#ThePeopleVsOJSimpson

I, along with just about every one else, was mesmerized by every minute of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.  Kudos all around to the people who were involved in the making of this TV gem, with a special shout out to Jeffrey Toobin who wrote the book that the series is based on.  I'm long enough in the tooth to have watched the actual proceedings in real time.  FX did a fantastic job of bringing us down memory lane. It was called The Trial of the Century for good reason. This was an important moment in our history, unlike, say, a Gap Kids ad daring to have a white kid leaning on a black kid's head in one of the pictures, or some random white guy with "the audacity" to wear his hair in dreadlocks. No need to whip yourself into a frenzy over such trivial matters back in the mid-90's. OJ Simpson's murder trial was legitimately a Very Big Deal that brought critical issues to light for inspection by society. Polar opposite reactions to the verdict by many blacks and whites was all too real, no faux outrage required. People too young to have experienced it first hand were gifted with an impressive simulation over the course of several weeks rather than a whopping 8 months. Below are some of my thoughts stated on Twitter as the series unfolded, along with commentary from others.  Now I need a new TV show to fall in love with while waiting for more OJ Simpson documentaries.  Hopefully not another program that will be over with far too soon.  Any suggestions?

Keep your #PeoplevsOJSimpson think pieces coming, people. Those I'll actually read. I miss it so much already. https://t.co/cGGQW5ni8z— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016

I loved the People vs. OJ Simpson but the 7.5 hour OJ doc, coming this summer, is even more incendiary: https://t.co/K2Iei1y0Zl— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) April 6, 2016

#ThePeopleVsOJSimpson finale tonight. Wonder what that verdict is?! pic.twitter.com/HEOaeSTREw— Oliver Willis (@owillis) April 5, 2016

OJ shld be doing life for murder, but his Vegas case was bogus. My friend Sterling Brown right about parole. @ACSFX https://t.co/WQ1SuXUhcx— Jeffrey Toobin (@JeffreyToobin) April 6, 2016

Flavor Flav -- Do I Own the Real O.J. Statue? Yeaaaaahhh BOYYYYYYY!!! https://t.co/dWZ4Y6Yk3Q— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 6, 2016

An O.J. Juror on What The People v. O.J. Simpson Got Right and Wrong https://t.co/8MXYbRSrRv via @vulture - Very interesting read— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016

The most obscure figure in The People v OJ Simpson was the man at its center. https://t.co/8k6QuaZkxA pic.twitter.com/lTIY0hGGER— New Republic (@NewRepublic) April 7, 2016

Twitter couldn't have handled #ThePeoplevOJSimpson IRL. Only thing keeping ppl from losing their minds now is it seems so much like fiction.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) March 30, 2016

I felt sad for families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Simpson watching #PeoplevsOJSimpson. I'm not proud that at the time I pumped fist for OJ.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016

It was such a strange case. Our history of gross inequality made many hope for OJ's team to strike a blow against racist police brutality.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016

This made many forget the case wasn't about America's f'd up racial history. It was about a crime of passion with tons of damning evidence.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016

Justice should always be sought and hopefully found on a case by case basis, not based on broad generalities.— Roy Pickering (@AuthorofPatches) April 6, 2016