The Shrine

Betting pool on how long this stays in the news. I'm putting my money on "oh god please let me die".

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/09/17/oj ... index.html

I idly wonder if all the people walking around yelling "we won, we won" after the trial back in the day have had thought to regret their enthusiasm, though it was certainly understandable to a certain extent at the time. Nothing racial about it, I'm just looking at those guys in my memory now going "I bet you're sorry O.J. made a mockery of our legal system now, huh!"

What the *fuck* is wrong with O.J.? Pardon my opinions, but you'd think getting off with being a massive celebrity, slaying your wife and her probable lover and still getting paid off the book advance for your "fictional" account of their slaying would be enough to consider your life a bit charmed. Not entirely surprising that he couldn't stay off the gold course, but the smile that I saw in the newspaper today was a bit nauseating. It was totally "hur de dur hurr hurr guys look what i did again." Pardon my sarcasm here.

I don't think anyone who cheered OJ's acquittal would even remember it... people love to make asinine judgments like that and then forget them conveniently when it's no longer right.

I'll be interested to see where this goes, I'm actually more hoping this doesn't turn into more than it is and the system turns it into revenge.

Believe or not, I'm not completely convinced that OJ killed his wife, nor am I convinced that he didn't. (Hey, and I'm not black either. *shock*) The whole thing with the civil lawsuit really doesn't set well with me, because you should not win a wrongful death lawsuit when the criminal case was already found "Not Guilty". That, my friends, is a flaw in the legal system.

Not to mention that the Browns only joined in the lawsuit so that their family could get half of the money and put it towards OJ's kids. The Goldmans have been doing nothing but trying to profit off of the death of their son for over a decade.

I'm not completely convinced that he did, either - but I wouldn't bet so much as fifty cents that he didn't. "If I Did It" more or less establishes him as a complete douchebag no matter what anyway - maybe he didn't actually kill her, but attempting to profit off your dead wife's memory with an allegedly fictional memoir is just...ugh. Can't sign off on it. I'm just sad that this is gonna turn into a media frenzy just as bad as the one eleven years ago, most likely.

Court TV should pay OJ to go commit a bunch of crimes and then say he didn't do it. They're gonna have a good few months, I bet.

Well, what else does OJ have left? The lawyers sucked him dry, and he's forced to pay millions in a civil suit that he can't afford. He tries to hide as much money so that they don't go to the Goldmans, but nobody will even give him the time of day, so he can't get a job anywhere. The only thing he has left that the public cares about IS the murder.

Not to say that the idea of a book about "What If" isn't complete douchebaggery, like you said. The whole situation is like a real-life Aristocrats joke.

OJ: "Well, I'm going to make a book profiting off of my dead wife's murder."
Ron Goldman: "Fuck you! You owe us money! I'm going to steal it and profit off my dead son's murder! Nobody better at that than me!"
Hitler: "Hey, I killed millions of Jews and wrote a book called Mein Kampf!"
Osama Bin Laden: "I'm still writing my book about how I killed thousands of people in 9/11."
George Bush: "You ain't got nothing on me! I killed more soldiers than that in the Iraq War! Publishers, here I come!"
Male News Anchor: "Let's show that WTC plane crash footage one more time... EERRRrrrrr...BOOOM! Man, that never gets old!"
Female News Anchor: "Sure doesn't! Now, let's stop staring at my huge tits for a second and talk about Hurricane Katrina..."
Kayne West: "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
Daft Punk: "Kayne West doesn't care about electronica."
Funk Community: "Daft Punk doesn't care about the numerous funk bands he ripped off."
Will Smith: "..."

(Shit, I could go on, but I have to go to bed. I really want to build off of that, though.)

I'll respond on your Kan diss later, but as far as OJ goes, you know, when the first trial went on, I was jealous. I was jealous of the money, fame, the seeming lack of consequences...but even if I was morally wrong there and he didn't do it, I'm not jealous of OJ anymore.

Trust me, I have every faith I'm happier with myself than OJ is on a regular basis.

If he did both crimes, it's a pretty good confirmation that getting off of consequences is no guarantee of living the rest of your life scot-free - because the personality problems will catch up with one eventually. If he killed Nicole and whatshisface but didn't do this, he's an idiot for even getting anywhere near this kind of B.S. If he didn't kill her but *did* do this, I don't even have to talk about what kind of idiot he is. And if he didn't do anything and really is a victim or something - I feel like I'm choking on my own bullshit here for some odd reason - then he has an uncanny knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and also likes writing books about how he could have killed his wife, so I still have very, very, very little - if not nothing at all - to be jealous about.

I feel weird - like I shouldn't be trashing OJ because he *is* black, and I *am* white, and I fear some sort of racism card either in others' perceptions of me or in my actual views on the situation - but this isn't really good for anyone, I think. I wish he'd just move out of the country or something and quit making our tabloids happy.

It's just an odd spectacle is all. Did people think we'd still be discussing OJ's legal problems eleven years ago? I really wonder.

Just point out a fact: you guys do realize that OJ had to give up the money he got from being in the 2K football game ($100k I believe) as well as the book/movie monies he was supposed to get for "If I Did It" (I agree with you on that Nev) and any other endorsements he makes, right?

And whether you think he was guilty or not, the whole idea of the civil courts finding him liable after the criminal courts acquitted him needs to be looked at as a flaw. Yes, I know that the criteria for guilt are different but it really does send the wrong message as this case has completely proven

O.J. has been on the golf course an awful lot in the last ten years. That shit ain't cheap.

