By Larry Burriss
OJ Simpson
06/17/2019
Is this some kind of conspiracy or simply a coincidence?
Twenty-five years ago this week was the famous, or infamous, O.J. Simpson slow-speed chase. And this week the news is that Simpson announced he has opened a Twitter account, and further, he is going to “get even.”
Without a doubt, Simpson was a great football player. While perhaps less of a success as a television host or movie star, he was, nevertheless, certainly what we call a “celebrity.”
But he is, or was, famous for nothing more than being famous. Simpson was a creation of the media, and his downfall, while certainly tragic in human terms, was overplayed by that very same media.
In terms of bettering the human condition, what has Simpson done? I can think of dozens of people who have done more. Look at almost any doctor or nurse you know. They have saved more lives and eased more suffering, yet we don’t see their stories in the newspapers or on the evening news.
Look at the over-worked and generally underpaid elementary school teachers. They have more of an influence, one-on-one, than Simpson ever had. Yet we don’t see interviews with their friends and relatives extolling their virtues.
Imagine what life would be like without people to pick up your trash, without people to work third shift, without people working in nursing homes. These people have done much more to take care of other people, yet their stories never appear anywhere.
And as tragic as it was, what was the real news value of the Nicole Brown – Ron Goldman murders, except for the involvement of the media-created celebrity status of Simpson?
Yet, because this man could carry a football better than most other and as tragic as it was, what was the real news value of the Nicole Brown – Ron Goldman murders, except for the involvement of the media-created celebrity status of Simpson?
Yet, because this man could carry a football better than most other people, the media elevated him to never-ending headline status. people, the media elevated him to never-ending headline status.
So I have to ask, where is the news value in someone, anyone, simply opening a Twitter account?
I’m Larry Burriss
