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What the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard Trial Can Tell Us About Toxic Relationships
There still exists a double standard when it comes to spousal abuse
The MeToo movement was a watershed moment several years ago. It helped to expose the horror of the entertainment industry and helped to bring down monsters such as Harvey Weinstein. We as a culture have begun to call out the horrible behavior of some people who thought they were too powerful to be touched.
However, despite all the good done and allowing women to speak up about abuse by being in power, there have been those who have used the movement to harm. False allegations are not uncommon and sadly can discourage some women from speaking out.
We as a society are trained to take a woman’s word when she accuses her partner of abuse, and often we should. However, we rarely take the same stance when a man is abused by his partner. And sadly, some women make accusations to get some sort of revenge or pay back a partner.
This situation has been illustrated on television and online over the last week. Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard had a brief marriage, which ended with accusations by Heard of abuse. She claimed Depp was an abusive drug addict and wrote an op-ed detailing such behavior.