It looks like making stuff up about people and attempting to destroy their reputation is still a bad idea. This is the takeaway from the verdict earlier today in the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, wherein the jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages. Heard also won $2 million in damages, but all things simplified, the victory went to Depp, overall.

The trial came after Amber Heard had written a defamatory op-ed which was published by The Washington Post in 2018. If The Washington Post bemoans that “Democracy Dies in Darkness”, it might behoove them to stop bullshitting if they want anyone to take them seriously. That and change their edgelord tagline. “Democracy Dies in Darkness”? Please.

In Amber Heard’s original article, she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse. While Depp was not specified in the article itself, the implication was strongly against him, considering that Heard had previously accused Depp of domestic abuse in 2016.

One interesting point about this is that Johnny Depp accused Amber Heard of being abusive towards him. Believe it or not, women are capable of being abusive against men. And in many cases, they get away with it, due to the perception that it’s rarely the case. In the cases where the man succeeds in escaping, the woman often makes claims of abuse against the man, in an attempt to save face and get revenge (putting aside, of course, the inconsistency with the notion that the escaping party was the one that was abusive).

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Amber Heard really was abusive. I don’t know all the facts of the case, but from what I’ve seen in the livestream, Heard had a certain vibe about her that I didn’t like. Usually, the dignity and decorum of a courtroom is humbling. However, Heard had a certain vindictive air about her, easy to see in her body language and facial expressions. She very much looks like the kind of woman I’d want to escape from.

It’s a bit personal, but I was once in a short relationship with an abusive woman. Matters escalated to the point that I had to phone in a friend to help me get out of there. After I had escaped, the woman attempted to slander me to a congregation that I had attended. However, she left that church shortly afterwards, possibly because she had trouble getting anyone to believe her.

If a famous person like Johnny Depp may have been in a relationship with an abusive woman, and I’ve had an experience with one, I wonder whether this is more common among men than we know. If what Depp had to say was true, then it would seem as though fame and success are no guarantee of protection from abusive people.

It’s interesting to see that some more spurious outlets are pointing to Heard’s victory of $2 million as a “Win For Domestic Violence Victims”, as though this somehow eclipses Johnny Depp’s much greater victory. And, as though throwing a vodka bottle at someone, severing their fingertip doesn’t count as domestic violence.

The dubious journalists aside, the verdict is yet another culture war victory. Perhaps news outlets will be more careful about the veracity of the content of their op-eds. But considering that the MSM played up the Russian collusion hoax for years, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.