Our “OJ”, White America’s Bitter “Juice”...
Almost everyone knows about “OJ” and the Trial of the Century by now and that includes anyone who still “lives UNDER A ROCK” somewhere out there… So, here I am time-strapped but writing about OJ a/k/a The Juice (particularly by Football fans). So, in a rush, here I go... ENJOY!
OJ with the Late and Great Johnny Cochran
ANYHOW, the OJ story has particular relevance for me (and arguably many others). But personally, it was part of my education about Americans at large. For the first time in my life I started to realize just how much the following three things matter:
Race
Money
Stardom or Celebrity status
I was a young electrical engineering student at the CCNY (i.e., City College of CUNY), and was spending time in both school and working as an attendant to mostly wealthy Whites, but I also helped some poor and middle class Latinos and Blacks occasionally.
However, when OJ was being acquitted I recalled going from an engineering lab which had the only TV in that entire floor and saw ALL THE WHITES GROUPED TOGETHER and so were all the Blacks. It was almost surreal.
Almost every Black person (if not all of us) wanted him to be acquitted, while almost every White (if not all) wanted to see him rot in jail. OJ’s trial was the FIRST TEST that proved how RACIALLY-DIVIDED America truly was. It was so obvious that it was SICKENING.
I recalled getting to the White Patient’s house as a health attendant, and felt that the Whites felt a bit uneasy to discuss the trial further. It’s almost like they wanted to say: “THIS NIGGER KNOWS THAT HE DID IT, AND YET GOT AWAY WITH MURDER”, but kept it all inside until I left because after all I was always respectful to them and so were they. However, on that day, I felt the awkwardness and some level of silent divide.
The Black American View (During the Trial and Post-Acquittal)
Just like many Blacks voted for Obama only because he was Black, a plethora of Blacks prayed for OJ’s acquittal whether he was guilty or not. To them, he was OUR “OJ”, and in a country in which so many Blacks are wrongly arrested, incarcerated and framed, they felt that “OJ” was an “in your face” slap to White America. “YUP, I’m Black, but I’m also wealthy and famous, and yes, I will get away with it no matter how heavily involved or connected I am to the actual murder of two White Americans”…
It is analogous to how a Mother views a child who has committed a crime of moral turpitude. While everyone seems to be looking at a MONSTER, such a MOTHER is looking at HER BABY… with love and admiration for all his/her achievements along with all the memories.
Black America either saw a Black man who is being framed or a Black man who got so fed up with Whites and do something that many Blacks have thought about doing to Whites (subconsciously), but for the sake of their families and peace refrained from so effectuating. He is OUR OJ, handsome, talented and murderer or not, he is ours. Some Black women might have been angry at him for marrying a White woman, but still they didn’t want the system to lynch him because to them the system is already, needlessly, lynching the records and lives of far too many Black men.
The White American View (During the Trial and Post-Acquittal)
The White American view was rather compelling. To them, OJ was an animal who out of jealousy killed his wife. And the fact that he was Black induced the hidden post-slavery-centric hatred that many Whites still had for Blacks (in denial) to come out in an unexpected way.
Johny Cochran, the Black lawyer that freed OJ, and who had previously gone from being a California-based star prosecutor who was prosecuting Blacks like crazy until a friend told him what he was doing wrong, could not have been better prepared to FREE this particular BLACK MAN (whether he was guilty or not).
While the Blacks might have forgotten the unforgettable WHITE BRONCO chase, the Whites seem to remember it more vividly. WHY ELSE would he have been running, why else was he suicidal… HOW ABOUT those BLOODY GLOVES…
Just with those 8 simple words uttered by Mr. Cochran, the BLOODY GLOVES were transformed into worthless evidence:
“IF THE GLOVES DON’T FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT”, Mr. Cochran famously uttered. AMAZING STUFF and just like that AMERICA’S JUICE was freed and became WHITE AMERICA’S BITTER JUICE.
OJ’s Second Legal Trouble (Post Acquittal)
There, we went again...
When OJ went to get his STUFF (sports memorabilia) from those that he was told stole them from him , was armed with a gun, I highly doubt that he felt that he was doing something utterly wrong. Quite frankly at this point, even Blacks were saying the following:
“NIGGA, IS YOU STUPID?”
