O.J. Simpson: Power, Sex, and Celebrity
The Hard Core Reality of Race in American Society!
Upon his death on April 11th, Orenthal James Simpson (better known as OJ Simpson to the public), became the immediate subject of intense commentary by people from all walks of life. For many people, this was not that much of a surprise. After all, the once former Heisman trophy winner, NFL great and at one time, all around likable (for some lovable) Simpson, who departed this earth at age 76.
Slimmer, gray haired and notably aged, in his later years, he was hardly viewed as the same potential danger or menace to society that he was believed to be decades earlier. During the mid-1990s, he became a polarizing figure. Indeed, Simpson seemed to be in a racial twilight zone. Over the past three decades, the nation was captivated by the Simpson case. The initial 1994 trial spawned numerous books, television programs, and a network, Court TV. Many law school professors discuss the trial on a routine basis and the event has become a permanent fixture in the pop culture fabric of our nation. Just a few years ago, ESPN’S OJ MADE IN AMERICA and FX’s Emmy award winning miniseries THE PEOPLE vs. OJ SIMPSON demonstrated society’s fascination with both Simpson and the Simpson trial. For many people over 45 years old, the trial is still deeply etched in their memories.
