I take it that just about everybody has heard about OJ’s book, If I Did It, that Regan Books is releasing, as well as the interviews with OJ that will be on Fox TV on November 27 & 29.
There is a lot of outrage on the news and on the Internet about the book and interview. But I have the sick feeling in my gut that too many will still tune into the shows and will still buy the book. Sort of like the rubberneckers who slow down to see the blood when there is an accident on the freeway. And thinking that saddens me and sickens me.
If you have been living in the north woods for the past week and don’t know anything about this new low in American culture, here’s a clip from a CBS News piece:
The widely-condemned O.J. Simpson book and Fox TV special, in which the
former football star speculates how he would have killed his ex-wife
and her friend, has been met with particularly loud criticism from
commentators for the Fox News Channel, which is owned by Ruper
Murdoch’s News Corporation — which also owns the Fox television network
and HarperCollins, the publisher of the new book.Mark Fuhrman, a former LAPD detective who testified during the
Simpson trial and who is now a commentator for Fox News, lashed out at
the book and TV show. "This is entertainment? Is this the lowest form
of reality TV? What kind of people would do this? I have no idea, but I
have no respect for anybody who would engage this man in anything
except maybe a knife fight."Geraldo Rivera, who covered the Simpson trial in 1994 and later joined Fox News, called the Simpson book "disgusting."
"I think he’s demonstrating that he made a fool of the jury in Los
Angeles and all of the black community across the country that
supported him," Rivera said.Bill O’Reilly, whose "The O’Reilly Factor" is the highest-rated
show on Fox News, also decried the Simpson book and special. "If every
American walked away from the O.J. garbage, it wouldn’t happen," he
said.O’Reilly made sure to point out that his show and the Fox News Channel have "nothing to do with the Simpson situation."
Meanwhile, one of the nation’s largest superstore chains, Borders
Group Inc., expects Simpson’s new book to have "strong sales," but will
donate profits to charity.
There’s more to the piece if you want to click on the link and read it all.
May I suggest that we all find something uplifting and edifying to do on November 27 & 29, something that keeps us far away from the Fox TV channel and this interview. And rather than buying a copy of OJ’s infamous book (even at a store like Borders that says profits will go to charity), may I suggest that you give the entire $25 or $30 to a charity of your choice instead. Save a tree and give to a good cause.
-rlh-
