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Feminist analysis of the Libel case against the Sun anyone?

(54 Posts)
Iam64 Wed 29-Jul-20 13:13:36

GNHQ suggested we post on Feminism if we want a Feminist Section.
I was disappointed this morning to see images of women supporting Johnny Depp outside the Civil Court. The same groups of Women boo'd and hissed, shouted abuse at Amber Heard.

Smileless2012 Wed 29-Jul-20 23:00:19

I haven't really been following the case but just because JD hasn't been violent in his other relationships doesn't negate the possibility that he was violent with Amber Heard.

He may not have been drinking and taking drugs at all, or to the extent he was in that relationship.

I agree that it appears the relationship was both violent and unstable, but as far as I'm aware JD has said he was never violent despite evidence to the contrary.

Oopsminty Wed 29-Jul-20 23:06:23

I think it might be a good idea for people to make themselves aware of the court case before accusing JD of being an abuser and claiming that AH is a victim.

We cannot always believe women just because they are women.

Both JD and AH appear to be unstable to say the least

However, it's dangerous to automatically believe the female in these cases in some weird, sisterhood way

Summerlove Wed 29-Jul-20 23:11:02

Smileless2012

I agree Iam. Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.

Depp taking the Sun to court in IMO is a further example of his abuse of AH.

She had no choice but to attend and he has therefore continued with his abuse by continuing to humiliate her and done so this time, with the world looking on.

Absolutely.

She has been treated very poorly

Oopsminty Wed 29-Jul-20 23:13:03

Summerlove

Smileless2012

I agree Iam. Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes.

Depp taking the Sun to court in IMO is a further example of his abuse of AH.

She had no choice but to attend and he has therefore continued with his abuse by continuing to humiliate her and done so this time, with the world looking on.

Absolutely.

She has been treated very poorly

I'm guessing you two have absolutely no idea about this case at all.

Summerlove Wed 29-Jul-20 23:18:21

oopsminty, you’d be guessing wrongly.

Lucca Thu 30-Jul-20 07:08:47

I read a couple of articles about this and came to the conclusion that I couldn’t come to a conclusion ! and would not like to be the judge in this “he said /she said he did /she did”

Grandad1943 Thu 30-Jul-20 07:29:35

I totally agree with the post made by Oopsminty @23:06 yesterday. I have not followed the case closely other than what I have seen on the news. However, these two people seemed to have lived lives dominated by drink and drugs in which abuse and violence became all part of the same scene.

The testimony that Amber Heard deliberately defecated in their bed I found utterly sickening and demonstrated that all the blame and responsibility for what happened in the relationship was not just with one side.

If Depp was so violent against her why did she not leave him much sooner than she did? She is an actress and personality in her own right and therefore could easily have cut all ties with him and gone her own way once again.

I believe this was a relationship of convenience in which both parties believed it would enhance their entertainment careers and little was to be found in regard to love and respect from the very start.

Sparkling Thu 30-Jul-20 07:37:03

Amber has a history of violence, why would I support her when Depp hasn't, not a fan of either, but why should he be labelled a wife beater if he's not, he's a lot of things, but not a wife beater. not watching the reports on it, I read enough when the case was bought. I think if I was a man with money I wouldn't marry anyone. She woukd have to pass the 'mother' test.?
Is feminism supporting a woman just because she is? It like having a quota of women in jobs to get the balance right, it should be about the right person for the job regardless of sex or race or religion. These ardent feminists give women a bad name.

Lucca Thu 30-Jul-20 08:14:24

So really this case has nothing to do with feminism!

Galaxy Thu 30-Jul-20 08:19:29

These ardent feminists who fought to make rape within marriage illegal, who established domestic violence shelters, do you mean those ardent feminists.
I have no idea about this particular case but the why didn't she leave him is used to criticise victims of domestic violence all the time. One of the many reasons (again I am not referring to this particular case) is that leaving a violent man is the most dangerous thing to do, it is when a lot of women get killed.

Grandad1943 Thu 30-Jul-20 08:33:56

I would agree that for many women leaving a violent relationship can be a difficult and dangerous action to carry out.

However, Amber Heard is a successful, wealthy and well known personality where a security presence would have been in existence even at the time of her relationship with Depp.

Therefore, personal danger to her outside of Depp's presence was in all probability well looked after at the time the relationship and certainly is now as the scenes from outside the court has demonstrated.

To say that there was difficulty and danger to Heard at any time when she decided to leave Depp is total rubbish.

Galaxy Thu 30-Jul-20 08:40:27

I am not referring to this case in particular but wealth has absolutely nothing to do with it I am afraid, I know independently wealthy women who have been unable to escape, partly due to coercive control and partly due to the threats of either suicide or murder of they leave. Wealth does not guarantee safety. Again I am not referring to this particular case, there are many ideas about domestic violence and they arent helpful.

Davidhs Thu 30-Jul-20 08:59:44

It seems to me that they are both guilty of manipulating each other, the Sun is in between selling newspapers, making the most of a nice juicy scandal and are likely to win the case.

The only winners are the lawyers, because on the balance of probability, some abuse happened to Heard, how much of the evidence is true is highly questionable.

