Birth of a Nation'hood: Gaze, Script, and Spectacle in the O.J. Simpson Case

This is required reading for anybody interested in understanding the circus around O.J. Simpson's trial, in particular for liberl whites who pretended to have felt betrayed. The essays hardly deal with questions of guilt or innocence (although I got the feeling that most authors did believe in O.J.'s guilt), but with the question of why the response was so violent and bigoted, why white liberals accepted the trial by the media, some even joining in the media lynching. Essays are somewhat uneven, but in general very good and enlightening. Particularly striking were Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw and Ishmael Reed, the former elegant and poised, the latter in cold rage. Disappointing (for me, of course) were Ann duCille with her pre-digested Marxism, and Claudia Brodsky Lacour, who spoke more of Kant than of OJ, with a Baroque and convoluted style, quite appropriate for the Enlightment but hardly for the subject at hand. A question that came to my mind was why white Liberals tend to believe that African Americans should be forever grateful when a White Liberal treats them as equal. And then, they feel betrayed when their white hands are not licked in gratitude. After all, it is not a favor. Mind you, I happen to be what is normally known as white. In summary, excellent collection, to be highly recommended to objective people trying to understand the bitterness of African Americans in today's America

This collection of essays is an accessible, thought-provoking work. If you want to get behind the unarticulated true reasons why Americans were so disturbingly fascinated by the Simpson case, the book gives you much to think about. Yes, racism, sexism, distrust of the legal system, etc. is discussed, in many instances brilliantly. I will be using many of the ideas and concepts presented in this book in the work I do with young high school students and Stanford University students grappling with racism, gender issues and homophobia here in privileged, upscale Palo Alto.