OJ Simpson

[youtalkfunny]

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Most legal experts...agreed that the prosecution did one of the worst jobs in history when presenting the case. A lot of people dont realize that most of the jurors did not see the mountain of evidence everyone else saw...

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My favorite part of Bugliosi's book: his lamenting that the prosecution never mentioned the interview OJ had with detectives the day after the murders. The former prosecutor wrote, "Give me a yellow pad and 100 hours, and I could've got a conviction based this (evidence) alone."

The main gist of the book was the utter incompetence of the DA's office in this case. The section on Ito's incomprehensible rulings was great, too.

I think I've got to find a copy of this book, and read it again. It's really good.

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My class took the position that the only reason that he was even put up on charges is because he's black. I took the stance that one of the main reasons that he got off was in fact BECAUSE he was black.

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I think the issue was more about him being famous. If he was a black bus driver he would be in prison right now.

[TTChamp]

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why is this even still a topic of discussion?

I guess people still discuss who killed JFK, but honestly - who cares at this point?



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A lot of people write off the OJ trial as pop culture trivia, but IMO when viwed in connection with Rodney King and the LA Riots, it is the most significant black/white race issue of my lifetime . It might actually be even more significant than the riots themselves.

First off, it is obvious that he did it. Even if you are one of the few people who thinks that he didn't do it, it doesn't really matter because the significance of the OJ trial is that the vast majority think that he got away with murder. Further, they feel that his defense was sucessful primarily because he was black. The true significance of the OJ trial has little to do with evidence at this point.

The reason that the OJ trial is so infrequently discussed is that it is a very uncomfortable topic of discussion in mixed racial company or among casual aqunatances. Most white people are afraid to say anything negative about some one black because being a "racist" is one of the most ignoble labels there is if you are white.

The OJ trial is the most extreme afirmative act, and many white people resent affrimative action. They resent that black people are allowed to use racial slurs, they are allowed to get into college with lower qualificaions, they get preferential treatment from government employers. Where does the special treatment stop? OJ showed that affirmitive action can even get you a free pass on murder.

The organized and televised post verdict celebrations by some black people showed that they embraced the victory of affirmative action over justice.

I personally will never forget the sequence of events following the announcement of the verdict. It went OJ in the courtroom, Goldmans crying, group of white people in LA looking pissed, black people outside the court house jumping up and down, and an auditorium of students at Howard University going nuts like they just won the National Championship.

That auditorium of students at Howard still pisses me off. They are supposed to be the educated leaders in the black community and they were celebrating because OJ got away with murder. Was setting a murderer free really a good solution for Mark Furman's racism?

I think that your attitude about the OJ trail is most likely a result of your age. If you ask many people in their late twenties/early thirties about OJ in mixed racial company you will get a very uncomfortable reactions and I doubt that anyone will commit strongly to a postition. This isn't because no one cares, it is because it has become socially unacceptable to take a stand against special treatment for minorities.

To answer your question: the OJ trial was the pinacle of institutionalized affrimative action. A signaficant amount of hostility that white people have towards black people is a result of resentment over affirmative action. Hence the significance of the OJ trial.

[TTChamp]

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My class took the position that the only reason that he was even put up on charges is because he's black. I took the stance that one of the main reasons that he got off was in fact BECAUSE he was black. For this I was essentially branded a racist and spent a lot of time trying to talk my way out of some hairy conversations.


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I still feel like that day and the following weeks had a drastic affect on my view of the world.

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I feel the same way.

Good post by the way, I think that I am about to get called a racist too.

[smoore]

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My class took the position that the only reason that he was even put up on charges is because he's black. I took the stance that one of the main reasons that he got off was in fact BECAUSE he was black.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think the issue was more about him being famous. If he was a black bus driver he would be in prison right now.

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Famous black guy, his white whore and some LBC waiter.

The whore and the waiter don't matter, only fame does. The real question is, "Did they deserve it?"

People get killed all the time, I'm disgusted that some murders are more important than others (barring political assasination, etc.). Why are those two more important than the person that's getting killed right down the street from someone reading this RIGHT NOW?

[censored] that case, a complete waste of time.

[MCS]

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I think the issue was more about him being famous. If he was a black bus driver he would be in prison right now.

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Chris Rock made this exact observation about fame/bus-driving (with slightly different words) in Bring the Pain.

Don't be a biter. Give credit where it's due.

[MCS]

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I think that I am about to get called a racist too.

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Why would you think that?

I never worry about being called a racist. Maybe if you DO worry about it, then you should do some careful examination of your beliefs/ideas to see why this would be a concern of yours. Not saying I think you're a closet KKK member or anything, but maybe subconsciously you're uncomfortable with something in your head, or maybe you have some instinct that you're not 100% okay with.

Just something to consider.

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[ QUOTE ]
why is this even still a topic of discussion?

I guess people still discuss who killed JFK, but honestly - who cares at this point?



[/ QUOTE ]


A lot of people write off the OJ trial as pop culture trivia, but IMO when viwed in connection with Rodney King and the LA Riots, it is the most significant black/white race issue of my lifetime . It might actually be even more significant than the riots themselves.

First off, it is obvious that he did it. Even if you are one of the few people who thinks that he didn't do it, it doesn't really matter because the significance of the OJ trial is that the vast majority think that he got away with murder. Further, they feel that his defense was sucessful primarily because he was black. The true significance of the OJ trial has little to do with evidence at this point.

