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2017-04-11
Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Reasons We Blame Victims Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Reasons We Blame Victims
Jason B. Whiting
Brigham Young University - Provo
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Whiting, Jason B., "Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Reasons We Blame Victims" (2017).
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Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Reasons We Blame
Victims
4/11/2017
In May of 2016, actress Amber Heard accused her husband Johnny Depp of hitting her
with a phone and assaulting her. She posted pictures of injuries to her face and filed for
divorce. This ignited an ongoing debate between Heard and Depp, which has continued
with personal accusations and bitterness. When the story appeared, outsiders chose
sides and complete strangers weighed in online with certainty about what happened
and who was at fault. Some comments blamed him: “I believe her. He's the idiot that
didn't do a prenup. Get that money girl.” Even more attacked her: “She's lying! The
police didn't even find any evidence that Johnny Depp hit her. I wouldn't blame him if he
really did kick her butt, because she deserves it!” And, “I can see her flapping that
mouth of her's [sic] cursing at him, telling him ‘hit me, hit me, I'll bury you in the public
eye’. . . How trashy of you, Amber, especially after his mum just died.”
By GabboT-Black Mass 11, CC BY-SA 2.0
It is impossible, of course, to know what exactly happened in this messy debacle, but as
a researcher of domestic violence I was interested in the finger pointing and
accusations. When a case of violence comes to light, a curious thing happens. There is
outrage, but it is often directed at all parties, including the victim. In the Johnny Depp
and Amber Heard case, it is not clear who is at fault or what happened, but in Heard’s
accusations, she claims to be the victim. Nevertheless, in a study I did with colleagues,
we examined the public’s reactions to this claim and found that four times as many
people attacked her rather than him. Our purpose was not to determine the accuracy of
Heard’s allegations or decide if she was a victim or a perpetrator. We simply wanted to
analyze the social media comments that followed her claims.
In the months after the story broke, we gathered and analyzed hundreds of posts from
Facebook and comments on news sites. People were often judgmental, sarcastic, and
angry with both Depp and Heard, as well as their fellow commenters. Over 37% of the
posts specifically blamed or attacked Heard, with people questioning her story,
credibility, and character. Only 9% of the comments blamed Depp. People cited
evidence and made their cases for and against each, while others made comments
about domestic violence or got into arguments. Although the details of this situation are
clearly debatable, strong reactions often happen in situations where someone has been
injured. Even in other cases where it is more obvious someone has been victimized,
many criticize the one being hurt. Why? Here are four reasons we blame victims.
1. We like Certainty
It is upsetting to hear about people hurting each other, and explaining it helps us feel
better. Creating a simple reason is easy, but most cases of domestic violence are
messy. Outsiders hear a few details, and assume they know how best to solve the
problem. Sometimes this includes expecting the victim to fix it. For instance, it is
common to tell victims to leave abusers, but this can be excruciatingly difficult, and if it
doesn’t happen, a friend or professional who “knows best” can become frustrated. Being
certain feels good, but it may be wrong and hurtful.
2. We Like Fairness
Little kids complain that things aren’t fair, and adults want the world to be fair as well.
Unfortunately, this desire for people to “get what they deserve” can get misinterpreted
when someone is suffering. Outsiders sometimes make the mistake called the “just
world fallacy,” believing that victims must have caused their own woes. Researchers
have found that observers create reasons for other’s misfortunes even if there is no
evidence for them. In one study, people watched a woman solving problems and
receiving electric shocks when she made a mistake. Afterwards, they criticized her
appearance and personality and said she deserved the shocks. This unfortunate
tendency also occurs when rape victims get blamed for dressing provocatively or for
drinking.
3. We Like Safety
I worked with a client who was molested by an 8th grade teacher, and when she
reported it she was ignored at first, and then publicly shamed by angry students and
parents who rallied to the instructor’s cause. It was easier to attack a powerless girl than
it was to accept that a beloved teacher was also a predator. In our study, many of the
harsh attacks on Amber Heard were from women. This may have been to protect their
own sense of safety. In other words, it was too scary to believe that if it could happen to
her, then it could happen to anyone, so she must have done something to cause it.
What we can’t control, we can’t prevent, and we all want safety.
Being certain feels good, but it may be wrong and hurtful
4. We Don’t Want to Hate Someone We Like
Similarly, people are reluctant to think badly of someone they already like. This is a type
of denial, where it is easier to blame the victim than accept that nice people can also do
awful things. For example, in the Johnny Depp accusations, someone posted: “Not once
was he characterized as a bad person. Now all of a sudden she’s making him look like
an abuser?” Comments like these suggest that since Depp is a beloved movie star he is
not capable of hurting his wife. However, most violence is not perpetrated by
psychopaths, but otherwise normal people, who have a mix of good and bad traits. We
assume that we know someone from their friendly public face, and it is hard to adjust
these impressions and accept that likable people can do hurtful things.
Of course, bad things do happen to those who don’t cause it. Even if a “reason” exists
for victimization, no one deserves to be hurt. Most violent relationships are complicated,
and it is rarely helpful to rush to judgment, which usually makes things worse. It is better
to hold abusers responsible for their choices than blame someone for being a victim.
This will help us move towards the safe world we all want.
This blog was originally posted on Psychology Today.
References
Whiting, J. B., Dansby, R. A.., Cravens, J. D., & Banford-Witting, A. (2017). Blaming victims of intimate
partner violence: A content analysis of online social media comments. Manuscript submitted for
publication.
