How O.J. Simpson burned the Ford Bronco into America's collective memory
The Ford Bronco initially was conceived and designed for rugged outdoorsy types, a two-door means of escape to nature from the bustling cities of mid-century America.
But it had already been tamed and polished for suburbanites, with cruise control and air conditioning, by 1994 when O.J. Simpson cowered in the back of one, a handgun to his temple, as patrol cars followed it for about two hours in the California twilight.
The model was discontinued two years later. But the Bronco — or at least that white Bronco — became one of America’s most iconic automobiles after the slow-speed chase on the Los Angeles freeways that played out on TV screens before an audience of millions, a moment that was seared indelibly into the nation’s cultural memory.
“Kids who were born in the 2000s, even they know that’s O.J.,” Marcus Collins, a University of Michigan marketing professor, said of his students. “It’s just as salient as me showing the Twin Towers on fire. It definitely became etched in the zeitgeist because of all the contextual associations that we applied to it.”
Related articles
‘The Blue Angels,’ filmed for IMAX, puts viewers in the ‘box’ with the elite flying squad
If you’re looking for a little bit of that “ Top Gun: Maverick ” spectacle and thrill at the movie t2024-05-21Inheritor creates ceramic work to celebrate upcoming Asian Games
(People's Daily Online) 13:44, August 08, 2023Volleyball players perform spike jumps and ocean waves2024-05-21French president calls again for ceasefire in Gaza
PARIS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron has called again for an immediate and p2024-05-21China making efforts to boost employment: Minister
China's Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Wang Xiaoping speaks at a press conferen2024-05-21Everybody may love Raymond, but Ray Romano loves Peter Boyle
NEW YORK (AP) — “Baffling” is how Ray Romano calls the continued success of “Everybody Loves Raymond2024-05-21Inheritor creates ceramic work to celebrate upcoming Asian Games
(People's Daily Online) 13:44, August 08, 2023Volleyball players perform spike jumps and ocean waves2024-05-21
atest comment