Beyond O.J.: Race, Sex, and Class Lessons for America - Softcover

Hutchinson, Earl Ofari

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551640503 ISBN 13: 9781551640501

Publisher: Black Rose Books, 1996

Synopsis

Interracial Sex and Marriage: America's Last Taboo
Many blacks were angered about O.J. and Nicole. They believed that he committed racial suicide and sexual treason. Many whites
believed that his fame earned him an exemption from racial backlash for marrying Nicole. Both were wrong.
Tabloiding the Mainstream Media
The press made O.J. one of America's favorite corporate pitchmen. He was an all-American superstar athlete. He was a grade B
Hollywood celebrity. He shouldn't have been surprised when it made him an all-American spousal batterer, sexual philanderer,
and drug user. He was ripe for the tabloid pickings of the press.
America's Poster Boy for Sexual Deviancy
O.J. became the sole poster boy for domestic violence in America. This fed the time-worn myth that black men are America's violent
sexual offenders. But why? Domestic violence was epidemic in American society long before America heard O.J. screaming hysterically at Nicole on the 911 tapes. Sexual stereotyping is equally epidemic.
The Delusion of the Sports Icon
O.J. beat the terrible odds and wound up a millionaire, celebrity, and media personality. He became a sports icon idolized by millions. There's an age old cost for that honor. O.J. paid it and so did society.
Justice for Sale
There were two reasons O.J. needed every penny for his defense. He was an African-American facing a criminal justice deeply influenced by racial stereotypes. Second, his fate would be decided in a court system where money screams. He bought a measure of justice that most Americans could not.

Introduction - Beyond O.J.
One - Interracial Sex and Marriage: The Last Taboo
Two - America's Poster Boy for Sexual Deviancy
Three - The Tabloid Obsession
Four - The Real Meance to Society
Five - The Hunt for Hidden Racism
Six - Conspiracy or Collective Paranoia?
Seven - The Delusion of the Sports Icon
Eight - Playing the Race Card
Nine - Justice for Sale
Conclusion - Race, Sex, and Class Lessons for America
References
Bibliography
Index

224 pages

About this title

From Booklist:

On the heels of the verdict of the "trial of the century," Hutchinson's discussion about the social implications of the O.J. case is timely. He explores the very topics--race, sex, and class in America--that made the trial so discussed and debated. Hutchinson offers compelling comparisons of recent cases involving white and black male defendants with similar charges, yet with disparate dispositions. Not only were the white males treated differently by the courts for the same crime, but in these examples the males were all charged with sex crimes: sexual harassment, date rape, domestic violence, and child molestation. Hutchinson is seemingly building a strong case for the view of the black male as a menace to society, but then he veers off into such topics as young black men and their media image, leaving the study rather open-ended, as it perhaps should be at this point. Nevertheless, the response, especially the white response, to the jurors' verdict on October 2, 1995, and this book reinforce that race and class are issues that not only affect how one is treated but also how one sees the world. Lillian Lewis

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Rose Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1551640503
• ISBN 13: 9781551640501
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224