I heard some good news the other day-it involved America’s favorite athlete, turned wife-beater, turned double murderer, who was at it again. Fox, the proprietor of high-quality television, will no longer air a two-part interview with OJ Simpson, to promote his book (which was also yanked) titled, “If I did it, here’s how it happened.” That title pretty much says it all.
In this interview, OJ discusses how he killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman “if” he did it. No one is being killed this time, except maybe the integrity of anyone who would have watched. I’m sure the jury who found him not guilty is very proud of who the man they acquitted has become. As can be expected, this piece has come under criticism and protest, and rightfully so-which is why Fox pulled it. I’m a firm believer in freedom of speech, the exchange of ideas, and freedom of the press, but this was a distasteful, blatant abuse of all of these things.
As disgusting as this interview and piece of journalism is, it does usher in a new idea for a game. If you were going to kill some one-a loved one, friend, or family member-how would you do it? Maybe in the billiard room, with the candlestick? In Star Wars, Yoda tells Luke, “Do, or do not. There is no try.” This is very similar -someone needs to explain to OJ that he either did or didn’t kill his wife. There is no “if.” In OJ’s defense, it has been 12 years since the murders, and I know after 12 years, I tend to forget about trivial little things I did-like committing a double homicide!
All jokes aside, it is incomprehensible how he could do this. Does OJ realize he’s talking about a woman he has two kids with? Has he thought about what his kids think of the fact he wrote a single word of that book? Even if you give him the extreme benefit of the doubt, and say he didn’t kill her, his kids are still going to see him talk about how he would have killed their mother. I have to really feel for his kids on this one; apparently you can add “bad parent” to the list of Mr. Simpson’s shortcomings.
If his book and interview actually came out and became successful, it could have lead to more in this mold. Imagine Robert Blake telling us how he “would have” killed his girlfriend if he did. How about William Kennedy Smith giving a tell-all on how he would have raped that woman who accused him of rape? It shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place, but I commend Fox for pulling the interview, and Judith Reagan (OJ’s publisher) for pulling a most distasteful of books.
Olin Meyers is a senior majoring in motion pictures. He may be contacted at o.meyers@umiami.edu.