celebrity court cases and public opinion

 We all know about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. What you see happening on social media are the whims of the public, which means that no matter the legal end of the case, the public will cause a celebrity's life and image to change. This can be for the better or for the worst. Let's talk about that. 

Courtesy of hotlifestylenews.com

The court of public opinion is the mechanic that caused lynchings in the west. The court system sees to it that we don't lynch people on a whim and only punish someone for actual criminal activity. At this point, I predict that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard will both be perceived differently and one (if you can't guess by the lack of support on social media, Amber Heard) will likely be losing a lot - and I don't mean money or trial outcomes. Depp is correct in saying he's already lost a lot, however, his fan base has not abandoned him and he is standing on the support of fans. Amber Heard will likely be less respected from now on because she allegedly lied in court at least once.

That court case aside, public opinion can poison a jury. It can ruin reputations in the blink of an eye. Never mind if it is true; it just has to sell newspapers. Whether you admit it or not, you follow the celebrity news when it comes up on your social media. When a case is made against a famous actor you often see the news blow it up everywhere. The public believing lies is dangerous. The truth being circulated is sometimes good for one person and bad for the other. If someone is too tired to fight, we see their health dive (Paula Deen) or they just admit to something that may or may not be true. What we see here is the mob justice in a watered-down version. No matter who wins the case, one or both parties win and lose their reputation. 

Already Intrusive Without A Court Case

How often do we follow what celebrities do? More than you think. Depending on how famous one actually is, one may be famous and feel like they are living in a glass house. Depp is a huge celebrity, for example, so we see his fanbase everywhere defending him. Heard, on the other hand, only has a few people speaking out, especially after Depp has finished his testimonies. This case is complicated. Even before this case, life as a celebrity is not all fun and games.

Courtesy of L'express

Imagine you are going on a walk and someone starts snapping pictures of you without your permission, sells those pictures to a sleazy magazine, and then you find them in a tabloid article that isn't true at all.  This happens to major celebrities quite often. Some will make faces when they see people sneak photos. They make it clear they see you and play with the people taking the photos on the sly. The celebrities that keep their lives private take a tremendous effort in doing so. Intrusive? Yes. Putting this in the context of a major, circus-like court case (which I'm sure the judge presiding just hates), being a celebrity in a courtroom is even worse. Everyone is paying attention to your case. If Amber Heard is truly making up stories, like some people think she is, she will get caught and the public will know everything. If Depp has done anything bad at all the same is true. All of it is put on display. It is only a matter of time before we find out who is telling the truth and who has lied. 

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The world was watching all this drama unfold even before the case went to court. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the truth of celebrity life. You broke up with someone? Let's hope you kept it quiet. You abused someone? It will all come out at some point. When the romantic lives of people in the spotlight go wrong everyone who follows their story wants to know more than they ever should know. A media circus simply turns up the heat on the drama and waits to see what happens, documenting every interaction until it floods social media. People love watching a trainwreck. 

When The Trail Outcome Means Nothing And Everything

Using the current Depp vs Heard case as an example, I'm going to explain why the trial outcome may mean nothing and everything. Depp is right in saying the allegations will follow him for the rest of his life. Again, though, social media favors Depp, meaning Heard could win the case and still lose everything. Why? Because Depp proved abuse against him with witnesses and evidence. We don't know what the rest of the case holds at this current time. Heard just told her side of it and there has been no opposition yet unless I missed something. 

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As the case stands currently, many people think Heard is lying. If Depp's team takes her story apart piece by piece she has no legs to stand on. This is why she could lose it all. Money and trial results aside, my personal opinion is that her career is going to dip lower than she ever thought it could. Depp, on the other hand, is getting overwhelming support. Unless I missed something, Heard is in horribly deep water in the eyes of the public. Depp could win back everything (not speaking of money) or some of what he lost when she allegedly slandered him. Thus this trial could mean nothing and everything to Depp, given allegations don't just disappear from public memory. Heard could lose everything from all this exposure. 

Another aspect of this case is linked to Heard being a "spokesperson for domestic abuse". If she lied about it all she loses every ounce of credibility she ever had. Let's be real here; she's lost some of that credibility in the eyes of the public right now, let alone after this has concluded. Seriously, she won't have anything left of her career if she lied about her abuse experience. It will come back to haunt her for years. The same would go for Depp since we're looking at this objectively. If he lied about abuse or not being an abuser he'd be in the same boat. From what I've looked at in the trail updates, however, I am more inclined to say Depp is likely not lying. I guess only time will tell. Whatever the outcome, may God reveal the truth and the lies as all this unfolds.

*Please note that the trial is ongoing, so by the time I've written and scheduled this blog for posting it may not be accurate to the current state of the trial. Being accurate to the state of the trial was not what this was about.*