The story starts with "black" vs. "white"
It is not a coincidence that the two film and television works "Simpsons: Made in America" and "American Crime Story" (season 1) simultaneously used the scenes of historical events of racial conflict as the opening chapters to reproduce the Simpson case. Such a consistent perspective seems It is the same to put the coffin on this "Judgment of the Century". Compared with the TV series "American Crime Story" that quickly entered the topic and began to describe the people involved, the documentary "Simpsons: Made in America" traced this background factor farther-from the black civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s to the Los Angeles riots in 1992 The historical narrative spanning more than half a century is directly related to the history of Simpson's growth and development. Until (1994) before the murder occurred, the length of these tracing back to history and establishing contacts lasted 3 hours, which was more than one-third of the length of the film.
It can be seen that the film emphasizes: the story starts from the conflict between "black" and "white". This clue gives the Simpson incident a strong dramatic tension from beginning to end. At first, Simpson went from an ordinary child in a black neighborhood to the summit of sports and became a national icon (regardless of skin color). However, under his sunny and charming public image was buried another violent and extreme personality; the murder occurred, and the evidence was conclusive in the trial. It was impossible to add to it, but it turned into another narrative of "white police framed innocent blacks"; OJ, who never claimed to be black, finally seized racial identity as a rescue straw, and at the same time, his exemption became black in Los Angeles and even the entire United States. One of the symbols of the victory of group resistance: They want to avenge Rodney King and others who were not in humiliated in vain; after the trial, a stupid case caused the gradually degenerating idol to add 33 prisons and more people. See this as the result of justice finally being served.
Towards tragedy
Although race is not the only perspective to enter the Simpson case, the formation of this dramatic tension is not unreasonable. A survey in 1995 showed that 76% of whites believed Simpson was guilty, compared with 22% of blacks. Even in the more open and diversified America in the mid-1990s, the black and white groups were still in strong tensions. Their long-term weak position made the black people's confrontational emotions continue to backlog, and continued affirmative voices and aggressive strategies. On the one hand, there are more and more, they will not miss any opportunity to resist.
Through this film, this recent history provides us with reflection topics in all aspects: race, justice, and media. But first, we only know the fact that any "trial" in the secular sense can no longer restore the truth of the Simpson case. According to the latest survey data, 79% of whites and 41% of blacks believe Simpson is guilty. This seems to be a rational correction. Blacks’ views are moving closer to whites instead of being affected by their skin color as before. But just like the previous time, prejudging someone guilty/not guilty by itself does not connect with justice and truth. On the contrary, many precedents tell us that doing so is detrimental to justice. In fact, it is now difficult for us to ask him whether he is guilty or not, because this will hardly result in the law (a person cannot be charged twice for the same crime).
After the wave, Simpson was no longer a symbol of racial equality. Instead, the whole incident became more tragic. The conflict between black and white has not been resolved. The authority of the police and the prosecutor’s office and other judicial organs has ceased, and the professional ethics of lawyers have also disappeared. It is doubtful that the justice demands of the victims and their families were sacrificed in the incident, and even Simpson's own heroic dream was completely shattered. There is also the only fact that we can confirm. The truth may never be known.
This is probably the reason why people still feel so distressed when reviewing the incident many years later. None of the people or groups involved in this case seem to get what they want.
Is there another kind of justice
Unlike when Linda introduced the Simpson case in "Worries in the Deep of History," he was more amazed at the harsh procedural justice and the fundamental purpose of protecting human rights in the American judicial system. This documentary points to a shift in perspective, Simpson The case is by no means just a shock to the US judicial system. After all, policies and regulations can maintain their effectiveness in continuous revision and adjustment. However, norms are still separated from reality. Because they can never get rid of external or internal human factors, it is even more a social tragedy, which makes people feel the inevitable coincidence and the irretrievable error. From the perspective of racial conflict, it is the long-term improper behavior of the power organization that has led to the resistance and non-cooperation of black groups, which directly caused the ethnic rights struggle to cross the border and interfere with the judicial trial. Whether such interference is justified or not, it may be irrelevant. Letting go of a bad person or killing a good person by mistake is a reality that cannot be ignored.
This broader and deeper conflict and definition is thought-provoking. It is even possible to imagine a set of situations based on the narrative of the film: the black community supported OJ and intervened in his conviction, which was a revenge against the acquitted police who fought against Rodney King a few years ago; 10 years later, the white judge was accused of conviction. Simpson was sentenced to 33 imprisonment for armed robbery as a recovery of his exoneration (very interestingly, many key figures in this case were also present in that trial).
Then the problem we face is: Is the black revenge in 1997 and the Simpson imprisonment in 2007 (perhaps superimposed on the white revenge on blacks again), is it another sense of justice? Although they are not the result of an ideal fair limit, they did happen like this. They misappropriated the concept of the contemporary American philosopher Martha Nussbaum (she would be very angry about it). Can they be used? Is it a kind of "poetic justice"? (Note: "Poetic justice" originally refers to the appropriate inclusion of emotional factors such as sympathy into the justice judgment to make it more humanistic, but this judgment still needs to be carried out in the legal framework at least.)
