# O.J. innocent or guilty and what's your race & gender? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310 "2010-07-02T14:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/21 "2010-07-02T17:00:39Z")
I watched as much of the trial as I could. Got a bit obsessed with it if I’m honest. My white hairy Irish arse says he’s as guilty as sin and I agree with it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/22 "2010-07-02T17:01:18Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Yeah, but I’d be curious about the results if you took this same poll to Tha Hood. Just sayin’. . . . Tha Hood is all up in your thread. Or did you think the Dope was a gated community? ETA: ha! I just noticed I’m a ‘guest’ here while you are a Charter Member!! It’s like I barged my way in and I’m bringing down the property value! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/23 "2010-07-02T17:07:34Z")
As of 85 Voters, two have voted “not guilty” so far. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/24 "2010-07-02T17:14:16Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I just noticed I’m a ‘guest’ here while you are a Charter Member!! Also a 99er, thank you, but not an AOLer. > [@](#): > > It’s like I barged my way in and I’m bringing down the property value! Acutally that was sorta the attitude some of the AOLers had about us 99ers back in the day. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/25 "2010-07-02T17:14:46Z")
“That’s Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/26 "2010-07-02T17:27:48Z")
I don’t think it was ever so much that Black Folks as group largely thought he was innocent. I am mostly Irish, but come from slave stock on my Mother’s side, and most of my cousins are black. So I had a unique insight into both sides of the argument. What I heard from the African side was that it was an enormous sign of change within our society. My Uncle, who is fairly dark skinned, was nearly murdered by the local KKK for dating my aunt, who looks more Irish like me. The attempting murderers were unaware of her mixed heritage. Turn now to OJ. Here was a black man, who had married and divorced a beautiful white woman, and had children with her, all of which would in itself have gotten him killed within living memory. And now he was accused of murdering her. . . And the circumstantial evidence was pretty strong. . . and the entire country was watching. . . and our court system was capable of letting him off because the prosecution didn’t do a good enough job. See, that was something absolutely incredible. Amazing. Although I didn’t agree with the verdict, I celebrated the fact that our society had come to a place where it was possible. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/27 "2010-07-02T17:29:31Z")
I am not any of the races listed, but I believe he’s guilty because of the result of the civil trial. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/28 "2010-07-02T17:39:24Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > _All_ of them. In that case: guilty as sin. Hope enjoys the rest of his miserable life in the Crowbar Hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/29 "2010-07-02T17:39:54Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I was under the impression that many/most black people who thought he was innocent or even _might_ be innocent at the time have changed their views due to subsequent events and the fullness of time. I know a number of black persons who said, at the tima, that Simpson should be acquitted regardless of his guilt or innocence. They felt that the history of race relations in this country–in particular the great number of white persons who have been given a bye by the system for killing blacks, and the great number of black persons who have been wrongly acquitted–made letting him off poetic justice. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/30 "2010-07-02T17:40:11Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It’s perfectly obvious that he did indeed kill Nicole and Ron. > But, as **Procrustus** and **Skald** pointed out, the prosecution bungled the case so badly that’s it’s no surprise he was acquited. In my OPINION, the racist (and possibly not-too-bright) jury didn’t help the prosecution either. . ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/31 "2010-07-02T17:41:31Z")
I’m freckled and I think he did it. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/32 "2010-07-02T17:42:21Z")
I can’t really say; all I can say for a certainty is that the prosectuion didn’t make the case. When I first heard about the murders, my first thought was “Sounds like someone stiffed their drug dealer.” I also realized that celebrities and the like could possibly have all kinds of enemies. The one thing that puzzled me is that surely someone with so much money would have hired someone to do the job instead of doing it themselves. Yes, there were puzzling actions by the accused – the White Bronco chase, the trip to Chicago, the debacle regarding the “ugly-ass Italian shoes”, all of which hinted that he was at least heavily involved if not totally the perpetrator. However, at the end of the day, the case wasn’t made. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/33 "2010-07-02T17:49:43Z")
