Sunday, July 10, 2011

What the Casey Anthony Verdict’s Reaction Says About America

I am going to make a lot of generalizations in this post, and I make them with the assumption that the reader acknowledges that I am not implying absolutes, only trends.

I get the impression that America is pissed off at Casey Anthony.


But frankly, I’m not interested in discussing the verdict itself or even how I feel about it. If you’re curious, I don’t think she killed her daughter, though I see how it’s certainly a possibility, and I’m a little upset that she wasn’t found guilty of hiding and disposing of a body (as I feel the evidence is overwhelming that she did at least this much).

Instead of that, I’m more interested in discussing what this means about America. After the Simpson trial in the 90’s, it was an interesting view into the American psyche. You had some black people rejoicing, some white people nodding in approval, and outraged people of every sort. There were people saying he got off for being black, for being famous, for being rich, because the police department was racist… there was so much involved.

I imagine a superficial liberal with real insight would have been particularly conflicted. Do you side with the him because he’s black, or against him because he’s rich? And likewise if you’re conservative: do you support him because he’s rich, or condemn him because he’s black?

Of course, these amusing political caricatures don’t take the trial itself into the account, let alone the events leading up to it. Most of the people I know who were old enough to remember OJ speeding away in the white Bronco just assumed from that moment he was guilty. Innocent men don’t run, after all. Even those who praise the verdict often admit he probably killed his wife and Ron Goldman.

In the end, however, I found the OJ trial too divisive, while this recent Anthony trial has had an essentially unifying effect on the nation.

And what an enemy to rally against: a young, white party-girl. It’s like the nation was able to put Paris Hilton or Britney Spears on trial.

I have looked and I have found some, but I see very little support for Casey Anthony. Primarily, I see any support for the verdict in the form of basically defending the system itself or attempting to delve into the ramifications of “reasonable doubt,” but not a lot of people claiming Casey Anthony was innocent. In fact, many of these articles which don’t outright condemn the verdict make the point that there is a difference between “not guilty” and “innocent,” a not-so-subtle swipe at Anthony.

I haven’t seen young people, women, or white people speaking out in support of Casey Anthony. I don’t see liberal black people feeling shamed into defending her because she’s white. I don’t see really anyone whose opinion carries any weight even support Casey Anthony, and only a very sparse and halfhearted defense mounted by a few cynics and skeptics in the blogosphere.

It’s interesting that in these polarizing times, we can still pretty much all come together to burn a witch.

24 comments:

  1. It's that "burn a witch" part that bothers me. We're a nation of Nancy Graces. Justice isn't the object at all. We're mad and, by God, somebody needs to get hurt. It doesn't matter that skewering Casey Anthony won't do a bit of good in the wide world, we just want watch her burn.

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  2. @mikespeir - I agree. I know nothing about the case, basically because I can't stand the sensationalism I see in most media sources, but I was disgusted by the vitriol I saw in facebook statuses against this woman. I had to stay off the computer for a while. I can't say anything for what I think of the verdict, but I was horrified that so many people could wish such brutality and violence (including rape) against a perfect stranger, and plainly announce it on facebook.

    I don't care what she did; nobody deserves such horrific "punishment," and of course nobody cares that it won't solve a damn thing even if she did get the death penalty. They want a scapegoat to blame all society's on. It's pure sadistic bloodlust.

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  3. >It’s interesting that in these polarizing times, we can still pretty much all come together to burn a witch.

    Amen :)

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  4. Cynthia Mills7/13/2011 10:26 PM

    The mom lied and lied and lied - no one wants to burn the bitch but only to see justice done for that precious little girl. How did the mom she get off? She got off telling LIES! I have done research on little Caylee's case - the little child is the important one - not the bitch burning. The most monsterous act was the little heart sticker on the duct tape that was wrapped around little Caylee's mouth and nose. That little sticker makes the mom a monster...

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  5. You mention the lying a lot... but she was convicted of lying. Do you know something I don't that makes you so certain Casey killed her daughter?

