Mike Tyson’s renewed popularity confirms what I’ve always understood about my country…

@Punxi I envy that you don’t have to see it, that is to say that you’re not affected by others’ reactions to seeing it.

I think most people do see color, the differences among us.

But to see and be appreciative of it, that’s the best. And I’ve always felt like you’re already there. ☺

@bijouxbroussard May I just add.... I do see...

You as beautiful woman inside and out. A strong intellectual African American woman. And in that....It would invalidate your culture otherwise.

What I dont see of difference inside is the color of your skin. That difference will never keep me from finding love for our sameness.

Others whom choose to see it as a hindrance is racism pure and simple.

Of which I'll have no part of.

🩷

@ChipmunkErnie He even has his own cartoon.

@bijouxbroussard First, who the hell is Zimmerman? OJ's name was "hated" because the evidence in the trial was so strongly against him and no one actually believed in his was innocent. And, while I didn't know Bobby Blake lost in civil court, I do know OJ lost in civil court and was found responsible there for the deaths of Nicole and Goldman. As to Blake living the rest of his life quietly -- he was nearly 70 at the time and living pretty much in obscurity anyway. As to the relative fame of both men, I'd have said OJ was by far the bigger star and more beloved by Americans than Blake ever was.

Re the whole innocent vs guilty thing, that's in court. We all know that in MANY cases the guilty have been found innocent and walked free and sometimes pay for their guilt in other ways, sometimes not.

In the end, I'd say America didn't really care about Blake and so he disappeared into obscurity. America LOVED OJ and that meant what happened seemed like a betrayal of that love. Blake was a known pain-in-the ass, OJ was America's hero. And it didn't help that OJ did things like come up with a book that basically said, "I didn't do it, but if I did here's how I did it"

@ChipmunkErnie George Zimmerman was the man who followed 17 year old Trayvon Martin when he was walking from a convenience store to his father home in the neighborhood. Martin was unarmed, carrying a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles, Zimmerman, as a self-described "neighborhood watch" called the police to report a "suspicious person", was told not to engage (police were coming). But Zimmerman, saying "they always get away" ignored that instruction and stopped Martin, demanding to know who he was and why he was there. There was an altercation and Zimmerman shot Martin. At first the police weren’t even going to charge him with a crime until there was community pressure. When Zimmerman was found not-guilty even of manslaughter, a lot of us were angry. I remember someone on EP telling me "suck it up—just like we did OJ".

Like I said, OJ was stupid; he kept doing stupid things (like that book) to get back into the spotlight. And it wasn’t happening.

@rinkydinkydoink Exactly.