The country is once again fascinated by what many have dubbed the trial of the century. No doubt this is due to the enormous popularity of the hit series produced by FX: The People vs. O.J. Simpson. If you were alive and conscious of the news media and the way stories were reported, this trial captivated the nation. And, it ushered in the way in which we now consume media. 24/7 type coverage and reality television all took their cues from this sensational trial.
Many people whether they were around during that time or not are reliving the case through the FX drama series. While the show is relatively accurate, it takes certain liberties, as it needs the “Hollywood treatment” for tv viewing – I’m looking at you David Schwimmer! The last few episodes have focused heavily on Marcia Clark who served as lead prosecutor during the trial. While that case certainly divided the country along racial, political and socioeconomic lines. For the people involved it was an experience that changed their lives forever.
In a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter, Clark says the trial was:
As an endless study in torture in pain every single day. It was living a nightmare to feel like a piñata. Getting whacked on one side and then another. There was nowhere to turn. I had been a defense attorney in private practice. I went to the DA’s office because I wanted to fight for justice. I really had a sense of mission. And I watched that mission get shredded every single day one way or another.
If you recall from the actual trial or the FX series, Clark’s personal appearance was often the lead story in a double homicide case, with one of the biggest stars in the country as the principal suspect. But more importantly, I believe it was the newness of the increased in your face 24/7 media attention and the constant questioning about things non relevant to the trial that had an impact on the prosecution. Clark goes on to say in the piece:
I know we made mistakes. We were not perfect. I made mistakes in every trail. But there were larger issues than the mistakes we made. The media turned it into a circus and everyone was going along for the ride. I had a judge who didn’t know how to control a courtroom and didn’t care to who was pandering to the media and the celebrity side of the lawsuit. Then we had racism injected where it had no business being. There was sexism in the courtroom, it was one thing after another – an amalgamated nightmare.
No matter what you think of the ultimate verdict, this trial shined an immense spotlight on the importance of perception, both that of the individual and how the larger collective society views and perceives. While this case was about the murder of two people it also revealed a lot about us as a society.