Friday, July 22, 2011

MY CASE AGAINST C.A.

Why are we still watching replays, discussing the verdict?

Back in the days of O.J. we were watching a wealthy, famous actor, former sports hero, curious about the grisly double murder..

His prosecutor, now an older-wiser Marcia Clarke, was one of our commentators on Casey Anthony. . It reminds me of how Marcia got off track with her chic outfits and overly meticulous, inept handling of the evidence. I'm figuring the bit actor, house guest Kato Kaelin, will soon be expressing his ideas about Casey.

O.J.'s nine month trial had a fascinating cast-- Nicole's sister, the Goldman family, flamboyant Johnnie Cochran, the "Nigger" word on Furman's lips, the dream team -- F. Lee Bailey, Dershowitz, Kardashian, Uelman, Scheck -- the names still ring a bell.

Nicole and Ron Goldman's bloody, violent end is still a vision in my mind, and from it, I think, grew my interest in various murder-death shows. Aren't there more of them than ever? I suspect that producers and ad agencies love them -- ratings experts prove murder-death is what audiences want to see.

Yes, I have written about this before. It's on my mind. I need to say it louder.

Murder-death is easier to watch than news about what's NOT being taken care of -- what major elements of my life are being jeopardized by a Congress that is hell-bent on stopping our president, killing all his problem-solving plans. I think it's a lynching.

Yes -- I mean LYNCHING -- as in the days when Southerners lynched "niggers." Obama is a black. Republicans don't want him running their country.

His White House, is stuck, stalled, not working. Democracy is stuck, stalled, not working. The Republican's tactic works. It stops progress on every major issue. They don't care what it costs Americans.

I don't need to list what's not happening. You know what's on the list. I think it's endangering everything in my life and yours.

Oh yes, yes sir, yes ma'am -- it's much better, easier-- it's entertaining and diverting to focus on what Casey did or didn't do and why. It gets our emotions percolating, fires up anger and passionate curiosity. Was Casey's need to get rid of the child because her mom loved the child, because "Mom loves Caylee more than she loves me?"

In O.J.'s day, we had photos of Nicole's battered face after O.J. beat her up, and the sound of an Akita dog howling, descriptions of corpses too bloody to be shown. Now we have an adorable Caylee -- visions of duct tape with a heart-sticker on it -- a darling little girl decomposing in a garbage bag

We've got great tragedy, horror -- how, did the child die? We've got the "Not Guilty" Casey -- her wardrobe, hairdo, boyfriends, the book deal, the movie -- all her celebrity doings, what will happen next in her life -- for entertainment.

I think it's out of whack, and wrong that I'm absorbed and interested and writing about this again. But I am convinced that it is significant, a statement about the state of things throughout our country.

3 comments:

Carola said...

I'm very frightened by what's happening with Congress. I'm frightened that this country is making a sharp turn to the right. I'm also frightened financially by all this Tzuris.

Linda Phillips said...

The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping and Murder happened during The Great Depression. It was the same thing. People were riveted to their radios. It took their minds off of what was happening in the world. That and all the wonderfully, lavish Busby Berkeley Art Deco decor-ed movies...all took peoples minds off of grim reality.

I was obsessed with The OJ Trial. but not with this one. For one thing, the sound and look of Nancy Grace is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me... I can not take that woman!!!!!!

I am sure you are totally correct about why we are so fascinated with these kinds of things. I used to love to watch the late Dominick Dunne's Power, Privilege, and Justice. I loved him and I loved his shows. We all seem to have a morbid fascination with these ghastly murders. Its like slowing down to see an automobile accident. We all do it.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant blog. Yes, unfortuantly people are sucked into the vortex of other peoples grief and lives, as their own lives and the country's citizens are being distroyed. We are being manipulated by Corporate Media and we need to understand and not allow ourselves to be distracted from addressing and commenting on issues that are important for our own survival. Corporations are manipulating policy, elections and public opinion to serve the bottom line. Rupert Murdock is just the tip of the iceberg of Media influence. When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Corporations to be treated the same as an individual voter it was a mistake. When our President was called a "liar' and continually challenged on everything including his place of birth, ridiculed and undermind where were the voices of reason and rational thinking? Being distracted by media, friviolous issues, irrational people is a danger to us all. Perhaps we should seek entertainment in the Theater, movies, books, performance art, but journalism and news to keep the public informed should not be for entertainment. We can not vote intelligently if we do not understand the issues and the repurcussions of those decisions about serious issues. So whether it's the Koch brothers manipulating Wisconsin or other issues, or Rupert Murdock we need to understand the ramifications of the interventions into policy and our government and the effects on our country and us the citizens. Anyway, that's my take on this situation. I applaud you Em, for this blog and I hope people are reading and paying attention. xxxxoooo H.