Yes, but that movie was filmed 30 years ago and, since then, Cosby has changed...............Unlike most Democrats who live life as if the calendar is perpetually set in 1969.
Posted on 05/25/2004 10:30:56 AM PDT by dead
I never got Fat Albert. Dumb Donald wore a lampshade for a hat, Russell dressed like a bag lady, and Bucky appeared to be the victim of a back-alley orthodontist. Bill Cosby's distorted, funny-looking kids couldn't shoot fire from their hands, and they wouldn't know a weather dominator from a flux capacitor. Instead, they were a dumb and dumpy bunch who conquered the travails of life (deodorant? candy overload?) with one simple weapon—Fat Albert's formidable moral center.
I thought about that moral center last week, when Cosby ventured down to Washington and ripped into the have-nots among us. The occasion was the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Ed, and the Coz had been invited to Chocolate City by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the NAACP proper, and Howard University. The triumvirate had decided to honor Cosby for having "advanced the promise of Brown." Cosby decided to do some advancing of his own.
The comedian launched into a relentless attack on poor and working-class African Americans, criticizing them for everything from what they name their kids to how they speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, the lower-economic people are not holding up their end in this deal," he told the audience, in remarks later quoted by gossip columnists. "These people are not parenting. They are buying things for their kids—$500 sneakers for what?"
And then: "They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. 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!"
Ouch.
Cosby has said his words were taken out of context, which is tough to prove since officials at Howard won't release a video of the event. News organizations around the nation have been asking for a copy.
According to one eyewitness, Coz lampooned blacks for giving their kids weird names like Ali and Shaniqua and finished up by launching a parting barrage at the prisoners rights movement. "These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola," the press reported. "People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake and then we run out and we are outraged, [saying] 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"
Cosby's audience was reportedly shocked by the classist diatribe. They shouldn't have been. Throughout his career, Bill Cosby has been many beautiful things—brilliant humorist, anti-apartheid activist, champion of historically black colleges, to name a few. But over the past couple of decades, he's played one ugly role that his activist friends like to ignore—patron saint of black elitists.
Let's not act like Cosby's points are baseless. Here in New York, black activists rail against the evils of Giulianism, but shrink from confronting crack dealers. That said, Cosby's critique betrays his own narcissism—like the dandies who worship him, he fancies himself an everyman, but he's embarrassed by everymen. He's been a tireless critic of fellow black comedians, many of whom—for better and worse—chose to follow in Richard Pryor's footsteps instead of his. At last year's Emmys, Wanda Sykes asked Cosby what accounted for his success and that of other early black comics. Cosby, clearly annoyed with the demonstrative Sykes, fixed her with an ice-grill and said, "We spoke English."
Broken English is an obsession of Cosby's. In 1997, he wrote a mocking editorial for The Wall Street Journal denouncing the Oakland School Board for teaching Ebonics. "In London, I guess Cockney would be the equivalent of Ebonics," wrote Cosby. "And though they may study Cockney at Oxford as part of literature, I doubt they teach it." The fact was, the Oakland School Board never planned to "teach" Ebonics. They actually planned to teach proper English to young kids using Ebonics. But facts were irrelevant to Cosby because whenever he walked into a cocktail party and a stuffed shirt made a joke about Ebonics, his self-image crumpled from the hit.
In the '80s, Cosby's elitism was relatively benign, a punchline in an Eddie Murphy joke. But amid his most significant and entertaining work, The Cosby Show, there was always a touch of bourgeois fantasy. The marriage of a black doctor and a black lawyer was blatantly calculated to send a message. You could almost see the algebra etched on Heathcliff's forehead (Negroid MD + Negroid JD - Cousin on Smack = Good PR for Jack-and-Jillers).
There were no toilets in the Huxtable home, and the family repped for everything the elite liked to think it was. In reality, that elite enjoyed a frightening proximity to the rest of us. But The Cosby Show, at its root, was fighting racist propaganda with race-conscious propaganda. We'd survived Good Times, so the face-lift Cosby offered was welcome. But it was still Cosby doing the surgery. Which explains why, during the show's heyday, in the midst of Reaganomics, with black-on-black crime surging, with the crack epidemic wreaking havoc, with New York (where the show was based) in racial hysteria, Theo never so much as had his pockets run.
The show's obsession with keeping up appearances was not only a product of its creator, but of its creator's generation. It's no mistake that black America's biggest awards show is the NAACP Image Awards. Ditto for the Coz's recent diatribe. The civil rights crowd has had a rough 30 years as the old tactics of marching and boycotting have come up lame. Its leaders, like Cosby himself, are in winter, and having beaten Bull Connerism, they now stand befuddled and silenced before their greatest new adversary—class.
