Every age has its favorite crime, the crime it loves to hate and that sends a delightful shiver of disgust down its spine. Once it was the white slave trade; now it is pedophilia. That is why the Michael Jackson case will capture the attention of the whole world, while matters of much greater intrinsic moment are neglected. Here is where celebrity culture will meet moral indignation: Could the viewer at home ask for anything more?
Every man is innocent until proven guilty, of course, but if the O. J. Simpson trial is anything to go by, proof will have very little to do with Jackson’s trial. It will be more a battle of prejudices than an inquiry into what actually happened; and the lawyer who appeals more successfully to the emotions of the jurors will win. The majesty of the law will bow to the necessity for the show to go on.
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