Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Every black person I know thought he was guilty and was upset because he didn't go to jail.
First, let me say that today (2020) when we ever talk about OJ Simpson, I will agree that every black personI discuss it with agrees he was guilty.
Now, my True Story: On the day that the OJ verdict was read, I was at work, on my lunch hour, out at the shopping area near my office building. I worked in a very diverse area so, not predominantly white at all with the majority being black and Hispanic.
Finished lunch and saw that the verdict was about to be read and walked into Best Buy (or whatever the store was called at the time back then) to watch it all on the many TVs on the wall. Tons of people had the same idea. Verdict was read. There was significant cheering from some and shocked silence from others. I was honestly too stunned to turn around and look at the cheering people and count who was and wasn't cheering but the cheering I did see was from some of the blacks in the store and I think that shocked me more than the verdict itself.
So many years later, it's honestly hard to imagine that day was real and what I heard actually happened but it really did.
I don't believe anyone thought he was innocent but maybe it really was all about the "win" for the black community even if it was no the back of a criminal and I'll never know. But it has always baffled me.
What you saw were looters, what I saw were millions, upon millions, upon millions of peaceful protesters representing every race, religion and ethnicity in our country, demanding justice now.
yes, but the majority of looters in NYC were of a particular group.
Remember though that the came came to hing on the gloves fitting, and they didn't fit. So even if we believe he was guilty, many people understand that has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt or there is no conviction.
I remember when that verdict came in. I was at work, and all of us - black and white -went into the conference room to watch it on TV. If the blacks were happy about the verdict, they did a great job of hiding it. The sense that I got was that they were.... embarrassed. Of course, these were all college-educated professionals, so that might have made a difference.
While I think this thread is an excuse for race baiting. I will tell you how I feel about OJ and the current revolutionary protests. (I am black)
I was only a teen when the OJ verdict happened, and my parents are roughly OJs age so this was a celeb they identified with and followed. We spent lots of time talking about OJ and his impact.
But you have to think about this - OJ was pretty much one of the first black celebrities that "crossed over" and managed to represent white mainstream brands in a big way. He was huge! Just like Michael Jackson, everyone knew who he was.
The open question of the trial was will celebrity/wealth trump blackness or not? We all know wealthy people tend to get away with whatever they want. Let's be real (ahem Ethan Couch!!!!).
And what happened was OJ got treated like a rich person and got a lenient sentence. Instead of like a black person and getting an extra harsh sentence. That in itself felt like a new day, and a new marker in racial equality. Most people think he is guilty but wealth privilege won out that day.
And the current moment? Let's see, in the past week there have been several incidents about white people calling the police on black people in parks and gyms, whlte people murdering joggers in their neighborhood, cops screwing up and murdering people in a drug bust at the wrong house, and several black people getting killed by police officers. And this is a pattern that has happened since the founding of the country. And combine that with a pandemic. So yeah people are P.O.ed and stressed right now. Trever Noah did a great job explaining what's going on in this moment. So I'll let him talk about it.
So you are drying to oversimplify thing and act like Black people are crazy for wanting to just get the same things that are promised to American citizens day to day. And people are acting like this is an unreasonable expectation.
In my case, I was in elementary school during the whole OJ case. I was too busy being a kid to care. I didn't know Los Angeles had riots in 1992. I found that out in high school. The only reason I felt any need to take a side is because of the environment I was around.
I went to a high school that was about 85-90% White and 7-10% Black. I was also dealing with some racial tension in my school. The state of Georgia had just changed its state flag and removed the large Confederate flag from it. And I went to school with several kids who wore Confederate flag t-shirts. Let's just say racial tensions went up. And then I started finding out other stuff. A few kids started talking about OJ Simpson. Alot of Black kids thought OJ wasn't guilty. Many White kids thought he was guilty. I didn't know why this was.
Now, there are some things I am ardently against. I hate the Confederate flag. I have every reason to. But with OJ, the waters were more muddy. I felt like I had to take OJ Simpson's side because I felt like I was in a fight. Now that I'm 16 years removed from high school, I just don't care anymore. In fact, I hardly cared in high school until I was made to care. I figured "if he wasn't guilty he wasn't guilty". I didn't know how polarized kids were.
Looking back, I don't have any respect for OJ Simpson. I know the man is a criminal. However, one of the reasons I don't want to discuss Simpson is because of the kind of mentality that could come with it. Some people will use OJ Simpson as an example of "this is why White women should never date Black men". I know some people might use it as an opportunity to vent any kind of racial resentment they have, even in a covert way.
I look at it as a reason why ALL woman should not date professional football players. Some of the most indulged, pampered spoiled jerks around. Any color - women steer clear.
I would have a fit if my daughter dated any professional athlete.
Football, basketball, baseball - they are all overpaid right up there with celebrities.
Why we place so much glory on a GAME is ridiculous.
Here is my honest question. Do you think there is a way for you to figure this out without asking black people? Say you were totally unattached to the issues in another country and you moved to that country. That country has its own set of divisions and problems between groups of people. You are not part of either group so you have no favoritism or bias for either sides. How would you go about understanding the division in that nation today, assuming you cared to REALLY UNDERSTAND? Could you ever really understand without knowing the HISTORY of those people?
History explains what is happening today. You don't need to ask an "honest" question to black people. Just look at history...HONESTLY and objectively knowing that actions ALWAYS create reactions.
The “honest discussions” and asking “honest questions” are always funny.
When OJ Simpson was found not not guilty of butchering two white people, all of the black people jumped up and down to celebrate, while all of the white people stayed home in shock. But whenever a white person kills a black person, our country is burned down, and innocent white people are dragged out of their vehicles, and beaten down in the streets. So how are white people supposed to take black people seriously with all of these racial protests?
OJ Simpson is talking points for white folks when company comes over.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
