Running Head: CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J.

SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL

Cheers and Tears: Reactions to the O.J. Simpson Acquittal and Cultural Relativism

Katherine Piper

Christopher Newport University

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Introduction
Astonishment swept the nation when the verdict in the case of The People of the State of

California vs Orenthal James Simpson was announced. O.J. Simpson had been brought to

criminal trial to face the charges of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her

friend, Ron Goldman. The trial lasted over eight months and was televised and highly publicized,

lending itself to intense public opinion. 50% of Americans disagreed with the decision to acquit

Simpson (Decker & Stolberg, 1995). When asked whether the jury did the right thing, 88% of

blacks said they did, while only 41% of whites responded with yes (CNN, 1995). The reactions

of black Americans and white Americans were extremely polarized the day the verdict was

announced. Back then 70 percent of whites thought OJ was guilty. 70 percent of blacks thought

he was innocent (Lemon, 2016). Even though there was a distinct racial divide in what

Americans thought of the verdict, labelling their responses solely on the basis skin color would

be short sighted. Analysis of the reactions of blacks and whites to the acquittal of O.J. Simpson

through the concept of cultural relativism can allow for comprehension of why certain

demographic groups in America had such conflicting views of the verdict. The life of each

American, along with the injustices that they have been exposed to, sculpts an individualized

perception of justice and proper judgement.

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Text
On October 3, 1995, O.J. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of Ron Goldman

and Nicole Brown Simpson. The verdict was televised and viewed by 95 to 150 million people

(Engel, 2014). There were crowds on the streets outside the courthouse, with most black

Americans cheering and elated with the not guilty verdict and whites who were stunned and

outraged. These reactions are chronicled on YouTube in a video titled A Look Back at the OJ

Simpson Verdict -- Different Reactions from Different People (2014). Some justice for the black

community, some justice for the blacks, exclaimed a black man being interviewed in the crowd

(RealityMaxOut, 2014). This particular response was not in consensus with other Americans,

notably whites. In the same video, a white man interviewed in Time Square after the acquittal

stated, I mean it is the biggest miscarriage of justice and I am ashamed to be an American right

now because the guy is so guilty its disgusting... (RealityMaxOut, 2014). Both of these

responses are representative of how differently the black community and whites reacted to the

verdict overall. These texts are important to observe because they illuminate a discrepancy in

opinion that was rooted in race. Americas raw racial wound was ripped wide open, exposing

just how differently blacks and whites could see the same evidence and come to completely

opposite conclusions (Lemon, 2016). The reactions to O.J.s acquittal may have transformed

this verdict into more of a cultural commentary than a deliverance of justice. Analyzing these

responses can aid in gaining a greater understanding of why America was so divided on this

ruling and what spawned different sectors of American society to react in so vastly dissenting

manners.

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Concept
The concept of cultural relativism derives from the piece Dissoi Logoi, written around

403 to 395 B.C. by an anonymous author (Bizzell & Herzberg, 1997, p.47). A description of

cultural relativism is how only an individuals perspective can determine the value of a given

object, act, experience, and so on (Bizzell & Herzberg, 1997, p.47). Anonymous mainly

displays the concept through four sections; On Good and Bad, On Seemly and Shameful,

On Just and Unjust and On Truth and Falsehood (Anonymous, 1979, pp.48-52). In these

sections, Anonymous notes examples of how the perception of an event depends on the positions

of the individuals involved. And it is bad for the ship-owner if his merchant-ships are involved

in a collision or get smashed up, but good for the shipbuilders (Anonymous, 1979, p. 48). There

are things that occur that one may consider as unfavorable, unjust or false based on the

implications it imposes on them. Yet, someone else may benefit from the same occurrence,

promoting them to view it as favorable, or just or true, depending on their perception. Some say

that what is just and what is unjust are two different things, others that the same thing is just and

unjust (Anonymous, 1979, p. 51). Anonymous argues that lying is widely considered unjust,

however, you can lie to perform a just act. Whether a lie is just or unjust is culturally relative as it

is based in whether the result of the act is perceived as advantageous or detrimental to an

individual. Cultural relativism will maintain its relevance as long as objects or events continue to

affect individuals on Earth. As long as things can be labeled as good, bad, just, unjust, and so on,

individualized association with these things will allow for cultural relativism to be applicable. So

was the case with O.J. Simpsons acquittal, with different groups of people passionately viewing

the same event in ways that were opposite each other.

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Analysis
When applied to the statements from the black man in the crowd outside the Los Angeles

courthouse and the white guy in Times Square, cultural relativism can help provide a reasoning

to why responses to the O.J. Simpson trial were inimical between blacks and whites. A black

man from Los Angeles in 1995 had been exposed to some form of racial injustice by the Los

Angeles Police Department or the justice system. In the 1990s alone, there were two major cases

where the judicial system had neglected to provide justice to black Americans in LA. One was

the brutal beating of Rodney King, a black man, by four LAPD officers, all of whom were white.