Anger and repayment may be unsolvable
Also from Nussbaum’s point of view, the emotion of anger cannot be said to be completely harmful to public life. Sometimes it is still constructive. For example, righteous indignation (anger caused by impaired justice) can drive people to fight injustice. But anger always has the intention of repaying, and this nature makes the appeal of righteous indignation unable to be rationalized in public life. Punishment is aimed at the subject's wrongdoing (so the appropriate sentencing is required), and this price has nothing to do with repaying the injured party, or (more emotionally speaking) revenge/retaliation for the injured party. That is to say, once a person is angry, once thinking about paying a tooth for a tooth, it is no longer justified, because even if the actual result can be regarded as a certain kind of repayment, it must still be determined by a set of fair orders, not by the individual. Decide and deal with it, otherwise justice will face huge risks.
It is conceivable that what we need at this time is restraint and forgiveness. Nussbaum calls on those who have suffered injustice to look forward instead of struggling with what has happened, and to actively avoid the tragedy from happening again instead of seeking revenge. If it is placed in the Simpson case, blacks should not spread the long-term injustice of this ethnic group, especially when its energy penetrates into court trials that should objectively reject political opinions. But this kind of theoretical statement is actually not enough to explain the long-standing group anger that blacks have accumulated for a long time. Is it possible that long-term oppression can be endured without a fair answer? Even Nussbaum believes that when all conceivable methods are used and still no results, I am afraid that means other than non-violence must be considered. Therefore, the outbreak of anger in some form is bound to be predictable. Conversely ask, is the white man sensible enough in the whole incident? I am afraid it is not easy to draw conclusions. In power relations, the self-awareness of the oppressor is always weaker and more ambiguous than that of the oppressed. When deep-rooted prejudices are treated as common sense, in this sense, it is really like fascism against Jews. Generally, they are unaware of this fallacy, and sometimes even feel that they are victims (according to this logic, attorney Kirchran’s closing statement is not an exaggeration).
The irony about this issue is that the client OJ never embraces the black community and does not give back to the community. On the contrary, he lives "just like a white man." But things can’t be said to be so deadly. Perhaps Simpson does not have the self-awareness of a weak black identity, but he did set an example for blacks through his own efforts. More specifically, his example effect is also acceptable to whites, not Subject to prejudice and suppression as usual. Simpson's "whiteness" is not so conclusive. I think another great thing about this film is that it didn't really choose to stand on the side of the black and white race, but tried its best to provide information and opinions to make criticism possible.
A future that is no longer monolithic?
It may be fortunate now that (at least there is a voice in Europe and America) the recognition of identity is no longer monolithic. People are not constantly drawing the boundaries between black/white/yellow men, black/white/yellow women, black/white/yellow gays, black/white/yellow lesbians, etc. Rather, it recognizes the possibility of "man" and its own development, and does not forcibly bind the attributes of nature and society. In a society of multiple values, there can be many universal identities at the same time. For example, people’s attitudes towards the Simpson case are changed. If we go further and look at it from the perspective of gender differences, we will have more understanding (Simpson is a conclusive). Of domestic violence perpetrators).
Don’t forget that the more appropriate place to mention the Simpson case is that discrimination and oppression have not disappeared in recent years, and improper police violence against ethnic minorities has also continued to occur. Since 2013, the Black Lives Matter, an anti-racism coalition has been formed. BLM) initiated several protests, including the Ferguson, Missouri protest in 2014. The conflict between police and civilians was very intense and lasted for a long time. On the other hand, you can look at another American documentary, "Making a Murderer," which is one of the alternative versions that correspond to the Simpson case everywhere-interrogation techniques, determinants of physical evidence, human prejudice, the ability/financial resources and access of the parties Corresponding quality of defense, media attention... The results of the two cases have to be said to be intriguing. Steven Avery was convicted twice and is still in prison. OJ Simpson was acquitted once and convicted once, 2017 He was released on parole on October 1, 2005.
To quote the words of the lawyer Alan Dershowitz in "American Crime Story": The media and the people only think of entertainment and good shows, and these things outside the court will seep back into that court. Rather than saying that there is no ideal court, it is better to say that the court is still in society. The Simpson case within the court is related to all kinds of outside the court. If you do not want the tragedy to happen again, you still need to rely on the progress and revolution outside the court.
Reference
OJ Simpson: an eternal symbol of racial division – or has America moved on? Via The Guardian
American crime story American Crime Story Season 1 (2016)
Linda, "Worries in the Deep of History" , Life·Reading·Xinzhi Sanlian Bookstore
Mi Wei, The Cognitive Features, Social Functions of Political Emotions and Their Influence on Justice——A Comment on "Anger and Forgiveness: Hatred, Generosity, Justice" by Martha Nussbaum
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