Everyone else made a career out of O.J. Simpson. Why shouldn't I?
Ready? Here's one for the ages. Whites think Simpson's guilty. Blacks don't. For those who have been out of town for the past third of a decade, a mostly black jury acquitted O.J. of murder in his criminal trial but a mostly white one found him 'liable' in the civil case.
After nearly three years of legal maneuvering and television watching, Americans have learned this truth, which has been longstanding but long hidden. Maybe this doesn't seem like much, but it is. At least for many whites.
Until the first O.J. trial rolled around, I didn't believe racial differences were that clear or strong in this country. I was a product of the 1960's civil rights era and we won that battle. Right? America was the land of opportunity for all.
I figured that all subsequent gum flapping about race relations was more heat than light. Perhaps I felt that way because much of the debate was expressed by or controlled through the largely white media. We, that is, white America, hardly ever heard the so-called "black" voice. Was there even such a voice in our proud, melting pot society?
I'd hear contrary views from some black friends, especially my occasional lunch buddy, Ron. His views, however, I took with a grain of salt because he seemed as passionate about his view as I was about mine. I was over the edge on some issues at times, so he certainly was, too, I concluded.
O.J.'s criminal trial jury got my attention. Blacks see American justice through different eyes. Black eyes. They feel that's just what the system has given them -- and more. Or less, depending on your point of view.
Where you sit determines where you stand and all that rot... Viewpoint. Perspective. Outlook. These words describe relative concepts, not absolutes. And when Americans, especially white Americans, think of justice, they see it is black and white.
Excuse the pun. But the (white) paradigm is right-wrong, guilt-innocence, and our justice system can and does objectively, fairly and scrupulously get to the correct answer 99 and 44/100 percent of the time. It's as pure as ivory snow, eh, I mean, the driven snow.
So what O.J. managed to do for our country -- murderer or martyr that he may be -- was focus race relations in very stark, real terms. And the trial circuses that he and we have endured have been well worth the price.
We Americans now must address the larger underlying issue which African-Americans have kept so quiet for so long.
If whites feel that they can't trust blacks, they've now learned that blacks have felt the same way, perhaps long before this country even began regarding 'negroes' and 'coloreds' as real people.
It's quite an eye-opener. Who'll now pick up the standard and bear this crusade? President Clinton made a feeble attempt in his State of the Union address quoting Isaiah 58:12. Did he do that to signal the first volley in the race relations war that all Americans must win, or did he raise it to help define his place in presidential history?
Of course, it's way too soon to tell. But the ultimate burden in this battle lies with you and me -- individuals -- and the manner in which we regard, respect, and interact with one another.
Are you prepared to go to war? Or will you sit it out? Do you know which course is most wise, most costly?
This issue could captivate our attention even longer that the O.J. trials did.
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 610 words.
(C) 1997