In the short span of a week the case against O.J. Simpson went from a guy that just got into a terrible misunderstanding with a pair of sports memorabilia collectors to 11 heavy duty felony counts that could land him behind bars for life. At first glance the charges seem gross overkill even given the penchant of many prosecutors to toss a scatter gun of charges at defendants in criminal cases to make sure that one blasts through. The piling on of charges even has talking head legal experts scratching their heads at the width and scope.
But the charges have less to do with the perceived seriousness of Simpson's alleged crimes than the man that is alleged to have committed them. And they certainly have much to do with how much of the public sees him, and what it wants to see done with him. An avenging Fred Goldman probably captured best the public mood against Simpson when he delightedly said that a long stretch would be some vindication. Goldman didn't just speak for many whites, the assumption being that many have hungered to see Simpson in an orange prison jump suit from the moment he stepped out of court 12 years ago a free man. He spoke for the general public.
This time there is no racial divide. In informal polls, and anecdotal remarks, many blacks say that Simpson committed a bonehead act. Don't expect any cheers and high fives from them if he gets bail, or the charges against him are eventually reduced.
There are compelling reasons the last drop of public sympathy for Simpson has evaporated. Start with the hardened public attitude toward crime, and especially the criminal antics of celebrities. The Paris Hilton escapade in which the rich, airhead heiress, nearly skipped away from a jail sentence sent the public into a rage. That reminded one and all that if you're rich, connected, and a tabloid media darling you can play the system for all its worth and get away with it. That set off loud public bells and whistles that justice is indeed for sale to the highest bidder.
Simpson's acquittal in the criminal trial seemed to confirm that the rich, famous and powerful have the deep pockets to hire a small army of high priced, high profile attorneys, expert witnesses, and investigators that routinely twist the legal system to stall, delay, and drag out their cases, and eventually allow their well-heeled clients to weasel out of punishment. The Phil Spector murder trial is a near textbook example of that Simpson legal syndrome in play. It took ages to bring the washed up record producer to trial, and then after an agonizing and drawn out battle of motions and counter motions, legal haggling and nitpicking, it appears that Spector may get a hung jury, and a better than even chance that he'll eventually waltz out of court temporarily at least a free man.
Then there's Simpson himself. He didn't have the good sense to do what Robert Blake and Michael Jackson did after their shaky acquittals, namely lay low or leave the country. In other words keep your mug out of the public eye. In the years after his acquittal, there seemed to be an O.J sighting everywhere, at sport card collector signings, in TV interviews, scrapes with the law, his well-publicized jousts with the Goldman's over payment or lack thereof of the $33 million judgment against him in the civil suit. And, of course, his absurdly surreal effort to grab some quick cash with his supposed fictional confessional book. That pricked the festering public sore over the acquittal and was a walking red flag to the legions convinced that a double murderer still walked free.
There's also the alleged audiotape of a seemingly out of control Simpson shouting a string of bleeped out expletives in a hotel room over some items of dubious value didn't exactly paint Simpson as a victim deserving of much sympathy. Whether this is the crime of the ages, or just the misunderstanding that Simpson says it was, the fact that it happened at all, convinced even more Simpson loathers that he is reckless, self-indulgent, and capable of doing anything to get his way.
Finally there is the media. The major TV networks and newsweeklies took the tabloid's favorite obsessions: sex, drugs, violence, the antics of high profile celebrities, and eagerly applied their shock reporting to the Simpson case. In the process, they turned much of the public into gossip junkies. In the years since Simpson's acquittal, newspapers and the TV networks have force fed the public with a bloated diet of Simpson-style gossip, and rumor in celebrity or sensational criminal cases.
This has also proven to be a double-edged sword. There is a palpable resentment to this type of media puffery, and Simpson more than any other celebrity defendant continues to typify that puffery. This further fuels resentment against it and him.
Though Simpson got bail, he's still in deep trouble with a Las Vegas court and in even deeper trouble with the court of public opinion. He may already have been tried and convicted in both. That's the method to the madness in tossing the book at O.J.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics (Middle Passage Press and Hispanic Economics New York) in English and Spanish will be out in October.
Is censorship back?
helloooo?
I'm so glad I'm not the only one paying attention to the gimmick. Can anyone say
Anti-war demonstration in D.C.? Can anyone say Tom Harken Democratic cook out? Can anyone say bait and switch A.G. appointment?
We can say it, we do say it, we scream our bloody lungs out.
I saw almost no coverage of the anti-war protests in Washington. What I did see I had to hunt for.
disgraceful.
Sometimes it is necessary to take a little breather from the bush hell... usually I watch a decorating show, or read a good book, or work on a painting. Other times I take a look at the blogs I usually pass up in favor of politics.
I don't know why, I only get aggravated.
;)
The only way to get rid of OJ is deport him to Afganistan or Pakistan to capture Osama Bin Laden the number one enemy of the United States.
The government cannot capture Osama Bin Laden instead they took down Saddam but he is dead now. So they are going after OJ. I bet they will blame OJ for having something to with the 9-11 attacks. One of the highjackers allegedly was learning to fly a plane in Miami.
Is it me or Does Denise Brown look like Katherine Harris. OJ should take care of Katherine Harris.
There is only the human race.
I say that all the time, I write it here all the time.
When will we learn thaat cowtippin?
"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"--
O.J.'s as right as a swinging hammer.
Let's follow the fellow's steely wishes
And keep him for good in the Vegas slammer.
Talk about cognitive dissonance! Which do I want more, OJ incarcerated or Fox News staff disappointed? Hmmm. I guess it comes down to who is the greater evil.
But if we don't question the veracity of such things, it means the terrorists win. :)
I'll wait for a 1/2 hour summary when OJ's Vegas trial ends. The MSM is in a feeding frenzy over this non-event. I missed the media circus of OJ's Ca trial. I plan to miss the media circus of OJ's Vegas trial. When the trial ends-it might have enough for a 1/2 hr summary but don't count on it. The summary has the potential to become a bore in 2 min.
Every white person I know (1) thinks Simpson got away with murder, and (2) would like to see him do prison time and receive some noncensual backdoor lovin' from a 300-pound psychopath named Bubba.
No white person I know has "forgiven" Simpson for murdering his wife. Period. Hutchinson is right.
I want O.J. to have great lawyers.
He is innocent until found otherwise.
As should and is everybody.
What a bunch of whimps we have become.
He didn't have to go to that hotel room -- he could have just let it go and moved on with his life. With the spotlight always on you, you can't afford to make any mistakes...and he should know that by now.
Was his freedom worth whatever they had in that room? I doubt it.
Now its time to let our courts do their job once more. He has to accept this verdict just as he accepted the one that acquitted him over a decade ago.
Ultimately, no matter what the public opinion in this matter, its up to the courts to determine his fate.
Phil had a gun.
Skindoggy