Ebonics! Weird Names! $500 Shoes! Shrill Bill Cosby and the speech that shocked black America

Village Voice ^ | May 26 - June 1, 2004 | Ta-Nehisi Coates

[Victoria Delsoul]

Yo buss dis. When de Coz came to Constitution Hall las week, he wuz one up on his audience. He had no solutions, an' unlikes his audience, he noed it. An' so he fell back on what elitists do best—impose condescendin lessons on ethics an' etiquette. He fell back on Fat Albert, an' a world where poverty can be beaten trough sheuh force uh blithe axiom. Sheeit!

[YankeeReb]

Besides, Cosby getting one right doesn’t square him in my book. I still remember him throwing money at the Sharpton/Tawana fiasco, without apology. And I remember his implication that American doctors invented AIDS to get rid of Africans.

True Cosbys done all those things you mentioned, but on this score he's right. The race lords at the NAACP and this commentator are the real elitists.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

But if we could just pay attention in school, stop stealing, learn proper English, and correctly apply deodorant, we'd be all right.

Hold that thought, "Ta-Nehisi"... :)

[yankeedame]

We hire and contract with the best.

And what if, by some twist of fate, "the best" for this or that particular, well-known project were white males? Chances are, of course, that nothing would be said but would today's business owner -- particularly a Christian, white, male business owner -- willing to take the chance?

[hunter112]

Did it ever occur to the writer that Cosby is successful because of his morality and work ethic?

Morality and work ethic have no place in a worldview that says that you wait until your ship comes in. If it didn't come in (or doesn't fast enough) its because "The Man" is messing with it.

I guess this writer concluded that the Huxable household had no toilets because the humor didn't come from there!

[perfect stranger]

"Dumb Donald wore a lampshade for a hat"

That wasn't a lampshade. It was a ski hat with eyeholes.

[bird4four4]

If we acted based on color instead of quality, we'd get inferior results.

Affirmative Action Alert!!!!!!

[steve8714]

we had a young lady working for us whose name was Velvet Beavers! How do you survive high school with that?

[Redcoat LI]

we had a young lady working for us whose name was Velvet Beavers! How do you survive high school with that?

I imagine she could be very popular.

[cyborg]

nubianem
Since May 25, 2004

Just so you know ;-)

[cyborg]

Some have problems but developing that 'help my own people' mindset can foster racism and prejudice towards people. Frankly I've worked in one or two black businesses and that 'black empowerment' stuff crap. Sell to everyone, hire everyone and make more money.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

As much as I hate to do this; when you're talking about the world of comedy: "Sinbad is the black equivalent of Ted McGinley."

There's no refuting it, it's just a fact of life.

[cyborg]

LOL stop the guy from Married With Children?

[BMiles2112]

That's the one. Ted "Jump the Shark" McGinley.

[cyborg]

He was strange and it took me forever to figure out his tv wife was gay.

[Old Professer]

Losers are life's lessons.

[BMiles2112]

He's currently got a role on "Hope and Faith". That show should have been gone a long time ago.
(I should now be rightly lambasted, even banned for life, for knowing this.)

[Dark Knight]

I noticed that this thread did not include one comment on the horror that Bill Cosby suffered. His son was murdered.

In cold blood.

My father and I were watching an early soliliquoy where Bill was describing raising his kids, and how his wife would order the children...and all I could think of was "my God, this was so funny, but you could never say it again. Ever." His son was dead, and in this little skit that was so funny, he was having such fun with the joys of being the parent of mindless mush, that if you did not install order, would remain mindless mush.

He installed order, and his son was killed.

Bill sees the mindless mush, staying at mindless mush, and is disheartened.

My heart goes out to the guy, every time I think of him.

Everybody that says he's bad. F'n Kerry 'em!

DK

[cyborg]

You should be suspended for knowing that :D

[The Scourge of Yazid]

And "Love Boat", and "Revenge of the Nerds", and nearly every successful sitcom broadcast over the past fifteen to twenty years, which subsequent to his arrival proceeded to go down in flames.

They actually considered bringing him onto the cast of "The West Wing", but thought better of it once they realized that it was, indeed, Ted McGinley.

I guess their idiotic political philosophy doesn't leach over into potential casting decisions.