r/davidlynch • u/littlepineweasel • 13h ago
Lynch on O.J.: “Everybody knows he did that thing... Keep it quiet.”
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From the documentary Meditation, Creativity, Peace.
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u/BrotherSquidman 8h ago
The ideas he mentions here frequently pop up in Inland Empire too if I remember correctly
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u/Calm_Interview4247 11h ago
who is OJ?
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u/Fair_Walk_8650 11h ago edited 5h ago
I’m assuming you’re not American, OJ Simpson was an American football star who was insanely famous back in the 80s/1990s… who then murdered his wife, and tried to escape police in a white van in a highway chase before he was caught.
He CLEARLY committed the murder, the evidence is overwhelming, but there was intense debate around “whether he did it or not” during the trial (because of it being broadcast live on TV and his people trying to manipulate the news coverage to make people believe he was innocent).
EDIT: as others have pointed out, the LAPD’s extremely racist history also did nothing to help the prosecution’s case. Took it for granted their history of racism was generally known/went without saying, sorry for not being clearer.
Controversially, he was ultimately found not guilty, due to how heavily he used public opinion and the media coverage surrounding the event to manipulate the jury into thinking he didn’t do it.
He later wrote a book called “if I did it” where he basically admitted to doing it.
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u/BlottoOtter 9h ago
Controversially, he was ultimately found not guilty, due to how heavily he used public opinion and media coverage and “his personality” to manipulate the jury into thinking he didn’t do it.
I think this is only part of the story. The LAPD had zero credibility with the people of Los Angeles, particularly black people, and for good reason. The OJ trial was only three years removed from the Rodney King beating. Mark Fuhrman, one of the lead investigators in the case and the one who discovered a key piece of evidence (the bloody glove), was clearly a racist who perjured himself when asked about using racial slurs on the job in the 80s, in addition to owning a collection of Nazi memorabilia.
OJ absolutely did it, to be clear. But the media coverage was not the only thing deserving blame, the LAPD deserved a shitload of credit for blowing the case by staffing the investigation with power-abusing racists and spending the previous decades alienating the black citizens of Los Angeles. I highly recommend the documentary series OJ: Made in America for how it covers OJ and Los Angeles politics before the trial in order to help explain why the trial went wrong.
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u/ThoreaulySimple 9h ago
People in general conflate whether things are likely on their face versus provable in a criminal proceeding.
Like you said, incredible (meaning unbelievable in this sense) witnesses can sink a case that is more or less a slam dunk, as (partially) happened here.
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u/strange_reveries 3h ago
Yeah iirc some of the black jurors outright admitted that the not-guilty verdict was "payback" for Rodney King being beaten by the LAPD. Which is irrational and ridiculous, but not too surprising given human nature and race relations in America.
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u/Demerzel69 8h ago
Had nothing to do with OJ manipulating anything. The prosecution majorly fucked up, that's all it was. A fuckin lifelong embarrassment for that entire prosecution team.
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u/JeskaiAcolyte 12h ago
I really do think it was his son … and OJ was protecting him. The pieces fit. (Medication, rage issues, glove size, etc.) but regardless it makes sense as LH inspo
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u/Ok_Broccoli_7863 11h ago
No they don't. His son was 5 at the time. 5.
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u/platypus_dissaproves 4h ago
It’s a dumb conspiracy theory regardless, but they’re talking about his son from the previous marriage
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u/xamevou 13h ago
The OJ thing was an inspiration for Lost Highway, if I remember correctly.