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Post by abisai on May 30, 2004 11:11:06 GMT -5
I remember Bill Cosby for a few things. One was Picture Pages, Picture Pages, time to grab your pens and you're pencils. Another is hey hey hey IT's FAAAAAAT ALBERT. Of course, the TV shows ehere he portrayed successful black people and a nice black family. Then there was the support for Tawanna fuking Brwaley and we all thought he was an idiot, but he made some Jello-pop commercials and we forgave his insane involvement in that scandal. That was all a backdrop that led to his appearance at an event celebrating the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation decision. What followed was Bill Cosby flipping the script. I heard about this on conservative talk radio a while ago and thought maybe dude was misquoted, but it's on Yahoo now and elsewhere, and he certainly was NOT misquoted: story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=5&u=/ap/20040529/ap_on_re_us/cosby_commentswww.courierjournal.com/localnews/2004/05/30ky/B1-cosby0530-9647.htmlCosby said while past generations fought and suffered for desegregation, many "lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting." He chided parents who buy $500 sneakers for their children "and won't spend $200 for (the reading program) Hooked On Phonics," and he scolded young African Americans for wearing sagging pants and speaking in slang he says he can't understand. "Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads, these people marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around, I can't even talk the way these people talk, 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... and I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk, and then I heard the father talk ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth." He also turned his attention to the population of black prison inmates, saying "These people are not political prisoners. ... People getting shot in the head over a piece of poundcake. ... We're outraged (saying) 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the poundcake in his hand?" In a statement issued the weekend after his remarks, Cosby said his comments were intended to be a call to action: "I feel that I can no longer remain silent. If I have to make a choice between keeping quiet so that conservative media does not speak negatively or ringing the bell to galvanize those who want change in the lower economic community, then I choose to be a bell ringer," he said. Haha, Cosby just shot down the entire eubonics argument in one fell swoop and added a well-placed comment about modern criminals having no relationship to former civil rights leaders. This is great. I'm going out to buy some Jello pops.
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Post by lower income guy on May 30, 2004 14:14:14 GMT -5
That was real!
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Post by Ken on May 30, 2004 15:14:19 GMT -5
I haven't like Bill Cosby for the longest time, thinking he was a racist because he constantly donates millions of dollars to black educational institutions and not a dime to regular or determined white colleges. However, my opinion has now done a complete 180 because he has put his money where his mouth is.
After spending millions of dollars to help improve his own race (something I have advocated many times in the past in the form of "police your own," i.e. look to your own people to fix your problems, not others) he has finally come to the realization that blacks need a lot more than just money for education, they need the desire to be educated, the work ethic to make something of themselves, the family support structure to turn out productive, decent human beings.
The black thug, gangster counter culture that blacks seem to be promoting in an effort to start their own soceity within the larger society of America, is hurting their own race, destroying it from the inside. The fact that blacks constantly and consistently promote this counter culture as something to be proud just speaks volumes of their ignorance, that they can't or refuse to see how it is hurting them, prohibiting them from becoming doctors, lawyers, or successful whatevers.
As Bill Cosby said, you can't be a doctor talking like, YO G, WAZ WRANG WITH YO APPENDICKIZ? Only blacks would go to see this doctor and chances are the guy would never get paid leaving him broke and out of business.
So I'm proud of Bill for standing up and telling it like it is. It is unfortunate that only a black man could really say things like that and have it have a ripple effect through the black community. If a white guy said it, he would be deemed racist (nothing wrong with that in my book anyway) and no attention would be paid to him. Unfortunately, you know the blacks are now saying that Bill is a sell-out to the "MAN." More ignoble ignorance.
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Post by Mr Plaigarism on May 30, 2004 15:17:00 GMT -5
It is interesting to see how the black community is reacting. Some begrudginly acknowledged what he said. They know they must reevaluate their lives in order to turn their lives around. That makes sense. Self examination is something we all can benefit from. This group is their best hope. And of course, some was the same old crap. They won't listen to Bill because he doesn't know anything about their plight - he's a millionaire --- blah blah blah. These ignorami don't realize that Cosby grew up in the projects and was poor, and actually made something of himself. --- or maybe they just don't want to realize that people have to make themselves into something - too much pressure. The most interesting, though, was the mixed reaction, which took some of Cosby's new enlightenment and mixed it with the same old prejudice crap - example: On one website, a woman posted that Cosby was right and that blacks should take more charge of their lives, etc. - which made sense.... but in the same post she continued that once blacks righted themselves they could then get out from under the thumbs of whitey who make millions of dollars off the backs of blacks..... We are not the same..... Blacks are a different people and they should not try to emulate white society.... etc. I totally got a kick out of how she took a reasonable argument and got it arse backwards. My mouth was agape. None of those things she said made any sense. Welfare people get money from taxpayers, and "Whitey" is definitely not making any money on that deal. Hell, gov't raises real estate taxes and NOT sales taxes - which would actually spread out the burden to EVERYONE - and not just homeowners. In addition, black leaders exploit their own people and take their money without whitey's help (i.e. Al Sharpton). BET is black owned and fills blacks' heads with visions of debauchery, and makes a lot of $$$$ doing so. How is that whitey's fault? Also, blacks don't try to emulate white America. Quite the opposite - the Hip-Hop movement goes out of it's way to avoid such things. For example - white America = quiet neighborhood with children playing on clean streets. Hip-Hop America = loud cranking, oppressive so-called music in a neighborhood with crack-dealers and children playing around bums and piles of feces. Why do blacks think whites are keeping them down? Are we getting some sort of benefit? I don't think so. It doesn't benefit us to have our tax money taken away in great quantities and given to people who hang around on a street corner all day. Also, uneducated people who cannot get jobs actually hurts our economy. Plus, run-down neighborhoods really destroy property values and run taxpayers out of declining cities - WHERE ARE THE BENEFITS OF OPPRESSING THE BLACKS? THERE ARE NONE. It would benefit us ALL if all people were successful. We'd have safe places to live, enough educated employees to bring this country to the future, and we wouldn't be spending so much money on taxes. AAARRRGGGHHHH! So frustrating that we are still to blame for the failures of others! It seems to show that anti-white sentiment is deeply entrenched in the black American mentality.
