When I first saw the article Saga of OJ Still Alters Our Lives by Mitch Albom, I did not buy into the arguement Albom makes that the OJ Simpson trial was the most important event of the 1990s. While other events of the '90s also influence the world today, reading Albom's article convinced me that the trial should be counted with them.
Saga of OJ cites short term effects of the trial like Americans glued to their televisions and the world slowing down to watch OJ's trial. Many major news events cause this type of reaction, like the death of a well-known celebrity. But Albom also digs deeper into the long lasting social effects of the 1994 trial.
Albom makes a claim that the OJ Simpson trial caused Americans to mistrust the cops, the legal system, and different races. The judiciary and law enforcement systems were both accused of racial profiling toward Simpson's alleged murder of his caucasian ex-wife. Once the jury decided in favor of Simpson, "whites and blacks moved to opposite sides of the room". With this observation, Albom proves that, even if just for a while, the trial separated American whites and blacks socially. Albom's thorough research and analysis of the effect of the trial proves it was a major, if not the most important, event of the 1990s.
