OJ II

Certainly most Americans agree: We care very little, and we most certainly do not want another months-long TV frenzy. Ten years ago the original OJ trial became the the template for every celebrity-justice non-news story that has happened in the years since. These are the default items, the dial tone coverage that the media uses to fill air time when nothing else is deemed worthy. It's the reason we have Nancy Grace bringing home the bucks for CNN with breathless commentary about the paternity tests of baby whats-her-face who belonged to that blond amazon that overdosed. It's the reason a whole generation of lawyerly talking heads now have jobs on the news nets (Greta Van Sustern? What are you kidding?).

It means absolutely nothing to our lives- unless we are training to be sleazy has-beens. It's worse than mere entertainment, worse than sitcoms and serial TV, which at least have the virtue of being outright fabrications, crafted for effect.

My primary response to the details of the most current Simpson debacle was simply (and ironically, for you nitwits) - "looks like the grand conspiracy against OJ is finally coming together". That and to observe how sad and how pathological his life must be - he's a walking breathing lie, a sinkhole of smug corruptness that disgusts the vast majority (now, thankfully) of American society, to the extent we give the story a second of interest. If he's convicted, fine. Put him under the jail, where we won't need to hear from him again.

But here we go. Headline news - bail has been set at $125k - low enough that perhaps it might be paid by the E! Entertainment Extra cabal, in hopes that he might run again, and the saturation coverage can commence.