Why the outrage about O.J.?

Within the next week or so, Fox Television is going to air an interview with O.J. Simpson. The reason for the interview is to promote a book "he wrote" which describes how he would have killed his ex-wife and her friend if he were "actually" going to do it.

My initial impression of Fox TV agreeing to do this was disgust, followed very shortly with, "Well, if any company would agree to air this, it would be Fox." Has any station done more to completely lower the bar on taste in television than Fox? They are the network of the human trainwreck. And how does Fox Television really co-exist with FoxNews?

Then I thought of O.J.'s obsession to remain in the limelight. This guy is really a psychological mess. He goes from killing two people (please don't tell me you believe he didn't do it), claiming he had nothing to do with it, claiming love for Nicole and their children, to now writing a book on how he would do it? I'll say this - if I were one of his Floridian neighbors, I'd be listing my house and taking whatever offers come my way. He is a whack job.

But what has gotten my attention is all the "outrage" being expressed on television and radio. Every show has segments on how outrageous this interview is, how ridiculous O.J. is for doing this, how money-hungry Judith Reagan is for publishing this book, etc. Invariably the conversation turns to money and how ashamed they are that these people would do what they are doing simply for money.

These radio and television personalities are so full of hypocrisy I can't stand it! If they are so outraged, why are they talking about it? Some say "well, it's news, and I can't choose the news, but I am obligated to talk about it." That is such a load of manure. They are talking about it for the same reason Simpson authored the book, Reagan published the book, Fox agreed to air the program - for MONEY!!! If they talk about it, people listen to their shows. Why else is O'Reilly on the air? Why else was Katie lured to CBS? To lure listeners and viewers because those ears and eyes mean money. And since this is sweeps time in the media, these folks are doing exactly what they are accusing Simpson, Reagan and Fox of doing.

And then there are the callers to the programs. They too are expressing outrage. I find this equally humorous. They are watching another car chase, train wreck, tragedy play out in front of them. Why do news programs go live on car chases? Because people watch, hoping there will be some sort of violent, tragic end. We have become a nation of bored people, so we eagerly tune in to the next conflict that hits the airwaves. Do you really think people are watching American Idol to see who can sing? Of course not - it's about Simon and how he will tear into the talent-less singers in front of him. Are millions watching NASCAR for four hours to watch cars drive in circles? No, it's to see a 10-car pile-up on the Talladega SuperSpeedway.

If we're so outraged, why are we talking about it? If we're so offended, why are we watching? Sadly, the ratings for this interview will be sky-high. And as a result, the next time there is a tragic murder (let's see - the Menendez brothers, Scott and Lacy Peterson, Chandra Levy, etc.), the news and talk shows will go 24/7 once again. Because people tune in. Because it makes money.

We're really no different than those from Roman times, going to the gladiator shows. We crave violence and destruction. We go to see the lion maul the man. We watch to witness the gladiator destroy a prisoner. The more, the merrier. Why else would there be a Saw III?

If you are really outraged, then quit calling, quit watching, quit listening. It's really not that hard to do.