November 13 1995

ARTICLE TOOLS

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The verdict in the O. J. Simpson case has fascinated Americans like very few things in recent memory. The "Fortune 500" industry that was the analysis of the trial has given way to another industry scrutinizing the verdict. For Christians, something transcends the question of one man's guilt or innocence, as important as that is.

The reaction to the trial and the verdict make it clear that trust is missing in 1990s America. Without such trust, the rule of law, which is the heart of the American experiment in self-government, is not possible.

Trust, as defined by Francis Fukuyama, is the expectation that members of a group will put the good of the group ahead of selfish, narrow parochial interests, especially interests based on race or ethnicity. Without trust, there is no rational or moral basis to allow anything but force to resolve disputes.

When Marcia Clark stated on a CNN broadcast that "a majority-black jury won't convict in a case like this; they won't bring justice," her comments echoed the feeling of millions of Americans.

Why don't we trust each other? Why is there a deep split in black and white opinion about the verdict? There is more going on here than "racial solidarity." We are a nation of people who, in Robert Putnam's words, "bowl alone." We've mastered the art of living lives that rarely intersect with those of our neighbors'. We don't have communities anymore. We have a series of tribes living parallel lives. This is especially true in matters of race.

While Mark Fuhrman's racism stunned many white Americans, few African-Americans were surprised. For most Americans, interaction with people outside their own group is so foreign, they might as well apply for visas. Some defend this racial ...