To say O.J. Simpson is a disappointment is too much an understatement. His recent attempt to publish and profit from a book called, If I Did It, about the murders of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman is, in a word, unbelievable.

It’s unbelievable that he would risk the feelings and well-being of his and Nicole Brown Simpson’s children. It’s unbelievable that he would stomp on the memories of the victims. It’s unbelievable that Editor Judith Regan and Regan Books would arrange for the publication of this kind of book and for associated Fox television interviews. Equally unbelievable is Judith Regan’s later claim that she was doing all this to exorcise the demons of abuse in her own and other women’s lives. It’s unbelievable that News Corp., the parent company of Regan Books, apparently attempted to buy off the Brown and Goldman families by offering them (after public reaction began to increase) the profits from this book. It’s unbelievable that anyone associated with this entire idea from inception to demise actually thought this was a good idea.

The only encouraging thing about this reminder about how base human beings can be is that other human beings—a lot of them—reacted with disdain. It’s also encouraging that we witnessed the positive power of public opinion. When people reacted with revulsion to the book and the planned interviews Ruppert Murdoch, News Corp. Chairman, and his minions paid attention. They cancelled the interviews during “sweeps” week and pulled the book from circulation, a case of better late than never.

So we learned a valuable lesson after all: Public opinion can still, even in a culture immersed in moral relativism, establish a consensus public morality. That is heartening, and it should encourage us not to give up in an effort to do right regarding other cultural moral issues.

For O.J, I don’t know. I imagine he’s embittered to the point of no return. But then again, as long as he is breathing, he is a human being who can still learn, feel remorse, make confession, make things right, even be forgiven—certainly by God and possibly by some of us. I pray that result for his soul.

© Rex M. Rogers - All Rights Reserved, 2006

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