I
ntimate partner violence is
an issue that has long been
kept in the shadows of law
and media; it
wasn’t
until
1994
that
the
Violence
Against
Women Act was passed, and it
was discussed as only a public
health concern as late as the
‘70s. Only then did shelters for
abused women begin to open in
the United States, and laws were
passed to protect the rights of
abused women and children.
Though well-meaning, these laws
and shelters often exclude non-
heteronormative
individuals,
people who don’t fall on the two-
gender binary, as well as men who
have been abused, showing that
there is a long way for our society
to go before we fully understand
and face the issues surrounding
intimate
partner
violence.
Although
intimate
partner
violence has been a crime that has
existed probably as long as the
nuclear family and the patriarchy
itself, only recently have the well-
being for members of this type of
family been discussed in an open
atmosphere.
The immaturity that is often the
response to the issues of intimate
partner violence has been quite
apparent in the face of Amber
Heard’s allegations against her
soon-to-be ex-husband Johnny
Depp. Soon after her allegations
were announced to the public, she
was being called a whore who was
trying to steal Depp’s money as
well as ruin his reputation, with
the money that she was asking
for used as evidence. In addition,
Depp’s former partner, as well
as his daughter, came forward
to state that Depp has been, and
always will be, a kind and gentle
person,
incapable
of
hurting
anyone. The articles detailing
Vanessa Paradis and Lily-Rose
Depp’s words have been used to
besmirch
Heard’s
allegations,
as evidence that seems to state,
“If one woman in a man’s life is
abused, then all women in this
man’s life must have been abused.”
The most glaring form of
misunderstanding
is,
in
my
opinion, in the form of the
accusations of wishing to ruin
Depp and take his money that
have been thrown at Heard.
In the form of comments on
Facebook, Youtube and Twitter,
as well as in an op-ed written by
a friend of Depp’s, Heard has been
accused of being a gold digger and
a manipulator. I am not stating
that there has never been a false
accusation of domestic violence,
but statistics show that intimate
partner violence occurs at an
alarming rate. So why did we, as
a society, decide that a majority
of those who accuse others of
domestic violence are doing so out
of spite, and that in turn accusing
these people of being scheming
and devious is an appropriate
response? Specific to the Heard
and Depp case, Depp has long
been considered one of the most
prolific actors in Hollywood, as
well as a likeable — albeit strange
— personality. For my generation,
he is a huge part of our childhoods,
having played the memorable
Captain Jack Sparrow in all of
the “Pirates of the Caribbean”
movies. Amber Heard, in going
forward with her allegations, was
setting herself up to be vilified
and minimized by the media and
the American public for daring
to accuse a man with so much
respect and power. She has been
accused of trying to ruin Depp’s
reputation, but, by watching the
events that have transpired since
her accusations have come to
light, it becomes obvious that the
only person whose reputation is
being ruined is Heard’s herself.
We must ask ourselves: When
was the last time allegations of
domestic abuse really ruined
someone’s career? If ruining Depp
were Heard’s goal, wouldn’t she
be doing this all wrong?
Looking at Depp’s previous
relationships with women as a
way of claiming Heard’s deceit
is
also
problematic,
as
this
perspective fails to understand
how
different
circumstances
can affect this situation. Vanessa
Paradis, Depp’s partner for over
a decade, wrote a letter stating,
“These recent allegations being
made are outrageous.” Depp’s
first wife, Lori Anne Allison,
has apparently told friends that
Depp is incapable of hurting
anyone. I’m not doubting the
words of these women, but I do
doubt that they completely, 100
percent understood Depp and
his inclination toward violence,
in spite of being in an intimate
relationship with him. I find it
hard to believe that any person
can fully understand another
enough to say that they would
never do anything. Not only that,
but Heard is 22 years younger
than Depp and bisexual. Though
both
were
adults
when
the
relationship began, 22 years is
still a big difference, and it could
have affected the way Depp
viewed his wife. And, as a bisexual
woman, Heard was already twice
as likely to be abused as a straight
woman. Heard’s bisexuality has
already been a source of gossip
for the tabloids, some claiming
that this was the reason Depp
initially became angry with her.