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Post by abisai on May 31, 2004 11:01:49 GMT -5
Yeah, when I say: "I wonder how many Negros Bil Cosby put through college" that is deemed racist. yet the money for this is from the Negro College Fund, that's the freaking name, but I cannot use it because I am whitey. I always thought of Cosby as basically Mr. Negro College Fund. Which is what makes this a total credible source within the black community. When Chris Rock said black people have a civil war between normal black folk and niggas it was taken as a joke. But there is truth to it. There is an incredibly popular anti-anything sentiment that boggles everyones mind, regardless of skin tone. That's about how I viewed "eubonics" - anti-English because of this anit-whatever sentiment. A bunch of crap and even more crap to be called racist for opposing it.
Anyhow, great point about white people not gaining from black people being impoverished, especially when you consider the safety, health care, and economic benefits to be reaped from a greater advancement of their people. I take it the consenus then it just a matter of either them earning that or getting it for free, with the majority falling on the side of rugged individualism. That is good old American core value.
It is just odd to me that things get boiled down into blacks v. whites. There's at least as many Hispanics as blacks. Many don't even speak English. But I don't perceive this same anti-white claim of oppression. It is good for Bill Cosby to hold black people accountable for black people. He has done a lot for their community in terms of setting a good example, sharing his wealth, and promoting education. I don't blame him for being frustrated after thirty years of work along those lines and a deterioration of the black education that he has worked hard to promote. His dollar was on the line, so he has every right to say whatever the hell he wants to.
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Post by Rob G on May 31, 2004 13:02:35 GMT -5
WOW,
What a thread. First off let me say I love Bill Cosby. The Cosby show was awesome. I watched it and not relising it influenced me on how i felt a father and family should act. It did not occur to me when i was a child that they were black and and different and thus the lessons the show taught did not apply to me. Theo would do something stupid and Mr Huckstable would teach him not to lie and why not to. Later i learned Cosby wanted to do the show to create a positive example for blacks and black familyes. You know the dad was a doctor, the om a lawyer. But i as a child reaped some of those benefits intended for black kids. However there were many white shows doing the same thing. Hell even GI joe had lessons in it. But black child are almost programmed to resist any thing "Whity" says. So the Cosby show was especially important for them. But like I feel i was probably affected by the cosby show it makes me wonder how many young black kids are indeed affected by rape music and the ethos of that culture. Stealing is good, slapping hoes is good, being Hoe is good. Definatly i think the worst facet of black culture is the idea that you dont ever accutually ahve to be accountable for anything you do cause chances are whitey mad you do it. Or you grew up ina bad enviroment and its OK if you do bad stuff. In fact your not really black unless you came from a really bad place and are capaable of doing really bad stuff.
The racial problems here i america are still really bad. And the only way to move beyond them is to have an OPEN and TRUE repoire about them. We cant fix probelsm we cant atlk about because they are Taboo and anything detrimental said about black culture is RACISM no matter how true it happens to be.
So i appreciate Bills comments and encourage to the course suggestions like his will take us on. I also feel like chris rocks social commentary presented through his comedy is entirely helpful aswell. Go Chris.
In the end personal accountability will solve alot of problems. Or atleast thats this crackers point of veiw. Until such time as Black culture is willing to relise and promote this I will just try and take care of me and mine and protect my family from dangerous folk.
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Post by JBOY on Jun 5, 2004 9:47:49 GMT -5
BILL COSBY IS THE ONLY BLACK MAN TO EVER GET MY COSIDERATION FOR PRES.
HE BASICALLY SAID"BLACK FOLKS OF TODAY HAVE NO EXCUSE ANYMORE FOR THERE LAZY PATHETIC FINGER POINTING LIVES.
STOP BLAMING THE WHITE MAN OF 100 YEARS AGO. SLAVERY IS OVER. ITS EASY TO BLAME PEOPLE FOR YOUR CRAPY LIFE BUT THE BLAME IS NOW ON THE BLACKPERSON ALONE.
