is that underware on his head?
Posted on 05/23/2004 6:38:02 AM PDT by sidewalk
Los Angeles, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Bill Cosby says that media rumors that he has abandoned the African American lower economic community are grossly exaggerated. A report in the "Reliable Source" column of the Washington Post (5/19/04) reprinted in many newspapers across the country left out an important piece of information from Cosby's remarks at a gala in honor of the 50th anniversary of Brown V. Board of Education organized by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Washington DC last Monday.
The article in the Post failed to mention that Mr. Cosby's remarks were specifically in context to addressing the epidemic of an estimated 50% of African American males in the inner city that are dropping out of school. The Post article inaccurately characterized Cosby's remarks as a general criticism of the black lower economic classes.
Mr. Cosby explains that his comments were intended to be a call to action, to "turn the mirror around on ourselves." "I think that it is time for concerned African Americans to march, galvanize and raise the awareness about this epidemic to transform our helplessness, frustration and righteous indignation into a sense of shared responsibility and action."
"I travel the country and see these patterns in every community-stories of 12 year old children killed in the cross fire between knuckleheads selling drugs, the 14 year olds with a sealed envelop as their first step into the criminal justice system, the young males who become fathers and not held responsible, the young women having children and moving back in with their mothers and grandmothers, and the young people who choose not to learn standard English."
"My question: Is Bill Cosby hoping that the drop out rate will reach 70% soon and teenage single parenthood will grow to 80% in the lower economic neighborhoods? Or is he clanging a bell and warning that this is an epidemic that has to be stopped? Are we so worried about what others think about us that we are unwilling to address this disease that is inflecting our people more and more every day?"
Mr. Cosby points out that media critics such as Christopher Farley at Time Magazine are flawed in their argument that African American literary greats such as Langston Hughes and Zora Hurston honored the dialects that Mr. Cosby criticized as a lack of language proficiency that further denies opportunity to inner city blacks. "Clearly, Mr. Farley did not speak in dialect on 'Good Morning America' nor would he probably have been hired by Time if he spoke that way. Secondly, someone should question Mr. Farley whether Mr. Hughes or Ms. Hurston knew standard English and chose to write in dialect."
"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."
Source: The Brokaw Company
8^)
That is The Moynihan Report ^ by Senator Pat Moynihan (D-NY).
The fundamental problem, in which this is most clearly the case, is that of family structure. The evidence -- not final, but powerfully persuasive -- is that the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling. A middle-class group has managed to save itself, but for vast numbers of the unskilled, poorly educated city working class the fabric of conventional social relationships has all but disintegrated. There are indications that the situation may have been arrested in the past few years, but the general post-war trend is unmistakable. So long as this situation persists, the cycle of poverty and disadvantage will continue to repeat itself.
The thesis of this paper is that these events, in combination, confront the nation with a new kind of problem. Measures that have worked in the past, or would work for most groups in the present, will not work here. A national effort is required that will give a unity of purpose to the many activities of the Federal government in this area, directed to a new kind of national goal: the establishment of a stable Negro family structure.
This would be a new departure for Federal policy. And a difficult one. But it almost certainly offers the only possibility of resolving in our time what is, after all, the nation's oldest, and most intransigent, and now its most dangerous social problem. What Gunnar Myrdal said in An American Dilemma remains true today: "America is free to chose whether the Negro shall remain her liability or become her opportunity."
Senator Moynihan said then what most conservatives say now -- does that make him conservative, or the current conservatives Democrats? [Notice: I didn't say Demoncrats; the current iteration of that noble party.]
Bill Cosby is not a dumb as he looks.. or maybe he is.. Hes still a socialist democrat. No doubt he wants MORE MONEY so the NEA can "solve the problems" he addresses. Bill can't even "SEE" the problem. He just said that in frustration. Actually its people LIKE Bill Cosby that are the problem, not the solution. A broken clock is correct twice a day, every day. Bill Cosby has not been that good, ever.
I did a college term paper on that report a few years back...it was very suprising to see a dem who held those views, but again, it was the fifties, and our country was a different place.
It was a very controversial report at the time as he had the nerve to forsee the illegitamcy, educational shortcomings, etc, that have beffallen all, black or white, on social programs.
Also, on another note, several days ago I discussed the pleasure of debating with an intellegent liberal. Most replied to me that there was no such thing. I rest my case with Bill Cosby...a person can have shortcomings with the present administration, but still display his intellect on reality.
Just because Bill Cosby doesn't agree with W's foriegn policy and therefore does not wish to appear as if he is endorsing an administration he disagrees with by not sitting next to NSA Rice, does not make him a bad man.
Keep in mind, that if his disagreements with the Bush Administration were along the lines of Penn or Moore, we'd be reading about it daily...
Agree? Disagree?
Here in JXN, MS we have Kim Wade a young black man who has a radio program at 5:00pm each afternoon. Great conservative and has been preaching this message for years. There are blacks all over America that are concerned and have started to step up to call all blacks to personal responsibilty. May their numbers increase. It will only help us all!
is that underware on his head?
You can be the one to tell him.
I still think he has bad manners. I could sit beside Hilary Clinton without snubbing her or picking a fight. There are plenty of things to talk about besides politics.
In 1911, Booker T. Washington said, "There is (a) class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs ... "
Until the race worlords and pimps are throughly discredited, the problem will persist. And the only ones who can discredit them are the minorities themselves. If mainstream America tells the truth about these slavemasters, they are called racists.
/rant
Perhaps it's because her degrees were earned rather than "collected" and he figured he could best express his prejudice by avoiding matching wits with such a lady.
Under the "do unto others" clause may he reap what he has sown.
I think it's more likely that they will if prominent Black Democrats like Cosby start speaking out like this. I think Rod Paige should have been on the phone with him setting up a bi-partisan effort already.
Tony Williams, the mayor of DC, is already on-board for vouchers. All of the Conservative Blacks, like Williams, Sowell, McWhorter, etc. agree.
A few more Black Democrats, and there's hope.
That's not what he's saying at all.
He was responding to the fact that Conservatives radio hosts have been using this and twisting some of what he said and MEANT.
I respectfully disagree...
Hillary has said too many terrible things -- false things, destructive things, for me to tolerate her.
I don't believe that Bill Cosby panders to any crowd and tells them what they want to hear.
I guess it is different in the South. I guess that is because we developed manners to keep from killing one another. I remember an anecdote about Glen Campbell who was acting in a movie set in Arkansas (of all places). He was having trouble with something in the script. The director, a Californian, asked him what the problem was? Campbell replied, "Well, if I were to cuss out the other character as you would have me do, he would probably haul off and hit me. You people can cuss one another all day, but in the South these are literally fighting words." So that is why I would have to be polite to Hilary--so I wouldn't have to kill her.
Never indicated that Kerry said this.
Chris Rock wouldn't do it anymore. Maybe a few years ago but now he is a total sellout. I caught his new special on HBO and it was so over the top liberal.
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