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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion

COLUMN: Believe the victim until proven otherwise

America has the ability to be a very forgiving country, but it tends to forgive at the wrong times and in the wrong situations.

Recently, the split of former Hollywood couple Amber Heard and Johnny Depp hit the news cycle. The issue probably should have been kept private.

Heard filed for divorce from Depp back in May. Subsequently, news broke that Heard had also filed for a restraining order against her estranged partner.

Both Depp and his lawyer denied the abuse claims filed against him.

The two went so far as to suggest she was trying to get more money out of the divorce.

Heard supported her restraining order with pictures of the abuse she endured from Depp the night they separated.

That evening, she had called police, but no reports or charges were filed. Some news websites believe Heard was trying to protect Depp, despite the need to file 
charges.

Within the last week, Depp and Heard came to an agreement and released a joint statement regarding their relationship. According to ABC News, both members stated that their relationship, while passionate, was volatile.

The joint statement also addressed the rumors that Heard or Depp had released information about the other in order to gain more money. In fact, Heard announced that she would be donating her money from the divorce settlement to charities that specialize with domestic abuse.

This situation ended a lot more clearly than I had expected, considering the way the media and society reacted throughout the ordeal.

The “scandal” of the situation reminded me how Americans can sweep a serious issue under the rug depending on who is involved.

Reading through the comments on articles showed me the truly vile sides of fans. People called Heard a liar, slut and gold digger, while also claiming that Depp was a kind man who would never hurt a woman.

Depp’s former partner and daughter, Vanessa Paradis and Lily-Rose Depp, joined the scene by making their own statements in his defense as well. These accounts fueled the hate-filled comments towards Heard because fans felt even more validated in their feelings.

The part that baffles me the most is that pictures were posted of Amber’s face covered in bruises, yet people still said she was “doing it for the money” or attention.

Heard is a well-known actress, so why would she need to use Depp’s abuse as an attention grab?

However, because Depp is an even more well-known and well-loved actor, anything negative toward him feels like a personal attack to his fans.

[COLUMN: Fans condemn Johnny Depp's abused ex-wife | Austin Faulds for IDS]

While it is impossible to expect everything in a celebrity’s life to remain private, it would be nice if some aspects of their lives could remain just a part of their lives.

The restraining order did not need to become public information, but it made a great headline, so of course it became mass media fodder.

I believe that Heard was in legitimate fear of her life around her husband.

I sincerely hope, now that Depp has admitted he did strike her throughout the relationship, that people will begin to believe victims more often.

Victim blaming and the act of abuse apologizing are not only big deals in American society, but also at smaller levels, such as universities.

I believe, in order to help prevent more incidents like this from happening, we should do our best to believe the victim until proven otherwise.

In this situation, I do not agree with the term “innocent until proven guilty,” because it only makes the victim look like a liar.

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