Last Week O.J. Simpson was arrested, again. So, I will spare everyone the commentary on O. J.'s past and get right into what we are seeing here today. But first, the rundown...
O.J. was charged with 11 felony counts in a Las Vegas county courthouse on September 16. Armed robbery, assault and conspiracy charges were among them. He claims that he was conducting a "sting operation" in the Palms hotel and casino, and was simply trying to reclaim what was rightfully his. Let's not forget to mention the rather unsavory cast of characters in this sordid affair...
Timeline
What everyone seems to be missing here is that, this is a justice system that has been craving more of O.J.'s blood for more than a decade! This is truly a man on trial for his past and whether you agree or disagree with that, you must acknowledge that these people Simpson conducted his "sting" on, are the worst kind of people. So where do we draw the line? Where do we acknowledge whether or not there is even an objective truth to this story. O. J. Simpson's life represents this postmodern line of thought more than anything, what I mean is that, with the convoluted results of Simpson's first legal fray, we lack a real context of how we should feel about this current debacle.
Postmodernism
The question I pose is this. How does a PR practitioner use this postmodern "reality," or lack thereof, to their advantage when trying to frame the image of a client? How do you help O.J. Simpson if you are his publicist? I think what you would do is first set the context to O.J.'s past in relation to his present, whatever angle you want to approach that from. Then you address the ridiculous book deal that further tainted his image last spring.
Book Deal
If you can bring those forces together in a coherent way, you may be able to do the impossible, and save a man's future. Because no matter how you look at it, Simpson's life is a reflection of a justice system that is deeply, deeply flawed.
John Ridley's two cents.
1 comment:
I think there should be some sort of law that says the media cant talk about this guy? That would be more upsetting to him more than sitting in jail for the rest of his life!
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