O. J.: Made in America (2016)

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O.J. Made in America (2016)

O.J.: Made in America is a 2016 American documentary, created and directed by Ezra Edelman for ESPN Films and 30 for 30 series. It was released as a five-part miniseries in theatrical format. The documentary discusses race and fame through O's life. J. Simpson, from his burgeoning football career at the University of Southern California, to his fame and prominence in American culture, to his conviction for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson to Ronald Lyle Goldman, and his eventual acquittement, and how he was arrested and jailed for the Las Vegas robbery 13 years later. [1]

Black Racism in the Movie

Ezra Edelman's 7 1/2-hour documentary O.J.: Made In America was attempting an almost convulsive reckoning with every open or tenuously bound wound the case touched and still touches: racism and sexism, certainly. Class distinctions, especially where they intersect with race. Domestic violence and police brutality as two of our most stubborn examples of a sometimes fatally broken criminal justice system. Extreme wealth and extraordinary celebrity as weapons of distortion and defense.

Edelman draws the connection between the tale of O.J. Simpson and the history that was all around him—what that's Made In America means. There are lines linking his situation with Rodney King, clearly, but also with other incidents of abuse against black people in Los Angeles, not to mention the migration of black people to Los Angeles in the '40s and '50s. [2]

It's clear that many white people see Simpson as nothing more than a prop. He may be used to break into black audiences. And he was "safe", and you might teach him not to use slang, and he was never vocal about inequality. This kind of feeling towards O.J. and how he could be exploited by someone who ultimately didn't care for him was aptly summed up by Fred Levinson, the spot’s director, explaining why Simpson was a fantastic pick for a Hertz commercial: "He's an African, but he's a good looking guy. He's almost got white features. It wasn't the usual black look, the African look." [3]

The conventional narrative of race and Simpson's conviction for the murder of his second wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her associate Ronald Goldman, is that the case showed a gap between black and white Americans. The movie saw the trial as a case of a predominantly white, biased police force seeking to put down a famous black man—or at least was able to root for Simpson to see the Los Angeles Police Department go down to an ignominious loss. O.J.: Made In America implies something less basic and less impressive. White people were so invested in Simpson, that he felt that when it all resulted in murder and tragedy, they still saw themselves as being deceived and victimized.

The majority-black jury may have cleared Simpson of the murders of Brown Simpson and Goldman, persuaded by the prosecution team's claims that Simpson was a victim of racism. But the tactic that spared Simpson from a guilty conviction also acted as his punishment: Simpson was released by the conclusion of the appeal, but he also described his race in a manner that he had sought to outrun his whole life. "All of a sudden, the system forced me to look at things racially," said Simpson during the jury selection. At the close of the proceedings, he was no longer O.J., the only survivor of a separate and transcendental category. He was a black man. [4]

Reference

  1. O.J.: Made in America. Wikipedia. Retrieved on Feb 2, 2021.
  2. Holmes, Linda. 'O.J.: Made In America' Is About America, Not O.J.. June 9 , 2016. Npr.org. Retrieved on Feb 2, 2021
  3. Nadkarni, Rohan. Racial tensions evident as O.J.: Made in America premiere details his rise. June 11, 2016. si.com. Retrieved on Feb 2, 2021
  4. Rosenberg, Alyssa. Opinion: How O.J. Simpson killed white people’s ideas about America. June 14, 2016. washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on Feb 2, 2021