The National Enquirer can't let go of the idea that O.J. Simpson is being assaulted and harassed in prison.
The rumor made the rounds anew this week, with several media outlets picking up the tabloid's sensational story (headline: O.J. Beaten Unconscious in Brutal Prison Attack!). According to the Enquirer, Simpson was beaten "to a bloody pulp" by fellow inmates at Nevada's Lovelock Correctional Center after a group of white supremacists overheard him bragging about his "sexual conquests of beautiful white women."
In 2007, Simpson began serving a nine-year sentence for his alleged involvement in an armed confrontation in Las Vegas.
There are a few problems with the Enquirer's story: First, it's not true. Lovelock spokesman Steve Suwe told Surge Desk, "None of that happened. We've talked to him, we know where he's at, he's physically fine." He added that Simpson "just does his time. He's not a big issue for us and the inmates."
Second, the Enquirer was caught chasing a similar tale just over a year ago.
Some white folks at National Enquirer wished that someone had beaten the crap out of OJ in prison and that he languished in a prison hospital for weeks! I did not buy the story from the getgo. It was too insulated and sure enough other media are NOW questioning the veracity of the National Enquirer story that has OJ beaten bloody by skinheads. While that is not out of the realm of possibility it seems that it simply did not happen.
The story was picked up by other outlets. So, was it just a slow news day, or was it white folks wishful thinking? What really puts it into the realm of self-fullfilling prophecy is the fact that this is a rerun from 2009.
Many might remember the media circus surrounding the original trial. Against the odds I told my friends black and white that OJ would be acquitted. They were dumbfounded at my assessment but that's how I saw it. The final verdict was nonetheless a jolt. No one knew it would divide the country right along color lines. Black folks know that we have come a long way. But time lost can never be regained. Perhaps OJ is just a never-ending metaphor for black folks who can't seem to get ahead even when they get away with murder. That didn't come out right, you know what I mean. It's a messy metaphor just like life.
L