I'm well aware he was a famous athlete and all, but I'm pretty sure he's been living pretty okay for awhile. *I'm* struggling my ass off, so that part of it is sheer jealousy, and I'll cop to that.

Giving up $100K+ sucks for anyone, but I'm sure O.J.'s earning potential is far higher than many people's, obviously including mine as well. He was a tremendous athlete and all that and I'm aware that's quite marketable and rare - but there are a *lot* of people struggling out there who most likely get dispirited, as I do, every time I see his ass getting filmed sauntering around a golf course while I struggle and choke and accept money from home during bad months. I know maybe he didn't do it and stuff, it just bugs me that people still want to give him money for all sorts of dodgy crappy things. Who knows - maybe in the cosmic sense he's earned every penny, as very few people are his level of athlete, or fame. I'll try not to judge too much.

Previous case aside, did anyone catch that OJ pretty much confessed to this new one? His only defense is "the stuff I stole was mine" and there were no guns... I thought this guy was at least half intelligent until that book deal... now most of the country thinks he did it and this will turn into a perfect opportunity to beat him further

Judging from the interview I read, Fred Goldman's goal isn't to profit from book sales, but to make Simpson's life a living hell. And getting the book published is a good way to do that.

Nev wrote:He was a tremendous athlete and all that and I'm aware that's quite marketable and rare - but there are a *lot* of people struggling out there who most likely get dispirited, as I do, every time I see his ass getting filmed sauntering around a golf course while I struggle and choke and accept money from home during bad months.

That's the problem. He's not marketable at all. Hollywood won't accept him. He's not going to end up on a commercial. He can't be a sports reporter. Fuck, the guy got kicked out of a famous steakhouse in Louisville just because the owner didn't want to serve him.

The only thing he can do is play golf all day, because I guess they don't give a shit. I don't even know how the guy is making money.

Kupek wrote:Judging from the interview I read, Fred Goldman's goal isn't to profit from book sales, but to make Simpson's life a living hell. And getting the book published is a good way to do that.

Well, of course Fred Goldman would say that. If he said that he was trying to profit off of his son's death, that would have be "morally wrong". So, he took the PC answer.

My question is: do you believe him? Does it even matter what "good intentions" Fred has, since the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

Fred Goldman wanting Simpson's life to be hell doesn't sound like the *best* intentions I've ever heard, really. It's understandable, but it's still revenge...but I won't judge him either.

Maybe *I* shouldn't even have publicized this crap. I was just sad to consider the inevitable tabloid barrage...

Wow, 10 felony counts. His upcoming trial should be quite entertaining. Too bad there was only one Johnny Cochrane.

Honestly, one has to wonder what goes through the mind of people commit rampant acts of stupidity....

SineSwiper wrote:Well, of course Fred Goldman would say that. If he said that he was trying to profit off of his son's death, that would have be "morally wrong". So, he took the PC answer.

My question is: do you believe him? Does it even matter what "good intentions" Fred has, since the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

Yes, I do believe, him, as I don't think his intentions are particularly good. I actually find his attitude sad. He's completely unable to move on from the death of his son. His son's death now defines his life. I don't find his attitude PC at all. He's not describing the moral high ground, he's describing obsession.

Kupek wrote:

SineSwiper wrote:Well, of course Fred Goldman would say that. If he said that he was trying to profit off of his son's death, that would have be "morally wrong". So, he took the PC answer.

My question is: do you believe him? Does it even matter what "good intentions" Fred has, since the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

Yes, I do believe, him, as I don't think his intentions are particularly good. I actually find his attitude sad. He's completely unable to move on from the death of his son. His son's death now defines his life. I don't find his attitude PC at all. He's not describing the moral high ground, he's describing obsession.

I completely agree. A roommate and I were just talking about a sort of similar situation. He teaches HS and there are some other HS teachers there who despise him for what he did to one of their friends in a past relationship over a year ago... We think it is pathetic how even though he is friendly towards them and always says hi and tries to be nice, that they continue to hold this grudge. Isnt a one sided hatred pointless? It would be hard for me to be mad at someone who isnt mad at me for that long... There are so many other things to deal with in this world, for crying out loud.

I cant say i understand Fred Goldman's situation, but you would think it would be time to not forgive, but forget, and work on life again.

You know, revenge is a powerful force. I won't judge Ron Goldman's feelings - especially since a football star with millions "possibly" killed his son and got away. Not scot-free, but he did get away.

Ron Goldman probably has a powerfully developed sense of personal justice. I can't think that it's exceptionally being wonderfully used right now, but you know, it had to suck to go through what he went through.

I dunno, man. Now *I'm* feeling racial. I wonder if I'd be hating O.J. as much if he were Tom Brady or some shit...

Then again, I hate Brady enough just going and watching him be an ass to Gisele Bundchen and Bridget Moynahan. Lock him up too for being an incompetent womanizer and a father likely to damage his kid with his stupid selfishness. Equal opportunity hate in effect.

As far as O.J. goes, I don't even care if he commits crimes anymore or doesn't, but if I have to look at that "hur hur" shit-eating grin one more damn time, I might have to blow a few brain switches.

I'm actually assuming OJ did kill Ron Goldman. I'm not trying to judge whether or not Fred Goldman's desires are morally defensible. What I was trying to get at is Fred Goldman is now wasting the rest of his life. The reason I find it sad is that he'll probably never be able to give up the obsession, because he equates moving on with saying his son never mattered.

For what it's worth, I don't even remember his kid's first name, so maybe the man has a point.

Nev wrote:For what it's worth, I don't even remember his kid's first name, so maybe the man has a point.

It doesn't matter if you forget it. He'll never forgot about his son, but he can still move on.