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Before you get excited, this post isn’t really about an Afterschool Special.[1] Although those had such mature content that I think it could have been. No, this post is about a real-life saga that captivated America in the 90s, so let’s get into it.
To start, a question: Where were you when the O.J. verdict came down?
I bet many of us can remember exactly where we were. Why? Because that trial, in which O.J. Simpson faced charges of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman, completely took over the airwaves. Basketball fans will recall a box popping up in the middle of the Knicks-Rockets playoff game, showing cops pursuing a white Ford Bronco. I’m sure they’ll really recall when the two images switched places, filling their screens with the chase and reducing the game to a thumbnail. That was the beginning of what would become the case’s total domination of major network television for over a year. The story, and the trial, were about to consume us.
Or at least that’s how I remember things. Behold my after-school routine, pre-O.J.: Every day I’d come home, make a second sandwich, and kick back in front of the tube. My family didn’t have cable TV at the time, so my options were seven channels that came through pretty clearly if I adjusted the TV antenna the right way and didn’t stand too close. I wasn’t a fan of soap operas or talk shows (yet), but there was some kids’ programming, so I got by.[2]
Post-O.J., I couldn’t do that. Even if I’d wanted to check out the soaps, it wasn’t an option. The trial was on every major network, and when it wasn’t, it was replaced by news analysis shows recapping the day’s events. This went on for months and months. Now, I realize I sound petty and insensitive. Two people were murdered and families were forever impacted in horrible ways. I of course sympathized with them (even more so today), but I was still 12, and I didn’t want to hear the gruesome details and hours upon hours of testimony every single day for almost a year of my life. I’m not kidding – it was a single trial that aired every day for 9 months. Think about what kind of trial would get that amount of air time today. It’s hard to imagine!
That’s why when the trial – and saga – drew to an end, I was ready. I would not miss Ito, Kato, or the glove that wouldn’t fit. I wanted it to be over. And I bet if you remember it, there’s a decent chance you did too.
So. Back to where I was when the verdict came down. I was a freshman in high school. (My bad haircut was still around, in case anyone’s curious.) I don’t remember exactly how folks at school first learned that the verdict was in (this was pre-Smartphone, after all) or how we all knew where to go. What I do remember is that sometime shortly after lunch, the word started spreading, and we all bailed on our afternoon classes and headed to the library. I wasn’t usually one to be late or cut class, but this was an exception – I needed to see this through.
The library lobby was packed. Someone had rolled out one of those carts with TVs on top and VCRs on a middle shelf. I ended up jammed in somewhere on the skybridge leading into the library, and I couldn’t see anything except the backs of the heads of the kids in front of me. People were chattering, waiting for the verdict to be read. And then, suddenly, there was pin-drop silence. I held my breath, somewhat incredulous that there was an end in sight. Perhaps the trial’s conclusion would bring some closure to the tragedy, I thought. I was still naïve enough to believe it might also bring answers.
I did not realize at the time that I’d remember that moment as vividly as I do. Upon the foreman reading “not guilty,” most of the kids around me erupted into cheers. There was commotion – lots of it. The librarians tried to get everyone to calm down. I let the crowd carry me back across the skybridge and into the main building, finding it surreal that this epic tale had finally come to an end.
The takeaway here isn’t really about O.J. Simpson or his trial. Instead, what I find remarkable is the domination this case had over our networks and our lives. I think it says a lot about the times. True, people were invested in learning about what happened – hey, I was one of those people – but it was sensationalist, to say the least. Was every minute of it so important that, despite everything else going on at the time, it had to air constantly? I’d venture to say there were probably many other events, people, and stories that deserved at least a little more of our attention. Which begs the question: Would it happen again today? And then: Is it happening again today? Chew on that for a bit. I gotta go catch up on all those cartoons.
[1] For those who don’t know, the ABC Afterschool Special was a TV series that aired – you guessed it – after school for kids. I remember Afterschool Specials as movies that were sometimes more disturbing than educational, but I do think they were well-intended.
[2] Looking at you, Tiny Toons.