Dirty Laundry

 ("The Actual Malice of the Johnny Depp Trial")

This trial was about celebrity and our collective voyeurism. It had the feel of Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson fanaticism by those who could not, or would not, separate myth from reality. It was pathetic. And it damaged a movement that must fight for every inch of gain. Every day.

But mostly this story should have been buried somewhere deep in the recesses of public media, not deemed worthy of front page news. We have unrelenting catastrophes that deserve our unfettered attention. This nation's gun violence epidemic, Covid's continued hold, Ukraine's ever unfolding tragedy, should not be forced to share space with the dirty laundry of the Pirate of the Caribbean.

Is Johnny Depp's career damaged beyond repair, or will this verdict in his favor prove catalyst for his next great adventure? Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.