O.J.: Made In America - Part 1

[mansonlamps]

On 6/14/2016 at 8:35 AM, jamblastx said:

It may be 2016, but we are talking about someone who looked like was born in 1926. Anyone over a certain age will have certain prejudiced values echoing the times that they grew up in. And even in that, they may have evolved to more contemporary levels to what they once were but still not to current societies standards. Also, he may have been stating what his and Hertz's thinking was at the time in 1975 which would have been somewhat progressive however shockingly insensitive to hear today.

I totally agree with this.  Bill Burr does a perceptive take on bigotry and the elderly with a focus on the Duck Dynasty guy and  Donald Sterling.  Everyone is a product of their environment and, though they can change the way they talk and behave, I don't believe they truly change their view of the world.  

[AuntiePam]

On 6/14/2016 at 3:27 PM, RCharter said:

The biggest surprise was that he married a black woman in the first place.

He wasn't O.J. yet.

[Milburn Stone]

Glad to have finally discovered this forum. Once again, I was fooled into thinking that such a forum didn't exist. Who knew it would be buried under something called 30 for 30? Ironically, the last time this happened was with the other O.J. show, which was buried under the title American Crime.

I'm gonna have to learn to use the search function...

[meep.meep]

Milburn - It's here because it's part of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series on sports-related topics.  You should check others out some time because there are some real winners, even if you don't follow sports much.  There's even another one on what happened the day of the Bronco chase, because ironically, it was a big day in real sports.

And I asked the PTV people to put in a link titled "People vs OJ" to lead to that other forum.  So that's why you could find it.

Finally saw Ep 1 of this last night.  It's really good.  People who weren't around then never seem to understand just how incredibly popular OJ really was.  This gets that across in spades.

[Raja]

On 6/23/2016 at 10:41 AM, meep.meep said:

Milburn - It's here because it's part of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary series on sports-related topics.  You should check others out some time because there are some real winners, even if you don't follow sports much.  There's even another one on what happened the day of the Bronco chase, because ironically, it was a big day in real sports.

And I asked the PTV people to put in a link titled "People vs OJ" to lead to that other forum.  So that's why you could find it.

Finally saw Ep 1 of this last night.  It's really good.  People who weren't around then never seem to understand just how incredibly popular OJ really was.  This gets that across in spades.

I am still upset. It was a great game and match up between Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets and Patrick Ewing's Knicks and the network affiliate with the NBA Finals in  Los Angeles decided to show OJ riding in the Bronco on the main screen and have the game on a small corner without play by play commentary. Back in those days the only people who had big enough screens to see anything on a split screen like that were sports bars and a few who got away with big screens  after the looting them during the Rodney King Riots.

[FuriousStyles]

On 6/13/2016 at 7:52 PM, RemoteControlFreak said:

But to me the most shocking part of Part 1 wasn't the revelation that Simpson stole Cowlings' girlfriend, or that he craved attention, or ran through defensive lines like a hot knife through butter. The most shocking part was the Hertz ad guy stating, in 2016, "He was African but he's a good looking man. He almost had white features."   Seriously?  

I binged all 5 parts with some friends...and that was the big shocker for us from Part 1.  Like the fucking nerve of that guy to suggest that you cant be good looking unless you have "European" features.  And what the fuck kind of European features does OJ have anyway? He looked like a good looking BLACK man to me.  

That whole marketing stuff really is a microcosm of society.  The Hertz ad execs are discussing how white America would handle seeing a black man in the commercials so much so that they made (unprovoked) concessions by having those white actors cheering on OJ as he ran thru the airport.  But what about black people? For decades having to watch every tv show, every commercial, every magazine cover or article with white faces in it?  Nobody gave a thought to how that would make us feel.  It took someone like "Im not black, Im OJ" to be the one to gain some national recognition as a spokesperson.  Because heaven forbid, a black person  (and certainly not a black man) assert and celebrate his blackness and it not be considered too offensive/upsetting to the white masses.

That's why I liked the juxtaposition of OJ and other black athletes at the time, particularly Mohammed Ali (I suppose another one who can credit his good looks to "European" features?).

Edited July 3, 2016 by FuriousStyles

[ketose]

Part 1 is the biggest sports aspect of the documentary. Not being a sports fan and only knowing OJ from The Naked Gun, I hadn't seen footage of him playing before. He was definitely a good athlete. Even though I don't know football, I understand that pat about OJ being able to run faster sideways than any other player running straight. Unfortunately, he also learned that morals and character were less important than being charming and dominating.

[mtlchick]

Finally found this thread after finally rewatchinig this documentary. 

This was beyond brilliant.  At one point I actually felt some sympathy towards him and I liked how this was not solely about him but about the struggle for blacks during the time specifically in California he was an up and comer college football star and how they were looking to him to be a beacon.  Instead he was like "Um...I'll pass.  I'm setting out to be a star."

[Lovelylv]

I would like to see this documentary again.