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  6. Cynthia Mills7/13/2011 10:34 PM

    Punishment? A little girl was thrown away in a garbage bag with duct tape and a f*ing heart sticker around her little nose and mouth! and left to rot in a car! and dumped! It is that heart sticker that is so cruel - the stickers were Caylee's! Let's just put some duct tape around the mom's mouth and put her in that same trunk just for an hour or two - oh yeah, don't forget a little sticker to make it so pretty.

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  7. Obviously you wanted charges filed in connection with the stickers...

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  8. Cynthia Smith7/13/2011 10:43 PM

    I have read the reports and depositions. The first time she was bailed out the people who bailed her were in constant contact with the mom. Read that. Also read the depos that her friends gave to the detectives. She told all her friends LIES about little Caylee. I have listened to the two intial interrogations - OMG why would a mom lie like that and show no concern that her child was missing unless she already knew there was no hope. The lies the mom tells are so ... outrageous! I would be beyond myself with grief! None of her friends knew Caylee was missing - the mom didn't do anything but lie! The mom was missing too! Thank God for Gma who had the smarts to call 911 immediately upon finding the monster.

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  9. OMG why would a mom lie like that and show no concern that her child was missing unless she already knew there was no hope.

    Because her child died accidentally and she feared the consequences?

    Lying is not murder, nor does it prove murder.

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  10. Cynthia Mills7/13/2011 10:49 PM

    I am so shocked that a "Not Guilty" was found on all counts but the lies. As a MOTHER, I am shocked at the way the mom lied when her child was "missing." I am shocked that a woman - a mom - could be so callous and lie and PARTY when her child was "kidnapped" or "drowned" missing or dead! I am shocked!

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  11. This is why it's generally a bad idea to look at anything like a mother, and instead just look at it in an unbiased fashion. You save a lot of stress, and you come off sounding less emotional (and using less exclamation points).

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  12. All the "circumstantial" evidence was overwhelming! The mom's car was abandoned and found with the proof of a body that decomposed because it stank sooo bad. READ the case and so many lies then make a comment. You will be shocked. I researched the detectives depos and listened to the mom on the detectives recordings. A monster liar.

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  13. Do you even know what "murder" means?

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  14. Why did she LIE? Before you comment READ and listen to the mom's interrogation! I am a HUMAN being with feelings for a little girl that was murdered.

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  15. Again, I ask: do you know what "murder" means?

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  16. GET REAL!Let's assume a child was missing...How would a truthful person act? In an unbiased a calm way? Please try to think if this were your child or very young relative.

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  17. I'll ask one more time before I just start ignoring you.

    Do you know what "murder" means?

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  18. I know that a little precious girl was murdered. Caylee is no longer alive and was found with duct tape around her nose and mouth in a garbage bag - that is murder. Oh and with a pretty little sticker on the duct tape that was around little Caylee's mouth. Murder.

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  19. You can't even read. Please go "murder" yourself.

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  20. I changed my mind. I decided to insult you instead, you stupid hag.

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  21. The defintion of murder is the unlawful premediated killing of one human being by another.

    The jury was uncapable of using logic and deductive reasoning when they were given the circumstantial evidence. The juey will always be known and the jury that made the wrong decision.

    BTW, I watched the entire trial live from 9am-to end of day, Saturdays too. Ignored the media. I was a juror via online and I was able to connect the dots.
    There was enough circumstantial evidence. Plus beyond reasonable doubt does not mean beyond all reason to doubt.

    Hey , OJ is in jail, so really, it all works out in the end.

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  22. please excuse the spelling errors, long day!

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  23. I realize this is an old post, but I'll give it a whirl. The thing about Casey Anthony is, like others have said, she is obviously guilty of something in regards to the murder. There's too many unanswered questions, the big two in my opinion being: 1. Why did she make up the nanny and working at Universal if she wasn't trying to cover up or hide something? 2. Why did she party hard during those 30 days her daughter was missing and not one phone call to the police was made? In my opinion, I believe the chloroform theory. I think she had been chloroforming Caylee for a while so she could go out and party and one time accidentally gave her too much. I believe it was an accident. The media has made it easier to critically judge people, but Casey Anthony doesn't "deserve" any of my pity or support. Somewhere down the line, she did something wrong, and now a little girl is dead.

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