Monavis opened with a declaration that Goldman was trying to make sure that OJ did not profit from the book. That was accomplished by depriving him of any connection to the publication and would have remained true if the book had never been published. That was the specific point to which I responded.
I have no idea whether Goldman is doing the right thing or whether Simpson will ever be truly punished.
Yes, but if the book hadn’t been published, OJ would be thinking “Well, if I don’t get the money, at least nobody else does.” But Fred Goldman is profitting from OJ’s work. That has to be killing OJ. It might have even been the motive for OJ’s more recent legal troubles (Try to take money from ME? I’LL SHOW THEM!)
OJ has always maintained that he should be seen as the innocent victim in all of this.
The fact remains that pissing off OJ and making money appears to be of higher importance to Goldman than respecting the wishes of the Brown family, including OJ and Nicole’s two kids. I think if anyone’s feelings should be taken into account, it’s those two.
It’s strange to me that when OJ was the one pushing this exploitative piece of garbage on America, most people seemed to have a problem with that, decrying his actions as indecent, disrespectful towards the victims families, and just plain ole evil. That he would profit from it didn’t seem to be the primary objection, even though it was also a complaint.
Simply because Goldman instead of Simpson is doing the pushing this time should not change these views, in my opinion. The book is just as indecent and disrespectful as it always was, and I think that anyone who is working to publish this deserves all the negative judgement that comes their way. Just because Ron Goldman’s son was killed doesn’t mean that he can’t be in this for selfish reasons.
I’m tired of seeing him and his creepy moustache as much as I’m sick of seeing OJ’s smirk.
Err - Fred Goldman is the family of one of the victims. One would presume he would know what hurts his own feelings.
Couldn’t speak for anyone else, but that OJ would profit from committing a double murder was a pretty important consideration for me.
So you don’t see any moral distinction between a murderer attempting to make money from his crimes, so that he can go on ignoring the legitimate orders of a civil court and spend money that is not rightfully his, and the father of one of his victims using the occasion to attempt a punishment the criminal justice system failed to deliver?
That’s a pity - guilty vs. innocent victim is a concept too often lost in our world.
If you classify “don’t let OJ get away with it” as a selfish reason, sure. Otherwise, not so much.
Regards,
Shodan
Sure he knows his own feelings. But why are the Brown’s feelings irrelevant now? And the kids who have to endure the spectacle of their dad bragging about their mom’s murder? Regardless of who stands to profit from what, the fact remains that most of the people affected by the crime are against the book.
That’s nice. As tom pointed out, though, denying OJ his profits would have been quite easy had the book just stayed where it was–out of the bookstore. Thanks to Goldman, Simpson can now profit handsomely from the book, just less directly. He may not get any royalties, but it gets him more attention and that makes him more valuable to the clubs that pay him to make appearances. This has a certain “duh” like obviousness to me.
If both the former and the later are motivated by money at the expense of other people’s feelings (and human decency), I don’t see why one is deserving of villification and the other is told “atta boy”. Both Simpson and Goldman are causing unnecessary harm to others, and they don’t care. So in that sense, yeah there is no moral distinctions between them.
I can’t imagine how I’d feel. But Goldman’s obsession is not healthy. As much as I’d love to see O.J.'s sorry ass in prison, I think that what Goldman needs more than anything is therapy.
And this will sound extremely cold, but he’s not the first person that this has happened to, nor the last. Many, many have suffered what he did and even worse. And they were survivors. He needs to stop being a victim, to move on, as much for his sake, as for his family’s and Nicole’s family.
I think Goldman has a right to be pissed. His kid counts for nothing because the other victim was famous. That’s not how the US is supposed to treat victims.
We all know that his son’s killer got off free and rich, just because he was a B actor.
This celebrity culture is flt out evil.
Okay, time for a question that requires the acceptance of a bizarre outcome.
OJ’s on the hook for $33M, right? Let’s just say that Fred Goldman manages to sell enough of these to clear $33M in profit (I know. I said it was bizarre). Does this outcome satisfy the judgement against OJ? Are the Browns entitled to a share in those profits?
Does anyone even know if Fred Goldman would have any intention of turning over the Brown family’s appropriate share?
That’s what I’m wondering too. IMHO, the answer to this question decides whether Goldman deserves applause or derision.