The 1991 beating was recorded on video and broadcasted to the public, attesting to the claims

against the LAPD of racial injustice. All four officers who were tried for the assault against King

were acquitted in April 1992 (Adams, 2016). The other case was the death of Latasha Harlins, a

15 year- old black girl from South Central Los Angeles who was shot and killed by a Korean-

American convenience store clerk (Duran, 2013). The clerk was tried and convicted of voluntary

manslaughter, but was only sentenced to five years of probation, community service and a $500

fine (Duran, 2013). The outcomes in the cases of Latasha Harlins and Rodney King sparked

massive riots in LA. The black community perceived these events as a message that law

enforcement was prejudice and a black person could not be successful in court. So, when a Los

Angeles court acquitted O.J. Simpson, a black male defendant, it was seen as a form of societal

progress by blacks. Watching a black man win and the LAPD get destroyed in the outcome of

O.J. Simpson trial represented justice and retribution for the black community to many black

people. In the documentary O.J.: Made in America, one of the black female jurors in the trial

equated the not guilty verdict to payback for what happened to Rodney King (Dahl & Edelman,

2016). How members of the black community were treated by law enforcement and the courts

affected their overall view of justice. These factors account for why, especially in Los Angeles,

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

the overwhelming majority of blacks were so ecstatic with O.J.s acquittal. It explains the

reaction of the black man interviewed, Some justice for the black community, some justice for

the blacks (RealityMaxOut, 2014). To this man, the verdict was just and even a beacon of hope.

Whites were not immersed in the same culture as blacks in Los Angeles. In 1995, they

did not endure the same level of racial injustice and did not have as jaded a view of law

enforcement. The status of white people was not as elastic as that of blacks in American society.

Therefore, the outcome of the O.J. trial was going to be seen by whites as an indicator not of

social progress, but of whether there would be justice for Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

They wanted to see O.J. Simpson held responsible for the murders based on the highly

incriminating physical and circumstantial evidence presented in the case. DNA evidence and lack

of alibi for the time of the murders was enough proof to peg him as the killer. The notion that the

LAPD would plant evidence to incriminate Simpson did not resonate with whites the way it did

with blacks, given their different cultural experiences with law enforcement. When O.J. was

acquitted, whites saw a very wealthy man who used his means to get away with a heinous crime;

an abomination of justice. This perception can account for the response of the man in Times

Square. His position in society as a white man in New York City shaped his view of O.J.s guilt,

spawning his reaction. This provides reasoning for why he, and the majority of white people,

considered the acquittal as the biggest miscarriage of justice (RealityMaxOut, 2014). To

whites, the not guilty verdict did not reflect truth nor justice.

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Implications
The analysis of the different reactions to the acquittal of O.J. Simpson amongst blacks

and whites through Anonymous concept of cultural relativism determines why members of each

race responded in contradictory fashions. It highlights the role race played in the individual

perceptions of the verdict. Blacks perceived O.J.s acquittal as justice because they were prone to

oppression and inequality in regards to law enforcement. On the other hand, whites did not have

the same experiences with the police and the courts and by their accord, O.J.s guilt was a

separate issue from the morality of law enforcement. That is why when O.J. was found not

guilty, their reactions were so incredibly outraged and disappointed. Acknowledging why these

perceptions were so different along racial lines yields reasoning for why the man outside the

courthouse cheered and why the man in Times Square was so disgusted. The analysis shows that

differing positions in American society can lead to differing perceptions of justice and starkly

opposing reactions to a solitary event, such as a controversial acquittal. Cultural relativism

allows for the recognition of why in 1995 blacks and whites in American society saw the same

verdict in such vastly different ways, and reacted accordingly. The way American society was

constructed contributed to unequal treatment between races. This then spawned differing, and

even contradictory, views of societal events amongst the groups. Conflict and contentious

relations between groups due to incompatible beliefs and reactions are implications that society

may face. However, if people attempt to understand why certain people perceive an outcome in a

particular way, it heightens the chance of tolerating the ways they react which limits hostility in

society.

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CHEERS AND TEARS: REACTIONS TO THE O.J. SIMPSON ACQUITTAL AND CULTURAL RELATIVISM

References
Adams, C. (2016, March 3). March 3, 1991: Rodney King beat caught on video. Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/march-3rd-1991-rodney-king-lapd-beating-caught-on-
video/

Anonymous. (1979). Dissoi logoi. In Bizzell, P. & Herzberg, B. (Eds.), The rhetorical tradition:
Readings from classical times to the present (48-52). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

Bizzell, P. & Herzberg, B. (1979). The rhetorical tradition: Readings from classical times to the
present (47-55). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

CNN. (1995, October 6). Races disagree on impact of Simpson trial. Retrieved from
http://www.cnn.com/US/OJ/daily/9510/10-06/poll_race/oj_poll_txt.html

Dahl, J. (Producer), & Edelman, E. (Director). (2016). O.J.: Made in America [Motion picture].
United States: ESPN Films.

Decker, C. & Stolberg, S. (1995, October 4). Half of Americans disagree with the verdict: Times
poll: Many cite race a s a key factor in the trial. Retrieved from
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-04/news/mn-53176_1_times-poll/2

Duran, L. (2013, August 26). The contested murder of Latasha Harlins. Retrieved from
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/08/26/33413/the-contested-murder-of-
latasha-harlins/

Engel, P. (2014, June 12). America came to a standstill during the O.J. verdict - Heres
everything that stopped. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-world-
stopped-when-the-oj-simpson-verdict-was-read-2014-6

Lemon, D. (2016). Don Lemon: OJ Simpson, still innocent?. Retrieved from

[RealityMaxOut]. (2014, June 16). A look back at the OJ Simpson verdict -- Different reactions
from different people. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Nsnuhz-Kb7k