Flashbacks

This past week has felt like 1994 all over again. The opposition (not very loyal) is in control of Congress, threatening stalemate. Hilary Clinton is talking health care. And most least, OJ is back in the news. There seems to be no end to this story, and is very disheartening to hear both talk radio hosts as well as cable news channels hyperfocused on OJ all over again.It started with a media blitz last week by the Goldman family. I am truly sorry that they lost their son in such a horrible, brutal, public way. However, they might not realize that they are not the only people who have lost a child to violence. Ask the families of the 403 murder victims in Philadelphia who are suffering from the same unimaginable grief that both the Goldman and Brown families have been experiencing. It is always tragic when someone you love dies, and even more so when it is a senseless death. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, there will be many more families joining this unfortunate brotherhood of misery. The fact that the Goldman's have been attempting to profit (and I am sorry, but in my opinion receiving the blood money from the civil judgement is attempting to profit from death) and have published this book proves that the want to extend their 15 minutes of fame even more.
There are numerous stages of grief that you have to go through to heal. The Goldman family seems stuck in wanting to exact some sort of revenge on the person who murdered their son. I could not imagine how difficult it must have been to go through the murder, and then the miscarriage of justice the public spectacle trial was-and waiting for justice. I can not put myself in their position, but it seems greedy to publish a book that several months ago you were publicly bashing (not to mention the fact, quite hypocritical). The 17 cents that they are making per book sold really isn't the issue, its the fact that this book is out there in the first place.By the end of last week, we were treated to another OJ perp walk. Apparently, this is another person who just doesn't know how to go away. He needs to crawl under a rock somewhere and just disappear. He isn't relevant anymore. Michael Vick would be wise to pay attention to OJ. This is what happens when you overstay your welcome in the spotlight. OJ went from being a celebrity to being notorious. Notorious is not a good thing.
Breaking into a hotel room (whether or not you were conducting a "sting operation" or not) when you are known for the involvement in the greatest media debacle of the last half century is never a good idea. Was he afraid that the LAPD were going to "plant evidence" of his involvement in this? Did he not think that he was going to get recognized? Did he not think that the people in the hotel room were not going to call the police? Hello??!! Are you that stupid? Or is it because he is an ex-athlete he thinks he can get a free pass?Well, its 1994 all over again. The major media outlets seem to be all OJ, all the time. There is so much more going on in the world, and here we are listening to this drivel. Yes, I do remember where I was during the white bronco chase. I was sitting in my living room, watching the Knicks in the playoffs. It was looking like a sweet victory and then bam! we cut to OJ and the long slow chase. It was surreal, and even all these years later, my blood is boiling being reminded I was denied the privilige of watching the end of this game and subjected to that slow speed chase. At least if it were like most of the other chases on California freeways, it would have been interesting.I think that the resurgence of OJ serves as an important reminder of the disintegration of our culture. We are being fed bread and circuses by the mass media. If we focus on OJ, we are going to ignore some of the other things that should be news-the continued disgrace that is New Orleans, the fact that there are millions of people in this the richest country in the world who are without adequate food, shelter and clothing, not to mention the health care crisis that is facing our country. If we focus on these trivial matters-like OJ-then we don't see what is really going on. Our economy is a precipitous place right now, and it can disintegrate at any moment, but we are being spoon fed news about a murderous, obviously very angry ex-athlete who doesn't understand that he is no longer relevant.
Yep, its deja vu all over again.