As I said in my last post, none of us can or will ever truly know the "truth" about what happened with Casey Anthony and her baby Caylee. But what became clear when the not guilty verdict was announced this week was that a great many people believe that justice was not served. And they are very, very angry about it.
Like everyone else, I was surprised by the verdict for two reasons: 1) all of the experts, based on the evidence they heard, believed she would be found guilty; 2) when a jury comes back immediately, the defendant is usually found guilty. It was certainly a surprise when the speedy turnaround resulted in a not guilty verdict. Obviously, there was not much argument among the jury about her guilt or lack of. Many people followed this trial closely and watched every twist and turn as attentively as any juror. I believe that people are particularly angry because based on what they saw and heard, justice most certainly was not served.
People are venting their anger in an outpouring of rage I haven't seen since OJ was acquitted of murdering Nicole. Everyone has their own view of how this trial should have gone and what the law defines as "reasonable doubt" and "justice." The feeling of helplessness, that we trial watchers had no input or control over the outcome only adds to our anger. Most of the millions of people watching the trial immediately formed very strong opinions about Casey, a young mother who compulsively lied and seemingly preferred partying to taking care of her child. These trial watchers had decided that she was guilty of murdering Caylee, and emotions have run very high. They wanted and fully expected to see her punished and paying the consequences for her actions.
Attorneys, legal analysts and experts everywhere, have attempted to quell frustration over the not guilty verdict by rattling off the specifics of what "reasonable doubt" is and why the jurors may have been "forced" to come to the verdict of "not guilty." Well, emotions defy logic, and many people feel that rules of the law in this case were wrong. Other trial watchers are outraged by this verdict because they struggle to do the right thing and abide by the law. I have been hearing people spout off about the supposed benefits of excessive lying as if they too can get away with whatever they want, being that Casey appears to literally be getting away with murder. Here Casey will walk out of the door of the prison scot-free, while the people who believe she is guilty continue to sit in the rage and frustration they are feeling.
Anger is not only an intellectual reaction; it is a physical one as well. Anger causes people to lash out, become overly emotional and react in ways they wouldn't normally behave. Anger is a typical reaction when people feel powerless, and people got so attached to this case, that they feel personally wronged by this verdict and got as angry as if it had happened to them.
In my experience, the best way to manage anger in a situation where you can't change the outcome is to channel it into something productive. That might be something as small as doing something special with your own child, or something more ambitious like helping other children in need. Sadly, children disappear and are murdered every single day. There's a great deal of talk and energy surrounding this verdict right now. I'd love to see people turn their energy into preventing another tragedy like this one.
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