KOLKATA: Reverberations of the verdict in the highly publicised defamation case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were felt in Kolkata on Thursday with the student community debating whether this could impact the #Metoo movement on university campuses.
Political science PG student and activist at Presidency University Asif Abdullah argued that though the case was sensational, very little changed as a result of the trial.
"Compared to students affected directly by the 2016 #Metoo movement, when discussing the trial, people are aware the circumstances of the case, the power equation between those involved and the gender dynamics do not reflect that of common middle-class Indian students," he said.
Jadavpur University student Ipshita Chakraborty said that while she doesn't think this case remotely spells the death of #Metoo, the implications of the trial and the unprecedented nature of the male-victim trope could push campus reactions to become more balanced instead of blind and shallow feminism. "Many of my friends are fans of Depp and supported him, but were afraid to express it publicly fearing being labelled anti-women," she said.
A former Presidency University student disagreed, saying the instant caricaturing of Heard in a trial where there is evidence of mutual abuse shows society's inclination towards patriarchy. "The way the public reaction rushed to defend Depp and vilify Heard is sad because it seems like a reversal what #Metoo fought for. The way my contemporaries excitedly spread memes about her reflect that it's convenient to believe in the archetypal figure of the hysterical, two-faced lying woman."
Talking about the social impact of the 2016 #Metoo in Kolkata universities, a former Jadavpur University student and activist said, "As flawed as #Metoo may have been, and the resultant cancel culture that sprouted around it, the movement was unprecedented. It burnt down the facade of the mythologised college 'bor-da' who, feigning charisma and a helpful demeanour to juniors, was trying to exploit and gaslight them. The biggest impact of that is new students interacting with their peers and seniors differently. I think the trial, although watched by an entire generation, cannot undo the structural societal changes the 2016 #Metoo brought to Kolkata colleges."
A Delhi-based sociologist, who had studied in a Kolkata university during the height of #Metoo, said, "#Metoo has, for a long time, become a bit of a spectacle, with college parties making memes about alleged sex offenders from the other parties. Since most of this happens on social media, people's attention span is too limited to search for nuances in the cases. During the beginning of #Metoo, social media had become a recourse platform for victims who did not have legal access. With the celebrity trial, legality is being forced into the equation. But that does not mean that people will have the patience to go through evidence and listen to both sides. Since all of this happens online, there is no place for balance."
