Jay Leno was in town again, with much attendant hoopla. It strikes me as interesting that a man could make his name in late-night television by spoofing double homicide (the Simpson/Goldman murders) and still be considered a “nice guy.”
His “Dancing Itos” became a national phenomenon, something he mimics even today with similar groups such as the “Dancing Rodmans,” who appeared during Leno’s last visit to Chicago. Would Judge Ito have been less amusing had he not been Asian? And would Marcia Clark been less ripe for lampooning if she hadn’t been a woman? O.J. Simpson’s criminal trial was a farce, but no matter how you look at it, double homicide is just not funny. I am surprised that victim-support groups do not protest Leno’s appearances or at the very least come forth in the news media to denounce the trivialization of such crimes via these allegedly humorous skits.
While there is always a need for humor in this world, there is also a need for respect, restraint and, most of all, compassion.
Katrine Poe
