and ridicule someone who is sharing something very personal, regardless of how we feel about that person?"
[Johnny Depp Accuses Ex-Wife Amber Heard of Inciting Fights and Violence in Defamation Trial]
A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment.
TikTok's community guidelines state that it "does not tolerate embarrassing, intimidating, or harassing members of our community."
The platform says it removes "expressions of abuse, including demeaning threats or statements intended to mock, humiliate, embarrass, intimidate, or hurt a person."
A Twitter spokesman declined to comment.
Heard will take the stand again on Monday after the court's brief break.
The result of domestic abuse survivors seeing these posts could have what Glenn called "a chilling effect."
[Actress Amber Heard's Strong Accusations of Sexual Violence Against Johnny Depp in Defamation Trial]
Survivors say Heard-Depp posts make social media more toxic
For some who have survived domestic violence, seeing the teasing on social media has reopened emotional wounds.
“It takes me back to where I was before
,” said Twahna P. Harris, who works as the CEO and executive director of The Butterfly Society.
This advocacy group, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offers resources to victims and survivors of domestic violence.
"And that's what happens," he said.
“They revictimize you again.
You're not believable, apparently... it makes you mad, it makes you angry.
Until you have lived through it, you will never understand it,” he explained.
Actress Amber Heard testifies during her trial with ex-partner Johnny Depp in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia, on May 4, 2022. Elizabeth Frantz / POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Harris, who endured three years of domestic violence herself and has been an advocate for survivors for more than 15 years, called the social media response "very insulting to victims."
"It's a slap in the face to the victims and the survivors," he said.
Memes at Heard's expense have become a trend on TikTok.
[Judge upholds Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction for recruiting girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein]
An audio clip of Heard describing an alleged incident of abuse has been synced by users nearly 5,000 times.
In the clip, Heard says: "She was coming out of the bedroom and she slapped me in the face. I turned to look at her and said, 'Johnny, you hit me.'
In one of these TikToks, a ginger cat in a blonde wig recreates Heard's testimony.
As the testimony plays, a small plastic hand simulates slapping the cat across the face.
The video, posted by user @heyitsgingerandpepper, was viewed more than 13.5 million times, according to Rolling Stone.
It was later removed by TikTok, according to the user.
He made no further comment.
The social network declined to comment on the removal of this content.
Others have latched onto conspiracies, trying to refute Heard's testimony by picking apart her words, body language and demeanor on the stand.
On YouTube, creators have abandoned their usual content to create content about the trial, racking up millions of views.
"No matter how many times on Twitter and TikTok I hit 'not interested' in this kind of content, it still shows up at the top of my page," said Carey, 25, who asked our sister network NBC News to identify her. only by her first name for fear that she might be harassed by Depp fans.
[Man Accused of Murdering His Wife Wins Indiana Republican Primary from Jail]
Carey has followed the legal matters between Depp and Heard since Depp filed a libel suit against The Sun newspaper in the UK in 2020. The newspaper had called Depp a "wife beater" in response to allegations Heard made.
In November 2020, a judge ruled in favor of The Sun.
While the social media vitriol was bad then, it's even worse now.
"Regardless of what you think about the case, I don't understand the desire to make fun of it," he
opined.
"Regardless of what you think about it, domestic violence is not fun," she recalled.
Experts fear real-world consequences
As more and more content mocking Heard's testimony floods social media, experts fear it could negatively affect victims of domestic abuse and potentially influence them to remain silent.
[The last attempt of the leader of La Luz del Mundo to avoid his trial for sexual abuse fails]
Nearly 70% of domestic violence cases are never reported to authorities, according to the authors of the 2020 book
Making Sense of a Global Pandemic: Relationship Violence & Working Together Towards a Violence Free Society
. : Violence in relationships and working together towards a society free of violence).
“I thought I was living in another world,” Glenn said of viewing social media content surrounding the case.
"I've never seen anything like it," he said.
Johnny Depp Reacts to Amber Heard's Horrific Rape Accusations
May 6, 202203:35
Family law and TikToker attorney Limor Mojdehiazad echoed Glenn's concerns, adding that she fears victims may be internalizing the massive humiliation and shame triggered by Heard's accusations.
[An appeals court stays the execution of Melissa Lucio in Texas to examine new evidence in the case]
Mojdehiazad has been covering the case on TikTok as the trial unfolds.
As someone who works closely with domestic violence survivors in his practice, Mojdehiazad said he wanted to help his more than 447,000 followers understand the nuances of every twist in the defamation case.
On Tuesday, she posted what she describes as a public service announcement to her supporters, asking them to remember that, while having fun with the content they're creating around the trial,
"it's not fun to recreate audio of alleged DV testimony [ domestic violence]”
.
"I think there's a lot of insensitivity and judgment around what domestic violence is... it takes away from the fact that we're talking about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and whether or not they're telling the truth," Mojdehiazad said.
“The landscape is that there are victims of domestic violence who also see this content,” she recalled.
Some are already afraid to talk about this topic.
When contacted for this report, two domestic violence survivors declined to be identified by NBC News or share details about their experiences, citing one issue: fear of being harassed by Depp fans for speaking out against him.
Mojdehiazad hopes that people who see the case will eventually realize that the Depp-Heard trial is proof of the many problems suffered by victims of domestic violence.
Even two wealthy and privileged celebrities like Depp and Heard can become victims of abuse, and a situation like theirs can also be difficult to avoid, Mojdehiazad said.
“If the whole world would stop making fun of testimony,” he said, “I think we need to put an end to that so we can learn these valuable lessons.”
If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE (7233), or go to www.thehotline.org for more information. States also often have domestic violence hotlines.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 800-656-4673. This line, run by the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in touch with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN's online chat service at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.
