OJ

Not since Desdemona's handkerchief in Shakespeare's 'Othello' has there been an article of clothing to rival it for drama except the infamous black 'murder' gloves belonging to OJ Simpson in one of the trials of the 20th 'American' century. Famously spoofed in Seinfeld's 'The Caddy' episode except with a bra instead of a glove, the key detail that led to OJ Simpson's acquittal became essentially a pre-internet meme.

But there was so much more going on in that notorious trial than the gloves. What was laid bare in that Los Angeles courtroom was a dissection of America's soul after a century of racially charged politics. In the end, the murder of a woman almost became an afterthought in the clamouring to win the cultural war for a city on the brink after the Rodney King riots of 1992. Like a tinderbox about to explode, the decision to find Simpson guilty felt as impactful and dangerous as someone dropping a live match onto the country and setting it ablaze.

The 2016 award winning documentary, 'O.J.: Made In America', expertly laid out all the many aspects of the case in both the Los Angeles court and the court of public opinion where the divergence no doubt led to the final conclusion of the trial - that of a 'not guilty' verdict.

Having watched the doc numerous times, I've often felt that the OJ Simpson trial itself was essentially a real life Great American Novel that contained all the multitudes required for such an accolade. It had the all-American hero, a black 'Gatsby', who broke down race and class barriers to transcend his background in the eyes of white America only to disgrace himself in the whitest of white neighbourhoods in Beverley Hills and find himself seeking support from the black community which had felt betrayed by OJ's ascension to the upper echelons. In the tug of war between black and white America over who would have the final say in OJ's tragic/heroic narrative, it would be OJ himself who had the last word.

His fatal flaw, that of possessing an anti-social personality, ultimately left him exposed as being his own worst enemy and one who weaponised both the white and black cultures of America to suit his needs at any given time depending on the personal dramas at hand.

In the end, he transcended race in both positive and negative ways and history will record that no discussion of America's internal race war can be had without the shadow of OJ looming large over it.

This American Othello had it all and lost it all.

And now he's dead.