No Longer Oscar Victorius

Witnessing the image of tears streaming down the face of a ruined man; this painfully tragic scene showcases a man isolated in court at the epicentre of a horrific nightmare.

As the bail hearing draws close and speculation regarding the trial builds, it is unsurprising to hear comparisons being drawn between Oscar Pistorius and O.J. Simpson, the infamous American sportsman controversially acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife. In the eyes of the televised global audience at this time, the latter was viewed as having committed murder in cold blood. 

Almost twenty years later, worldwide spectators today will certainly cast hawk-like glares upon Oscar Pistorius’ defence lawyer willing him to argue that the trigger was pulled during a period where he suffered a marred perception of reality. It is undoubtedly this empathy being demonstrated towards the accused that appears dissimilar to the case in 1995, as South Africans and sports fans alike are trying in vain to find reason, justification or excuses to explain this pitiful circumstance of a man once held in such heroic esteem.

It is this moral crisis ringing alarm bells in those that dare venture into feeling compassion for Oscar Pistorius, even in its remotest sense, that risk the self-imposed guilt of allowing his vast sporting achievements to cast shadow upon the loss of Reeva Steenkamp’s life. This man’s emphatic fight to be judged as an able bodied individual in the sporting world should now be echoed in the courtroom, where his crime should be arbitrated fairly and justly diminishing any regard for his status. 

As a symbol of South Africa’s future and the nation’s shared dreams, the Paralympic champion had proved successful in superficially diverting attention on the world stage away from the widely held negative publicity the country has received in regards to violent crime in recent years.

It is for these reasons that many have appeared to draw logic behind Oscar Pistorius’ actions; it softens the burden of acknowledging that this idolised figure has plummeted from the pedestal where he had been so firmly placed.