Race still matters, but largely the problems of black people today are the problems of poor people. In his last days, Martin Luther King turned his attention to class, a focus Cosby's brethren airbrushed away. They could march on Washington every 10 years without having to march on their own drug-riddled corners. They ignore the ghetto or, when emboldened like Cosby, shit on it.
When the Coz came to Constitution Hall last week, he was one up on his audience. He had no solutions, and unlike his audience, he knew it. And so he fell back on what elitists do best—impose condescending lessons on ethics and etiquette. He fell back on Fat Albert, and a world where poverty can be beaten through sheer force of blithe axiom. Morality becomes the answer when you don't have another one. Maybe we are everything the racists say we are—dumb, fat, and cute, in a really ugly and childish sort of way. But if we could just pay attention in school, stop stealing, learn proper English, and correctly apply deodorant, we'd be all right. Well, maybe not all right, but at least we wouldn't make Cosby look so bad.
She(?) changed it from Syaneekwa, as not to be confused with her sister, T'aNiquah.
I'm just stating a fact. That's how black humor is - raw, profane, and filled with sex and violence - and that's how young black adults and most whites like it.
If you don't endorse black pathology, you're an elitist. I guess we need more elitists.
That's what's so sad about this article...the author is a classist himself. He can't stand what men like Bill Cosby have become. He would apparently rather him behave like an "everyman" black man. What the heck does that mean??? Shouldn't that be offensive??? Any FReepers with thoughts on the subject?
In his criticism of Bill Cosby stereotyping black men, the author manages to stereotype them himself, essentially using the same argument that Cosby did. Interesting, huh? So the argument isn't whether what Cosby said was true, but whether black men who "can't speak English" should aspire to greater things.
Bill Cosby indicates that black men can make themselves better by themselves. The author says that if they do happen to have a better life, they're elitists.
Who has the better, more inspiring message?
And here we see the problem. Cosby's remarks were not a "relentless attack" on anyone. They were a plain, simple assertion that the only people keeping these people down is themselves - through their own acceptance of little, if any, standards of behavior, self-discipline, self-control, parental responsibility, etc.
Yes, but that movie was filmed 30 years ago and, since then, Cosby has changed...............Unlike most Democrats who live life as if the calendar is perpetually set in 1969.
It was absolutely hysterical, and illustrative, much like Jesse Jackson "ministering" to Bill Clinton over his infidelities while trying to payoff the mother of his love child.
One wonders why the author didn't write this article in Ebonics.
No lie! I once had a student named (also no lie) NyQuille. Someone should have had that child's parents locked away for naming a kid that!
I never got Fat Albert. Dumb Donald wore uh lampshade fo' uh hat, Russell dressed like uh bag beotch, an' Bucky appeared ta be da victim o' uh back-alley orthodontist. Bill Cosby'sdistorted, funny-looking kids couldn't smoke fire from they hands, an' dey wouldn't know uh weather dominator from uh flux capacitor. Instead, dey wuz uh dum an' dumpy bunch who conquered da travails o' life (deodorant? candy overload?) wiff one simple weapon—Fat Albert'sformidable moral center.
I thought about dat moral center last week, when Cosby ventured down ta Washington an' ripped into da have-nots among us. The occasion wuz da 50th anniversary o' Brown v. Board o' Ed, an' da Coz had been invited ta Chocolate City by da NAACP Legal Defense Fund, da NAACP proper, an' Howard University. The triumvirate had decided ta honor Cosby fo' havin' "advanced da promise o' Brown." Cosby decided ta do some advancing o' his own.
The comedian launched into uh relentless attack on poor an' working-class African Americans, criticizing dem fo' everything from what dey name they kids ta how dey speak. "Ladies an' gentlemen, da lower-economic peeps iz not holding up they end in dis here deal," he told da audience, in remarks later quoted by gossip columnists. "These peeps iz not parenting. They iz buying things fo' they kids—$500 sneakers fo' what?"
And then: "They're standing on da corner an' dey can't speak English. I can't even jive da way deez peeps talk: 'Why ya ain't?' 'Where ya iz?' . . . And I blamed da kid until I heard da mudda jive. And then I heard da father jive. . . . Everybody knows it'simportant ta speak English except deez knuckleheads. . . . You can't be uh doctor wiff dat kind o' crap coming out o' yo' mouth!"
Ouch.
Cosby has said his werdz wuz taken out o' context, which iz tough ta prove since officials at Howard won't release uh video o' da event. News organizations around da nation gots been asking fo' uh copy.
According ta one eyewitness, Coz lampooned blacks fo' giving they kids weird names like Ali an' Shaniqua an' finished up by launching uh parting barrage at da prisoners rights movement. "These iz peeps going around stealing Coca-Cola," da press reported. "People getting smok'd in da back o' da head over uh piece o' pound cake an' then we's run out an' we's iz outraged, [saying] 'The 5-0's shouldn't gots smok'd him.' What da hell wuz he doin' wiff da pound cake in his hand?"