SO LIKE I SAID FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS BLACK PEOPLE ARE THE REASON THERE IS RACISM TODAY. JBOY
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Post by abisai on Jul 13, 2004 0:43:21 GMT -5
I think this story is interesting. Cosby came out again recently and said even more along the same lines, backing himself up, NOT backing down. I don't think this is getting the press it deserves. If he were any other color this would be the f.ucking riot act nationally. But it's not PC to call out the black man for discussing race. If I said anything like this on TV I would be thrown in jail for slander. OK, fine, not really, but it would be outrageous and I would end up on the cover of the National Enquirer and it would be John Rocker times Tonya Harding plus a Bell Curve in the press field day.
And the best part to me is not that it's a credible message, but that it comes from a source credible to most people in our country. If Bill Cosby tells us to buy Jello-pops we listen.
The way this is covered reminds me of the Bush amnesty for immigrants stuff. Democrats can't criticize because that would put them at odds with worker's rights and open-mindedness and compassion. Republicans let it slide in the interest of their leaders and big business partners. It's not PC for the outsiders to attack, so the insider gets free reign and no one gives a damn. It's amazing.
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Post by Ken on Jul 15, 2004 9:29:30 GMT -5
This is Bill O'Reilly's weekly column. This week it once again spotlights Bill Cosby and the growing realization of the problem of the black counter culture.
Let's take the gloves off regarding this Bill Cosby deal. Recently, the entertainer has made a number of pointed comments about black America that engendered some loathing but, also, some applause. Cosby is correct when he says that moral standards have declined drastically among many African-Americans. For example, in 1969 the out-of-wedlock birth rate for black Americans stood at 35%, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In 2002 that rate was a shocking 68.2% as opposed to 28.5% for white Americans. With single black women now heading 54.4% of all African-American households, the seeds of social chaos are deeply planted.
But it was his analysis of black American culture that brought Cosby the most reaction. He openly derides blacks who refuse to become educated, who embrace anti-social attitudes, and who disrespect authority. Cosby understands that the ticket out of poverty is assimilation into the competitive system of capitalism that drives America. Failing to develop marketable skills will doom most Americans to a miserable life, and all the hollow promises of exploitative politicians will not change that.
Thus, the widespread acceptance of "gangsta rap," the "street life," and a posture of defiance by many black Americans has brought blight upon countless communities. The question is: Why does Bill Cosby have to lead this fight? Where is the black leadership in America?
The most visible black leader, Jesse Jackson, said this after listening to Cosby's remarks: "Bill is saying let's fight the right fight, let's level the playing field. Drunk people can't do that. Illiterate people can't do that." This is rich. Jackson has vilified me and a number of other white Americans for spotlighting the same things Cosby spoke about. Jackson has mostly disappeared in the face of the enormous cultural collapse in the black community; the last Jackson statement I could find where he publicly criticized gangsta rap was in 1997. Once upon a time, the Temptations and Four Tops contributed positive music that American of all colors embraced.
Now we have rapping thugs urging young people to sell drugs and disrespect women, while Jackson and most other black leaders stand mute, apparently hearing no evil.
Bill Cosby is wrong on some things. He continues to tell black Americans that whites will do the same things to them that their "grandfathers did." That is simply insulting to millions of non-black Americans who sincerely want African-Americans to prosper. Cosby preaches self-reliance, and that's a good thing. Many white Americans are afraid of blacks, and rather than engage them honestly, they patronize and flee. And forget about the politicians, they are clueless on both sides of the aisle. Democrats mostly want to throw money at social problems without strict oversight, and Republicans have absolutely no frame of reference when it comes to minority citizens. You can't solve a problem unless you understand it. When was the last time a Republican leader tried to understand the minority community in America?
The solution to reviving black culture and improving economic fortunes for African-Americans and, indeed, for all the poor, lies in providing disciplined education in the public schools. Forget about counting on parents, that's a pipe dream. The truth is that many parents are addicted to the pipe or the bottle or to pursuing an irresponsible life. Even Bill Cosby can't force a screwed up mother or father to be responsible.
But the public schools can be forced to give disadvantaged children a chance by doing the following:
- All public school children should wear uniforms. This sends a signal that the child is in school, a place that is different from the street.
- Students who fall behind academically should be placed into special tutorials beginning in the second grade. Students who consistently behave inappropriately will also be placed in special classes where socialization will be taught and counseling provided.
- Summer school will be mandatory for every student who fails the grade tests given at the end of each school year.
- Students who are truant will be sent to special "opportunity schools" where class sizes are small and individual attention will be paramount. Parents who cannot control their children vis-à-vis truancy may be charged with child neglect or lose the child altogether to social services.
That's the way to give disadvantaged children a chance to grow into productive adults. Bill Cosby has enough guts to point out the problems, but I'd be shocked if the powers that be in this country have enough courage to provide disciplined solutions. It's all too messy and too loaded with racial controversy. And so millions of American kids will continue to wander in a man-made social wilderness that should shame us all.
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