Bcause I’d have more respect for Goldman if there was discussion about sharing the profits with the Brown family (especially the kids, who have suffered the most, and are truly suffering now as this story resurfaces and the book hits shelves). Or if he was talking about donating the proceeds to charity (since there are thousands of needy families who have suffered at the hands of murderers–most of whom are never found let alone charged with a crime). Otherwise, it would be really hard for me to disagree with the OP.
I’m all for punishing OJ. But there are tacky ways of doing this and then there are gauche and desparate ways. Just because someone is still dealing with inconsolable loss doesn’t mean we can’t judge their actions.
Do you have a cite that Nicole’s relatives are against Goldman publishing the book?
I would have thought they got used to it (as much as is possible) when OJ first floated the idea of the book.
Not to me - again, do you have a cite that OJ can maximize his income by bragging about getting away with murder? I would expect that those who employ him based on that are going to be discouraged from doing so because OJ was thwarted in his attempt.
How many times have people paid him for appearances since his acquittal, by the way? I thought he was more or less a pariah. No more Hertz contracts, no movie appearances - do you have information on his income before and income after the murder?
ISTM that the harm, such as it is, caused to Simpson is far from unnecessary.
OJ got away with a double murder. He made an attempt to profit by it with this book. Goldman prevented him from doing so, and converted it (see the book cover in Airman Doors’ post) into an opportunity to further demonstrate that OJ is both a murderer and a liar, and utterly without shame.
That is justice, to the extent that it can be brought about by a private citizen after the system fails.
Again, I would be interested in any cites you can find where Nicole’s family say specifically something like “No, we don’t want Goldman to publish it either”.
Regards,
Shodan
Shodan, the OP has a cite. See also:
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212103779.shtml
What I find morally questionable is Goldman initially calling this book evil and despicable, and then putting it out there for public consumption. Either the book is no longer evil, or Goldman’s profiting from something that’s evil. It’s like he wants to punish OJ and have his cake too. And not just some of the cake, but 90% of it. If he intends to keep all of it for himself, then yes he’s being a major dick.
The change in the title is what Mr Goldman wanted to remind people that his son did not have Justice.
OJ’s children and the Brown family could not suffer more than they do already knowing that OJ was a murderer of their loved one’s. The children are without a Mother, the children live with that every day. The Browns and Goldmans cannot ever have their children back.
If Goldman is being selfish then an awful lot of people are being selfish when they sue a company over harm done to their loved ones or them selves, it isn’t the matter of money, but the solace of knowing the evil one did to them isn’t getting off scot free. The person responsible for the Goldman’s,Brown’s and OJ’s children’s suffering, is OJ. He killed the children’s mother and the Goldman and Brown’s children
Monavis
Thanks!
I wonder how much of the resistance of Brown’s sister to the publication is based on -
Regards.
Shodan
IOW, “If I Did It, Bitch Woulda Had It Comin’ to Her”.
I don’t think anyone can say that except them.
I also find Goldman’s reasoning for publishing this book, in a word, stupid. Most people already think that OJ killed Nicole and Ron, so the world’s body of knowledge is not increased by this book being released.
Plus, doesn’t he know that OJ wants the world to think of him as a murderer who got away with? Goldman is only giving the man he hates what he wants. OJ can have the satisfication of knowing that people are reading his story and getting jeeped up over him. I’m sure that was a big reason for him writing the story in the first place.
He could have written his own book to do this.
Frankly, the whole financial restitution thing for “unlawful death” skeeves me out. I understand it intellectually, but emotionally it makes me uncomfortable. In the interview I watched of Nicole’s sister, she said one of her major beefs with Goldman was that he was jerking around with her niece and nephew’s inheritance, and I found myself in agreement. I’m thinking if anyone deserves money for their hardship, it’s them.
If the book changes the opinion of one brain deficient person that OJ was innocent to knowing he was guilty, it would have been worth it.
Are you serious?
So all the pain it causes to the families of the victims-especially Nicole’s children, makes it okay if just ONE moron’s mind is changed? When that doesn’t affect diddly squat?
:dubious:
I don’t see how the children could be affected deeper by the book when OJ has painted their mother in every interview as a “drunken, druggie slut.” They know he blames her for her own death and thinks he is an innocent victim. How is not publishing the book gonna change that?
OJ writes about how the murders could have been committed. For years people have been saying it was impossible for him to do them. Now we can finally realize it wasn’t impossible.