> [@In\_Winnipeg](#): > > the White Bronco chase, Yeah, your wife’s just been murdered and you can’t even PULL OVER? Why didn’t the cops pull him over? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/34 "2010-07-02T17:50:15Z")
Are you neither white nor black (like me)? Move along, nothing to see here… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/35 "2010-07-02T17:51:40Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t think it was ever so much that Black Folks as group largely thought he was innocent. I am mostly Irish, but come from slave stock on my Mother’s side, and most of my cousins are black. So I had a unique insight into both sides of the argument. Yes, this was my impression - that black folks knew he was guilty, but we happy he was acquitted, because the day had finally come where they could subvert the cause of justice like white people. Chris Rock has a bit about it. On preview, I see **MOL** already made this exact point. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/36 "2010-07-02T18:31:02Z")
The choices should be: I am sane, and I think he’s guilty. I am insane, and I think he’s innocent. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/37 "2010-07-02T18:44:19Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Tha Hood is all up in your thread. Or did you think the Dope was a gated community? Prezactly. > [@](#): > > I just noticed I’m a ‘guest’ here while you are a Charter Member!! It’s like I barged my way in and I’m bringing down the property value! You are hilarious but I’m still reporting you for year-old trolling. 😛 O.J.: Guilty then, guilty now. Some things never change. I was gratified that, in the aftermath of an unproven and botched case, the jury came in with the verdict they should have and didn’t do the State’s work for it. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/38 "2010-07-02T18:49:01Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > It’s perfectly obvious that he did indeed kill Nicole and Ron. > But, as **Procrustus** and **Skald** pointed out, the prosecution bungled the case so badly that’s it’s no surprise he was acquited. This is what I don’t “get”. Not that I followed it too closely at the time mind you. “The glove didnt fit”. If you bought that you are dumber than dirt in my opinion. “There was a “racist” involved somewhere in this very large group of people”. Really? Color me (heh) surprised. Oh, and Chewbacca… Seriously, was there anything else besides those two things? Honestly, I my impression at the time was this. One, the jury was dumber than shit. Or two, the jury wasnt going to convict if there was even the VERY SLIGHTEST chance that he was innocent (and who isnt under that premise?). Or three, hey he’s a black dude and black dude’s have been getting the shaft forever so its time we let one off. Does somebody have some more reasonable reasons why OJ wasnt guilty? Honestly curious about it here. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/39 "2010-07-02T18:52:32Z")
_::Gets salted watermelon, fried chicken and pulled up a lawn chair.::_ ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310/40 "2010-07-02T19:07:01Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Does somebody have some more reasonable reasons why OJ wasnt guilty? Honestly curious about it here. Here are some things that I disliked about the prosecution’s case. It is possible that the passage of time has warped my memory of the specifics a bit, but this stuff bothered me at the time as well… According to them, OJ went to the house intending to kill his ex-wife. He dressed in black sweatpants, black sweatshirt, black hat, black gloves, and _ **$400 Italian leather shoes** _. After committing the crime, he stuffs all of the bloody clothes, plus the bloody knife, into a bag, into a bag, which he then disposes of. Except for the socks, which he leaves lying smack dab in the middle of his bedroom floor. The police, upon arriving at the crime scene, see who was killed, and their first thought is apparently to go to OJ’s house, not because they thought he was a suspect at the time, but because they thought he might be in danger as well. I never could understand how they made that leap of logic. I didn’t vote in the poll, because my answer isn’t there. The only options are “guilty” and “innocent”. I think it’s pretty likely that he committed the crime, so he isn’t “innocent”. But it was quite clear to me as I listened to the case on the radio that there was no chance of any jury finding him “guilty” of the murder, because the prosecution presented an absolutely horrendous case. My vote would therefore be “not guilty”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/o-j-innocent-or-guilty-and-whats-your-race-gender/545310.md?page=3)