Killing Us (Not So) Softly

I have a feeling I’m not the first person to write about this. Nor will I be the last. Honestly, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed lately and haven’t had a chance to troll the blogs I enjoy or even major news sites, so this post may be overkill.

Sorry, that’s a poor choice of words.

You see, O.J. Simpson has written a book with the working title O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened, referring to the “unsolved” murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman in 1994. O.J. is also scheduled to appear on Fox in an interview special airing in two parts on November 27 and November 29.

Many words come to mind—like “classy” and “tasteful,” albeit with the word “NOT” firmly before them. Simpson is making a mockery of the families’ suffering; he hasn’t said if any royalties will go toward the unpaid bulk of the $33.5 million wrongful death civil judgment he still has looming over him.

Don’t get me wrong. I support the U.S. justice system despite its flaws. I’d rather see someone who is probably guilty go free than see someone who is probably innocent be falsely imprisoned for life or murdered by the state.

But describing how you would have committed murders that most people think you got away with anyway is probably the most despicable thing he could do right now.

I shouldn’t say that—next thing you know, he’ll announce he’s recreating the crime with Nicole and Ron look-alikes.

At least NBC passed on the interview special opportunity, citing questionable taste. But not all publishers and networks see it that way, so I fear the precedent this will set—and the prospect of seeing these titles on the bookshelf:

Mark Foley, I Did Not Send Inappropriate Sexual E-Mails to Underage Congressional Pages … But If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened.

Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, We Did Not Mean To Expose Janet’s Breast at the Super Bowl To Boost Our Careers … But If We Did It, Here’s How It Happened.

Bill Clinton, I Did Not Have Sexual Relations with That Woman, Miss Lewinsky … But If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened.

Lee Harvey Oswald, I Did Not Take the Fall for a Vast Conspiracy To Kill President Kennedy … But If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened.

Adolf Hitler, I Didn’t Kill Millions of Jews, Gypsies, and Others I Deemed ‘Undesirable’ … But If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened.

Shame on you, O.J. You make me sick.