I mean, after winning the trial of the Century as a NEGRO who killed 2 CAUCASIANS in a racist country because you had both the MEANS and STATUS to so do, many Blacks felt that he either should stay away from the lime light or simply leave the country. HOWEVER, OJ might have been a football Phenom, but was and is perhaps still not a clever individual. Perhaps he had too many blows to the head while he was playing football, but FOR GOODNESS SAKE, even Blacks were like, WHATEVER BRUH, this time you’re on your own. Whether it’s KARMA or whether you were set up, you should have known better, many Blacks were saying secretly.
So, just like that OJ was back in JAIL again and this time or a while.
OJ’s Prospective Parole
To be honest, as STUPID as OJ might have been, I still like him. He is like that HANDSOME uncle who might piss one off once in a while, but is charming and fun at others. I recall watching his TV interviews. He was so photogenic, interesting, and to be honest easy to like.
I’m happy for “OJ”, and I have to apologize to my White friends for that as many will not understand WHY. With so many Black men being lynched by a system that has been primarily controlled by a great percentage of UNFAIR WHITES, whenever a BLACK MAN is victorious in any way, NEARLY ALL OTHER BLACK MEN are secretly victorious along. It is the same reason why so many Blacks voted for OBAMA. HECK, even Republican COLIN POWELL voted for him. It is a phenomenon that far too many Whites cannot understand. But trust me, it is not that complex, just visit principles of Psychology 101.
The OJ case told America for the first time just how way off it was when it comes to being non-divided when a revered, good-looking, and wealthy Black man when from being ADMIRED to being HATED by far too many WHITES and even more CHERISHED by Blacks even after he was acquitted. And trust me; those same Whites celebrated his incarceration after his second experience on that wrong side of the law. TRUST ME!
As the song goes: “THERE IS A BLACK MAN, WITH A BLACK DOG, LIVING IN A BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD, AIN’T THAT AMERICA FOR YOU AND ME?
I MUST SAY THAT the second most eye-opening events about America's divide must be TIED with the following:
1. Trayvon and Other Murdered Black males (effectuated by racist Whites or non-Blacks) who seemed to have gotten no justice because they system will not punish itself... i.e., the goverment will not punish cops.
2. Obama's Rise to the highest post of the land, which might have partially
3. Trump's rise to the highest post.
They are all telling America the same thing: "IS YOU STUPID, AMERICA"? (Sorry for the purposefully POOR ENGLISH)... but it's a a way of putting the same emphasis used by folks in the HOOD and I JUST LOVE WHEN THEY SAY IT. "IS YOU STUPID?" Love it!
I wish America ALL THE BEST in its quest to STOP being so overtly RACIST!
(BTW, I wrote this article under 15 minutes... I guess I am truly a WORDSMITH (smile))
I got ample feedback on this article, but the most substantial ones came from Pastor Darryl Forbes and are provided below:
"Many blacks don't even like O. J. But they were glad he was acquitted for a simple reason. For YEARS many whites were acquitted of killing blacks despite the evidence. Many black men were wrongly convicted of killing white women or were even lynched before trial. The "celebration" of O.J.s aquittal was more of Black America believing that for the FIRST TIME, white Americans knew how it felt to be betrayed by the system," Said. Pastor Forbes, a man who is known to be fair and balanced to both issues that affect Blacks and Whites.
"Even the obsession with this one unjust verdict is telling. When black America gets riled up at every public appearance of Zimmerman, we are told that the system played itself out and to "accept the verdict " and "get over it". However, with O.J. People were obsessed with Every move he made. And 20 years later, they still haven't gotten over it. But when Robert Blake was acquitted of killing his wife, the story vanished within weeks. No one cared", said Pastor Forbes
"I honesty believe the robbery was at least PARTLY a set up. Yes, he fell for it due to his own arrogance. But come on. What robber (his accomplice) carries a recording device with him when he's committing a crime?", said Pastor Forbes
Dr. Pete Lorins is the Chief Editor of LorinsPOST.com. This article was sponsored by LORINS.biz, a multi-industry consulting firm that provides the following types of services… Management of Law Firms, Medical Clinics, Businesses...Project Management, Sales, Marketing, & Leads Generation...Research & Engineering... It can be reached via www.LORINS.biz