The reason that the OJ trial is so infrequently discussed is that it is a very uncomfortable topic of discussion in mixed racial company or among casual aqunatances. Most white people are afraid to say anything negative about some one black because being a "racist" is one of the most ignoble labels there is if you are white.

The OJ trial is the most extreme afirmative act, and many white people resent affrimative action. They resent that black people are allowed to use racial slurs, they are allowed to get into college with lower qualificaions, they get preferential treatment from government employers. Where does the special treatment stop? OJ showed that affirmitive action can even get you a free pass on murder.

The organized and televised post verdict celebrations by some black people showed that they embraced the victory of affirmative action over justice.

I personally will never forget the sequence of events following the announcement of the verdict. It went OJ in the courtroom, Goldmans crying, group of white people in LA looking pissed, black people outside the court house jumping up and down, and an auditorium of students at Howard University going nuts like they just won the National Championship.

That auditorium of students at Howard still pisses me off. They are supposed to be the educated leaders in the black community and they were celebrating because OJ got away with murder. Was setting a murderer free really a good solution for Mark Furman's racism?

I think that your attitude about the OJ trail is most likely a result of your age. If you ask many people in their late twenties/early thirties about OJ in mixed racial company you will get a very uncomfortable reactions and I doubt that anyone will commit strongly to a postition. This isn't because no one cares, it is because it has become socially unacceptable to take a stand against special treatment for minorities.

To answer your question: the OJ trial was the pinacle of institutionalized affrimative action. A signaficant amount of hostility that white people have towards black people is a result of resentment over affirmative action. Hence the significance of the OJ trial.

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vnh

[TTChamp]

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Quote:
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I think that I am about to get called a racist too.


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Why would you think that?

I never worry about being called a racist. Maybe if you DO worry about it, then you should do some careful examination of your beliefs/ideas to see why this would be a concern of yours. Not saying I think you're a closet KKK member or anything, but maybe subconsciously you're uncomfortable with something in your head, or maybe you have some instinct that you're not 100% okay with.

Just something to consider.

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I made that comment in reference to my long post blasting affirmative action and the televised reactions of some black people to the verdict.

Don't you agree that white people are almost instantly labeled racists if they say anything in a racial context? It seems like black people can make negative racial comments and get away with it. One of the best examples I can think of if Sterling Sharp (former NFL tight end and current NFL commentator). He said that he wasn't intimidated by white defense players because they are not as fast. Not only did he get away with this, but he has a career as a profesional commentator. Could a white person get away with a similar comment and still make it on TV? I seriously doubt it.

I thinhk that everyone is a racist to some degree or another. When you see some one you get a first impression of who they are based on your observation of them (race, clothes, age, hair style, etc). For example, if you look at a white guy and a black guy, who would you think is more likely to play hockey? Who is more likely to go to Howard? Who is more likely to think OJ was innocent?

The answer to these questions is based solely on the individuals race, but I would not call some one who articulates these ideas a racist. IMO, what makes you a racist is if you limit an individuals opportunities based on your preconceived notions about their race.

In this connection, I don't think Sterling Sharp's remark were racist because he is probobly right (in general) about the speed of white defensive players in the NFL. But do you think a guy like Dan Marino could get away with making an analogous observation about why there are more white kickers or quarterbacks? My guess is that he would be run off the network and never be able to work again.

[Miggo]

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[ QUOTE ]
Quote:
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I think that I am about to get called a racist too.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Why would you think that?

I never worry about being called a racist. Maybe if you DO worry about it, then you should do some careful examination of your beliefs/ideas to see why this would be a concern of yours. Not saying I think you're a closet KKK member or anything, but maybe subconsciously you're uncomfortable with something in your head, or maybe you have some instinct that you're not 100% okay with.

Just something to consider.

[/ QUOTE ]


I made that comment in reference to my long post blasting affirmative action and the televised reactions of some black people to the verdict.

Don't you agree that white people are almost instantly labeled racists if they say anything in a racial context? It seems like black people can make negative racial comments and get away with it. One of the best examples I can think of if Sterling Sharp (former NFL tight end and current NFL commentator). He said that he wasn't intimidated by white defense players because they are not as fast. Not only did he get away with this, but he has a career as a profesional commentator. Could a white person get away with a similar comment and still make it on TV? I seriously doubt it.

I thinhk that everyone is a racist to some degree or another. When you see some one you get a first impression of who they are based on your observation of them (race, clothes, age, hair style, etc). For example, if you look at a white guy and a black guy, who would you think is more likely to play hockey? Who is more likely to go to Howard? Who is more likely to think OJ was innocent?

The answer to these questions is based solely on the individuals race, but I would not call some one who articulates these ideas a racist. IMO, what makes you a racist is if you limit an individuals opportunities based on your preconceived notions about their race.

In this connection, I don't think Sterling Sharp's remark were racist because he is probobly right (in general) about the speed of white defensive players in the NFL. But do you think a guy like Dan Marino could get away with making an analogous observation about why there are more white kickers or quarterbacks? My guess is that he would be run off the network and never be able to work again.

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Sterling was a wide receiver, I think Shannon was a tight end.

There was just a coach or athletic director of a college that made a comment about needing to draft more Afro-American athletes because their team was lacking speed. He got so much crap for that, he's had to apologize for that.

Put me down for one as not believing that verdict either. I was sitting in an Arby's drive thru and I remember the car behind me beeping the horn to move because I was just sitting there stunned. I think OJ's blood being where it was and the DNA explanation of it was too confusing for the juror's. I don't know what trial they were watching.

That scene of Howard? University students jumping up and down celebrating still makes me sick to my stomach.