Bill Cosby has more harsh words for black community

[RitaZ.]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/07/01/cosby.comments.ap/index.html

Any thoughts on this?

 

[AirForceRocks]

I say good for Bill Cosby!!

 

[palmtreegirl]

I think he's right and I'm happy that he's speaking out.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I do not think that Bill Cosby is saying this to hurt his race, he just wants to help. I understand when he talks about bad grammar. There is a lady I work with that always says "axe" instead of "ask" She is highly educated and I just don't get why she refuses to speak correctly.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I listened to him on the news this evening (he was here in Chicago) and I thought he was hitting the target right in the bullseye. He said is well.

 

[dmadman43]

Originally posted by tiggersmom2
I do not think that Bill Cosby is saying this to hurt his race, he just wants to help. I understand when he talks about bad grammar. There is a lady I work with that always says "axe" instead of "ask" She is highly educated and I just don't get why she refuses to speak correctly.

My manager does the same thing. He has a Masters in CS from MIT and says "aks" instead of "ask". Smart guy. Great guy. I cringe every time he says it. It really does hinder him in meetings sometimes, unfortunately.

 

[RitaZ.]

double post

 

[RitaZ.]

"For me there is a time ... when we have to turn the mirror around," he said. "Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in your hole you're sitting in."

To me that paragraph says it all and it's not just relevant to black people.

Tiggermom2~ I agree with what you are saying about Bill Cosby.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Touche'! I think many people look up to him. Hopefully, they'll really consider what he said.

 

[KrnB]

He's absolutely right. And for once, I actually like something that Jesse Jackson is doing in his support for what Cosby is saying.

And yes, Cosby does have the best interest of the black community as a whole at heart.

He's always been someone I've respected. He carries himself with such dignity and class.

 

[2BigKIdz]

Good for Bill. I totally agree with him. But this could be applied to our whole society, there are plenty of whites with poor grammar, sometimes I think they are speaking a different language. We all need to take responsibility for our own lives and cannot blame what happened to our races 25, 50 and 100 years ago for how our lives are today.

 

[Pongo69]

Everything Bill said is sooo true. It's time out for people to stop blaming others for their laziness. God blessed us all with the will and ability to make something of ourselves. He didn't put a man on the corner to sit on his azz all day waiting for handouts. Nor did God put females on this earth to shell out babies at the drop of a dime.

Now before anyone get their britches in a bunch "I'm a black woman who happens to agree with everything Bill Cosby said. Believe me black people as a whole are sick and tired of the small percentage of Black Americans who think the world owe them something because of their skin color. They sure as hell weren't slaves back in the day so in my book you either get off your azz and do something or continue to be your own worst enemy.

This goes for any person in any race who complains about someone holding them down.

 

[MScott1851]

Local leaders in the African-American community here are "outraged and saddened" by Mr. Cosby's statement. It even made the news last month when he made the initial remarks...

Of course, I live in Memphis, the most racially divided and backwards city on the face of the earth, where both mayors, 90% of the city council and the city school board, and 3/4 of the population are black, yet every day I hear about how the white people of this city and America in general are to blame for the crime, lack of jobs, and poverty that is rampant here.

Just an example of what Mr. Cosby is talking about? Our lovely mayor actually stood up and said "Don't start no ****, won't be no ****" in a city council meeting this year....

Of course, ignorance isn't limited by race...my own extended family has enough poor white trash to fill a Nascar infield!

 

[IamTink]

I'm glad he said it. He is respected by all nationalities. He's right and it needed to be said by anyone that isn't caucasian so it wouldn't be interpreted as a white thing. I think he will have a great influence with the people he is targeting in his speaking.

 

[KimRaye]

BRAAAAVO Bill Cosby!! I've enjoyed him and his humor, and his serious side, for many years!!

Originally posted by 2BigKIdz
But this could be applied to our whole society, there are plenty of whites with poor grammar, sometimes I think they are speaking a different language.

ITA

And, I also give JJ some praise. I've never witnessed this kind of acknowledgement by him...and, I see him often.

WOW! I'm still really surprised by BC's bold statements, JJ's reply, and that this thread hasn't been bashed yet. jmo

 

[Fooboy]

I'm in full admiration to Cosby! Takes some guts to reveal some truth in today's society!...especially when it comes to his own race. Hats off to you Bill!

Foobs

 

[AZKathy]

Originally posted by Fooboy
I'm in full admiration to Cosby! Takes some guts to reveal some truth in today's society!...especially when it comes to his own race. Hats off to you Bill!

Foobs

Couldn't have said it better, myself!

 

[Robinrs]

Bill Cosby is only saying in public what many of my people say daily in private....

I am, as Pongo69 pointed out, a black woman who has not just THOUGHT this for years, I LIVED it. I majored in Speech and English, I honor the way I represent myself by word and language and on a daily basis I see it destroyed and emulated by a society that holds up "hoodlumism" as the RIGHT way to speak.... Huh???

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. I learned EARLY that the way you speak makes a difference in how you present yourself. In the 80s being a "gangsta" became more important than the representative shown every week on the Cosby Show. I was disgusted and saddened by this. I think Bill took time and money to depict another side of the Black Community, the side that was NOT shown regularly on television, and I think the popular music and videos took this vision BACK several steps.

Back in the 70s John Amos was fired from Good Times because he was disgusted by the depiction of JJ. He spoke out on it but JJ continued on acting the buffoon and continued being the star of the show. This is NOT a new issue in our community. It's just now entering YOURS.

I also agree with the others that there are class levels within every race. Mr. Cosby is bringing up his own because it affects him. It affects me, too.

Will it make a difference? I doubt it. The youngsters who live this will see him as a "father figure" who doesn't get it, the way they look at me when I grimace when they speak. The parents will ALL agree with him but heck, we've been fightng this fight forEVER.

BTW, I have a HUGE family and I can only name 2 people that fit this stereotype. I also believe they will outgrow it because of their ages. Thank God for that.

 

[mskani]

My dh and I were just talking about this very subject a couple of days ago. Bill's statements were right on target. It is very disheartening to see that so many young people take education for granted. If anyone is interested, Earl G. Graves, Sr., publisher of Black Enterprise magazine, talks about a related issue in this month's issue.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Bravo to Dr. Cosby! And bravo to Rev. Jackson for supporting him.

It'll be interesting to see if more high-profile blacks -- such as Denzel Washington, P. Diddy, Oprah, Colin Powell, and various members of Congress -- step up to support Bill Cosby's statements and what kind of an effect that has on the black community.

MScott, Memphis almost sounds like Richmond. A majority black city with an ineffectual city council hobbled by repeated corruption (two indictments against council members in the last two years alone) and a mayor appointed by the council from among their ranks. The General Assembly recently passed a bill allowing for a mayor-at-large elected by the people, who voted 4-1 in favor of it in a referendum, and an election will happen this year. Richmond even has its own "Bill Cosby" running -- former Gov. Douglas Wilder, who fought for the mayor-at-large, isn't afraid to tell it like it is, and is running against the current appointed mayor, who spoke out against the at-large referendum. Ought to make for an interesting campaign.