When various news sources reported that Casey Anthony was found not guilty of the killing of her two-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, the general public went berserk. Those belonging to the “public court of opinions” were furious—many of them even arguing that Anthony carried as much guilt as O.J. Simpson did when it was ruled that the “jury must acquit if the glove don’t fit.”
People all over the United States took to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube and all other means of social networking to discuss their outrage. What about the smelly trunk? What about the fact that she was out partying, living “la bella vita,” while her poor two-year old Caylee went missing for 31 days? And what about the chloroform, the cover-ups, the fact that she doesn’t cry when they talk about how Caylee was killed? Our legal system has committed an injustice against us, everyone agreed.
Throughout all the frenzy of anger and outrage, though, it’s impossible to look at the many reactions and n
ot recall times when people, very much like bloodthirsty savages, called for the heads of those they deemed guilty. We might as well still be living in the time of witch-hunts and guillotines, because even with 12 jurors and an entire state court system, most Americans find the verdict unacceptable. Even the media, with all its pundits, experts and lawyers, participates in encouraging the public to believe that Casey Anthony must have killed her child. We’re bombarded with headlines like “Was Justice Served?” and “Did the Casey Anthony Jury Get it Right?” With messages such as these, why wouldn’t we believe that the trial’s outcome was more than unfair?Of course, there isn’t enough evidence to prove that Anthony did kill her daughter, or even that she didn’t kill her, that’s not the issue at hand. What is really of concern is that an entire nation has forgotten the laws that make our country work. What happened to the idea that people in this country are guilty until proven innocent? Would we rather convict people based on gut emotion and circumstantial evidence or uphold the legal system inspired by our forefathers, a legal system tweaked and tuned by democratic principles? Isn’t this the system WE believe in? Or is it that we have forgotten, because of all the chaos, that there exists a system that protects us from injustice?
What are your thoughts? Do you think the hyper-sensationalizing of this issue has duped us into accepting Casey Anthony as guilty because of the bad image they’ve painted of her? This is a good time to remember what we learned in class last Wednesday. Put those good skills to use!