Grandad1943 Thu 30-Jul-20 08:59:51

Galaxy, the Depp liable action is the matter under discussion in this thread not the general and wider matter of violent breakup of relationships or who you may know as "wealthy persons" in such situations.

In regard to the Depp and Heard relationship, their individual careers kept them apart in different parts of the world for many months at a time during their association.

Heard could just have not returned to him at the end of any of those periods and set up security around that.

Simple's.

Galaxy Thu 30-Jul-20 09:15:12

Thanks grandad but I will discuss whatever areas of domestic violence I wish.

Iam64 Thu 30-Jul-20 09:15:38

I haven't 'taken sides' because it's impossible to do so given the allegations, counter allegations, denials and distortions given during this case. The Judgement is where we hope to be able to reach conclusions about which parts of the evidence given are closest to the truth.
A feminist analysis doesn't simply mean 'taking the part of the woman' as some seem to believe. It's about looking at research on domestic abuse, including the way in which abusers will attempt to shift responsibility on to the woman.

Lucca Thu 30-Jul-20 09:21:53

Galaxy

Thanks grandad but I will discuss whatever areas of domestic violence I wish.

????

Galaxy Thu 30-Jul-20 09:27:58

Actually David mentioned the Sun, the role of the Sun in domestic violence cases has been very weird lately, I suppose it is as simple as selling newspapers.

Oopsminty Thu 30-Jul-20 09:31:07

Iam64

A feminist analysis doesn't simply mean 'taking the part of the woman' as some seem to believe. It's about looking at research on domestic abuse, including the way in which abusers will attempt to shift responsibility on to the woman

Very true. And in some cases the abuser is the woman and she'll shift the responsibility on the man

These 2 were clearly toxic together. He is no innocent in this and drugs and alcohol have played a part.

But listen to the audio recordings and read transcripts

To discuss domestic abuse is fine but this case is like no other. There is plenty of evidence where she is heard to be mocking Depp and admitted that she gets violent, throws things and hits him. She has been arrested for hitting a previous partner and also filmed when her friends were discussing her hitting her sister

So unless you wan to bore yourself rigid by reading the tawdry factual detail save concern for real domestic abuse victims.

Callistemon Thu 30-Jul-20 10:01:46

Davidhs

It seems to me that they are both guilty of manipulating each other, the Sun is in between selling newspapers, making the most of a nice juicy scandal and are likely to win the case.

The only winners are the lawyers, because on the balance of probability, some abuse happened to Heard, how much of the evidence is true is highly questionable.

We mustn't forget that this case is Depp -v- NGN and the Sun's executive editor Dan Wootton, not Depp -v- Heard.

Yesterday I had to look up details of an ongoing local problem before contacting a local councillor and was shocked to find the problem had made headlines in The Sun and the vicious, untrue coverage of it was astonishing. It was a biased and nasty load of lies.

Therefore, I hope that, if what The Sun said is unfounded, Depp wins his case and the Sun is kicked into the long grass.

As another poster said, The Sun's coverage of the Hillsborough disaster was disgraceful too. It should have been shut down years ago.

Tweedle24 Thu 30-Jul-20 10:15:26

I have not really followed this story but, I was intrigued by the evidence given by previous partners that JD had never been violent towards them, as though this was evidence that he would not do this.

My ex (we were together thirteen years) never ever showed any sign of violence towards me. In fact he used to get cross if he ever heard of any man hitting a woman. However, he did hit his second wife (this was witnessed by our daughter). Maybe the violence is more to do with the relationship.

I would never say that the abused woman brings it upon herself but, maybe, there are some relationships which should not be.

Smileless2012 Thu 30-Jul-20 10:18:00

They may well have each been a victim of the other's violent tempers, in which case AH was a victim of abuse by JD, and JD was a victim of abuse by AH.

There's a clear distinction IMO between someone using physical behaviour to defend/protect themselves and abusive physical behaviour.

It seems to be generally accepted that this was a mutually abusive relationship, so how can JD claim he didn't physically assault AH?

trisher Thu 30-Jul-20 10:28:08

Smileless2012 I suppose the question is do you call a man who is involved in a physically violent relationship a "wife-beater"? Which is what the Sun called Depp. Or do you admit there are faults on both side. As a true feminist analysis this is in fact the result of a combative legislative system where there has to be someone who is guilty and someone who is innocent, when in fact it is a complex matter and would be better resolved through negotiation, but whilst we have a patriarchal justice system that isn't going to happen.

Davidhs Thu 30-Jul-20 11:48:35

Scurrilous headlines is stock in trade for the media especially newspapers, lurid titillation is why most buy the papers, it is certainly is not because they want a fair unbiased view.

Mostly they stay just inside the libel laws, only occasionally being taken to court, even then the publicity has increased newspaper circulation so they win. As Harry and Meghan are finding out suing newspapers is no walk in the park

Smileless2012 Thu 30-Jul-20 12:52:46

That's a good point trisher, so if I've got this right then JD isn't denying or objecting too claims that he physically assaulted AH, he's objecting to being called a wife beater.