Apologies to the communist-scripted behaviors of MLK and Rosa Parks, but I can argue that no one person had a more profound impact on race relations in this country than OJ Simpson.
When Simpson won the Heisman at USC in 1968, race relations in the US were at a tipping point. The Civil Rights movement dominated the news. Johnson (the most destructive president of all time - before Obama and the current babbling potato) was in charge. The "fair housing act" went into effect. King had been assassinated (don't get me started on that) that same year. The country was just five years removed from the stand in the schoolhouse door.
OJ was charismatic. Likeable. Affable. Good looking He didn't get involved in the issues. He was well spoken, friendly, and a singular talent, perhaps the best college athlete ever to that point.
His non-confrontational personality and his tremendous talent on the field made him an instant star, even though he was drafted and played for a bad Bills team. He went out, did his job - as well as anyone had before him.
Because he stayed out of the whole controversy that was going on, because he was always charming, he started to get endorsement deals that were previously unavailable to black players or celebrities.
Simply put? His good looks and charismatic personality transcended all the negativity. He made it okay for white folks to like black guys - particularly white women. His popularity was a healing force at a time when the two sides were very far apart.
He was never much loved by blacks, who saw him as "too white" but his appeal among the whites really helped close the gap. The world was open to him. Acting, announcing, endorsements. He could have been or done anything.
Fast forward to the day he murdered his ex-wife and a waiter who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Over time race relations had degraded. You can't force something that isn't natural. Watts Riots, Rodney King, Gangsta Rap, etc. spawned out of the growing divide. Distrust had swelled, particularly between police and the black community.
When he murdered those people and then the jury acquitted him simply because he was black? It was a betrayal. All the people who'd supported him, backed him, saw him as a bridge between the races? His callous murderous rage and the jury's disregard of the evidence (and also his later confessions) drove the wedge between the races even deeper. It has not recovered, honestly. In the words of an older man I know "well, he proved that no matter how they act, there's always that part that's gonna come out."
OJ moved us forward and then set us right back.
We're at another tipping point now, thanks to one of the biggest racists in history, BH Obama. There's no OJ in sight.
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