I don’t wish to imply that Depp’s
former partners are liars, I only
wish to argue that there is no
way that these women completely
understood their former lover,
or his relationship with Heard,
and that their words shouldn’t be
taken as solid evidence of Depp’s
innocence.
People have been really quick to
4
Thursday, June 30, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
LARA MOEHLMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
JEREMY KAPLAN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
BRADLEY WHIPPLE
MANAGING EDITOR
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
Be safe around water
A disturbing reaction to domestic violence
ELENA
HUBBELL
vilify Heard, pointing out the fact
that when she originally called
the police to her home on May
21, they saw no evidence to file
a report. But Heard was granted
a restraining order, and recently
text messages have surfaced that
appear to corroborate Heard’s
claims that Depp abused her on
multiple occasions over a period
of time. She did everything
right, she took all of the steps
necessary, but she is still being
accused of lying. Will we ever
really know the answers to what
happened in this relationship?
Perhaps not, and as people who
have zero personal connections
to either of these actors, maybe
that’s for the best. We won’t be
the ones to decide the truth, but
we can decide how we react to
these accusations. Immediately
assuming that when someone
wealthy
and
respected
is
accused of abusing another, that
the person accusing is being
manipulative is only a show of
misunderstanding
in
regards
to intimate partner violence.
We need to change our attitude
toward intimate partner violence
— we need to begin understanding
this issue more, and rely less on
outdated stereotypes.
—Elena Hubbell can be reached
at elepearl@umich.edu.
T
his
summer,
the
abnormally
warm
weather
will
drive
thousands of Michiganders to one
of our favorite
pastimes.
Being
the
Great
Lakes
State,
swimming and water recreation
is an understandably popular
way to cool off and stay active
this summer. With more than
3,200 miles of coastline and over
11,000 inland lakes, Michigan is
a swimmer’s paradise.
The
downfall
of
this
abundance of water is the threat
of drowning and other water
emergencies.
This
summer,
more than 10 people a day will
die of drowning in the United
States, totaling more than 3,500
drowning fatalities each year.
Drowning is the leading cause
of accidental death in children
under the age of four, and all
of these deaths are completely
preventable.
Drowning is so deadly that
it
outflanks
choking,
house
fires and falls as a cause of
death. However, there is very
little in the way of preventing
drowning on a large scale. While
drowning
primarily
affects
children, anyone can be a victim
of
drowning.
Many
people
think that by simply knowing
how to swim, they can avoid
the consequences of poor water
safety. This could be no further
than the truth.
The
strange
thing
about
drowning is that not many people
know what the signs of drowning
are. Movies and TV have trained
us to think that a drowning
person will be splashing around
and yelling for help. In reality,
a drowning person may silently
slip below the surface of the
water and die within minutes.
To combat drowning as a
national epidemic, every person
who is around water must be
vigilant
and
knowledgeable
about safety. Children should
always
be
watched
around
water and should be rescued at
the first sign of trouble. People
who don’t know how to swim
should be in a coast guard-
approved lifejacket and proper
precautions should always be
taken. Swimmers should always
swim near a lifeguard, and if that
isn’t possible, someone should
be watching from outside of the
water. Additionally, alcohol and
swimming should never mix,
and children should never be left
alone near water.
I know that thousands of
University of Michigan students
will be near water this summer,
and many will be responsible for
small children as well. Being safe
around water doesn’t necessarily
involve
getting
a
lifeguard
certification or paying lots of
money to go to a well-guarded
waterpark. Water safety starts
with one responsible person
and that person can prevent a
drowning before it happens.
So this summer, please pay
attention near water. You will
play a huge role in limiting the
3,500 drownings a year and may
keep a loved one alive.
—Kevin Sweitzer can be
reached at ksweitz@umich.edu.
KEVIN
SWEITZER