BY MAX MCAULIFF, STAFF WRITER
Society is obsessed with celebrities. The Kardashians, the D’Amelios and Addison Rae are all celebrities who have made a career out of advertising their lives on social media. Famous actors and actresses like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are also always in the spotlight. The two were briefly married before divorcing in 2017 amidst allegations of domestic abuse. While it’s sometimes a good thing to be in the spotlight, in the current case of Depp and Heard, it is not.
Depp and Heard are in the midst of a widely publicized court battle. Johnny Depp brought a $50 million defamation suit against Amber Heard, who in a 2018 Op-Ed in the Washington Post labeled Depp a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” Heard brought a $100 million countersuit against Depp claiming he defamed her by saying her claims of abuse were false.
The trial is expected to last six weeks and has been plastered all over social media since it began last week. Everyday new clips from the trial come out on social media, and before long, the public weighs in on what they think of the trial. Howard Stern has even commented recently calling Depp a “narcissist” who is trying to “charm the pants off America” at the trial.
The obsession with the Depp v. Heard defamation case only further expands upon society’s obsession with the lives of celebrities. I give the Kardashians credit. They have built an empire on society’s obsession with famous rich people. However, a line needs to be drawn when it comes to what is being obsessed over. It’s fine to obsess over Kim Kardashian’s dating life or Rihanna’s pregnancy. But obsessing over a court trial, with accusations of abuse going both ways, is where a line needs to be drawn.
Maybe society’s obsession comes from the fact that we’re used to watching these people entertain us on-screen. This serves as another form of entertainment. Maybe media outlets, who constantly shove celebrity gossip in our faces, should be blamed. Or other celebrities like Howard Stern and Joe Rogan, whose comments on the matter only enable more people to see it.
There needs to be a difference between private life and public life for all celebrities. In this case, that line has been obliterated. People with little understanding of the situation and the case are blasting their opinions all over social media for the masses to see. Two people’s lives and careers are at stake. This is not a reality television show. Obsess over the Kardashians if you want, but leave the defamation trial between the divorced couple alone.
