I have never formally conveyed my thoughts concerning Bill Cosby and his personal tirade against questionable behavior exhibited by some within the Black underclass. My need to talk about this stems from recent comments in Afronerd in which certain individuals have likened my beliefs to those espoused by the Coz. I suspect that these remarks were meant to insult yours truly, but I will take them as a compliment. As many of you are probably aware, Dr. Cosby made some statements during a NAACP gala in 04'(commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Brown school desegregation case) that many in the media perceived as being out of character.
Essentially, Cosby stated that many in the Black underclass are not upholding their end of the bargain when it came to the sacrifices that were endured during the Civil Rights struggle. The countless out of wedlock births, criminal behavior and low moral character that has been attributed to some of the African-American poor were the focal points in Cosby's infamous speech. This incident not only caused a divide amongst many in the African-American community but also gave birth to a US tour that Cosby has promulgated, entitled A Call Out With Cosby. I must commend Cosby for taking such a stand simply because he has a enough fame and wealth to remove himself from such concerns.
In addition, he appears to be the only African-American notable that is not afraid to speak truth to power without fear of reprisal. For those who disagree with Cosby, one question I would ask is....how else would one address the statistics and abberant behavior affecting the African-American poor? One can discredit Cosby and call him senile(which many of have unfairly characterized him)but the pathologies remain. I have intimated in prior entries that many of our problems stem from the seductive power of victimization. This must stop as it is literally killing a community and a generation. Perhaps in the next few entries I will discuss what the power of Black victimization entails as well as my personal thoughts on how to combat it. I envision a Cosby Part Two entry as well. Meanwhile, below are an article and radio interview featuring Cosby. Preach on Coz. Preach!
No comments:
Post a Comment