oj

David Kirshner (CIKIRS who-is-at lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu)
Tue, 03 Oct 95 13:14:45 CDT

Hello XMCA.
The recent acquittal of O J Simpson is bound to have lasting
reprecussions on the judicial and criminal justice systems in the USA.
But I suspect that the debate will also come to encompass social
values and educational priorities more broadly. The issue of
what constitutes "reasonable doubt" is heavily value- and culture-
laden. On the one hand there is an analytic approach that recognizes
that reading the evidence as pointing towards a frameup needs to
take into account _all_ of the major pieces of evidence against OJ.
On the other hand one can have deep-seated doubts about the honesty
and credibility of L.A. Police Department (in general) that are
confirmed by successfully calling into question just one major
piece of material evidence. The ways in which educational systems
prepare citizens to consider and evaluate data are central to maintaining
a coherent notion of justice in our society.
David Kirshner
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge LA USA 70803.