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'Misogyny's greatest-hits': Monica Lewinsky slammed for calling out abusive Johnny Depp fans

'Instead of an ounce of self-reflection, you just yell everyone 'needs' to believe the woman because she's a woman,' a user tweeted

American activist and television personality, Monica Lewinsky wrote about the controversial and highly publicized defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in a Vanity Fair op-ed on May 31 and called it "courtroom porn."

"Unless you're a troglodyte, you've been exposed to something about the Depp v. Heard trial in the past few weeks. Like many, I have averted my eyes—with guilty fascination—even as I've kept track of the defamation conflagration. As we all do nowadays, we watch or we read or we media-graze about these private turned public spectacles in bits and bytes, fearing that the sheer rancor and vulgarity might leave a kind of virtual stench—or, in my case, worrying that prolonged viewing might be triggering," the 48-year-old wrote.

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"Instead, in lieu of watching coverage in real time (yes, John C. Depp, II v. Amber Laura Heard has been available on Court TV’s website and via livestream on YouTube), we have sampled mediated accounts of the trial on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook; through memes, video clips, and TikTok nuggets. Our consumption, therefore, has tended to be biased, curated, and cursory," she continued.

The former White House intern added, "There is another complicating factor at play. Because the trial has also been available live on our screens, we think, subconsciously, that we have a right to look and watch. To judge. To comment. ​And we end up with this confusing cultural crossover of watching two people (whom we are used to seeing as actors acting on a screen) in a setting—a courtroom—where we would normally expect them to be assuming their characters' roles."

"This blurring of public figures and private lives can do a number on us—as bystanders, as an audience. We end up being torn between our parasocial relationships with celebrities (we identify with them; we pretend that, gee, we actually know them) and our need to see public personalities taken down a notch or two—and taken down publicly—so as to make our wounded selves feel better in comparison," Lewinsky continued.

Referring to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, she said, "We are hooked on soma, a drug that we think is making us feel better but is actually numbing us. (Huxley, of course, wouldn’t blame us as we go about braving our new world of COVID variants, monkeypox, Ukraine, politics, and mass murders.) And courtroom porn does just the trick. I wasn't surprised that the memes about Amber Heard far outnumbered those about Johnny Depp. I wasn’t surprised that the cruel and vitriolic discourse was predominantly aimed at the woman."

"And I shouldn't have been surprised (but I was) that shortly after my search, I began to be served suggested posts on the trial. But they were less about Depp and Heard; more seemed to idolize Camille Vasquez (Depp's lawyer) for her 'performance' cross-examining Heard. (Oh, you thought we wouldn't have any girl-on-girl action in this trial? That's on Misogyny's greatest-hits album.)" Lewinsky mentioned.

"It's the larger implications for our culture that concern me the most: the ways we have stoked the flames of misogyny and, separately, the celebrity circus. We are drenched in the taint of the dirt and aggression of the social media wars. The obsessive chatter around the Depp–Heard trial is just one small example of the ever-expanding, ever-demanding search for schadenfreude and titillation. No matter whom the jury's verdict favors—be it defendant Heard or plaintiff Depp—we are guilty," she concluded.

The Op-ed has resulted in a mixed response. One user wrote, "So we are all guilty cuz we forced the world to realize that Amber Heard is a liar??? Shouldn't Monica Lewinsky of all people be very much for someone who's had their name and image wrongfully destroyed getting justice???" Another pointed out, "THIS is what is wrong with mainstream news. 'I grazed through the testimonies, through cross-examination, through summation, observing not the trial'... and you started last week? How about watch the whole trial before YOU judge."

A third fumed, "Speak for yourself b***h. We're not the ones making excuses for a lying, manipulative, false-accusing abuser. #AmberHeardlsAnAbuser #AmberTurd." A fourth noted, "Isnt it strange all these articles from the past few days have the same script? A script they received from Ambers PR team. Its so obvious. #JusticeForJohhnyDepp."

A fifth tweeted, "Actually you're all guilty for enabling an abusive woman's lies for 6 years. And instead of an ounce of self-reflection, you just yell everyone 'needs' to believe the woman because she's a woman." Another asked, "Would Monica write a piece defending JD if we heard a recording of him saying 'I was hitting you. I wasn't punching you?' JD was an addict, so he was easily taken advantage of manipulated & abused. No one talks about how vulnerable drug addicts are."

The closing arguments of the trial took place on May 27 in Fairfax, Virginia, and the jury is currently deliberating before making their decision. Depp sued Heard after the 36-year-old actress claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse in a Washington Post op-ed. The 58-year-old actor stated that her allegations ruined his reputation and career. Heard then counter-sued Depp for $100 million.

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