Cosby'saudience wuz reportedly shocked by da classist diatribe. They shouldn't gots been. Throughout his career, Bill Cosby has been many fine things—brilliant humorist, anti-apartheid activist, champion o' historically negroid colleges, ta name uh few. But over da past couple o' decades, he'splayed one ugly role dat his activist niggas like ta ignore—patron saint o' negroid elitists.
Let'snot act like Cosby'spoints iz baseless. Here in New York, negroid activists rail against da evils o' Giulianism, but shrink from confronting crack dealers. That said, Cosby'scritique betrays his own narcissism—like da dandies who worship him, he fancies himself an everyman, but he'sembarrassed by everymen. He'sbeen uh tireless critic o' fellow negroid comedians, many o' whom—for bettah an' worse—chose ta follow in Richard Pryor'sfootsteps instead o' his. At last year'sEmmys, Wanda Sykes asked Cosby what accounted fo' his success an' dat o' other early negroid comics. Cosby, clearly annoyed wiff da demonstrative Sykes, fixed her wiff an ice-grill an' said, "We spoke English."
Broken English iz an obsession o' Cosby 's. In 1997, he wrote uh mocking editorial fo' The Wall Street Journal denouncing da Oakland School Board fo' teaching Ebonics. "In London, I guess Cockney would be da equivalent o' Ebonics," wrote Cosby. "And though dey may study Cockney at Oxford as part o' literature, I doubt dey teach it." The fact wuz, da Oakland School Board never planned ta "teach" Ebonics. They actually planned ta teach proper English ta young kids usin' Ebonics. But facts wuz irrelevant ta Cosby cuz whenever he walked into uh cocktail party an' uh stuffed shirt made uh joke about Ebonics, his self-image crumpled from da hit.
In da '80s, Cosby'selitism wuz relatively benign, uh punchline in an Eddie Murphy joke. But amid his most significant an' entertaining werk, The Cosby Show, dere wuz always uh whack o' bourgeois fantasy. The marriage o' uh negroid doctor an' uh negroid lawyer wuz blatantly calculated ta send uh message. You could almost see da algebra etched on Heathcliff'sforehead (Negroid MD + Negroid JD - Cousin on Smack = Good PR fo' Jack-and-Jillers).
There wuz nahh toilets in da Huxtable home, an' da family repped fo' everything da elite liked ta th'o't it wuz. In reality, dat elite enjoyed uh frightening proximity ta da rest o' us. But The Cosby Show, at its root, wuz fighting racist propaganda wiff race-conscious propaganda. We'd survived Good Times, so da face-lift Cosby offered wuz welcome. But it wuz still Cosby doin' da surgery. Which explains why, during da show'sheyday, in da midst o' Reaganomics, wiff black-on-black crime surging, wiff da crack epidemic wreaking havoc, wiff New York (where da show wuz based) in racial hysteria, Theo never so much as had his pockets run.
The show'sobsession wiff keeping up appearances wuz not only uh product o' its creator, but o' its creator'sgeneration. It'snahh mistake dat negroid America'sbiggest awards show iz da NAACP Image Awards. Ditto fo' da Coz'srecent diatribe. The civil rights crowd has had uh rough 30 years as da old tactics o' marching an' boycotting gots come up lame. Its leaders, like Cosby himself, iz in winter, an' havin' beaten Bull Connerism, dey now stand befuddled an' silenced 'bfoe they greatest new adversary—class.
Race still matters, but largely da problems o' negroid peeps taday iz da problems o' poor peeps. In his last days, Martin Luther King turned his attention ta class, uh focus Cosby'sbrethren airbrushed away. They could march on Washington every 10 years without havin' ta march on they own drug-riddled corners. They ignore da ghetto or, when emboldened like Cosby, sheeit on it.
When da Coz came ta Constitution Hall last week, he wuz one up on his audience. He had nahh solutions, an' unlike his audience, he knew it. And so he fell back on what elitists do best—impose condescending lessons on ethics an' etiquette. He fell back on Fat Albert, an' uh world where poverty can be beaten through sheer force o' blithe axiom. Morality becomes da answer when ya don' gots another one. Maybe we's iz everything da racists say we's are—dumb, fat, an' cute, in uh really ugly an' childish sort o' way. But if we's could just pay attention in skoo, stop stealing, learn proper English, an' correctly apply deodorant, we'd be all right. Well, maybe not all right, but at least we's wouldn't make Cosby peep so bad.
Ya' know what I'm sayin'?
One wonders why the author didn't write this article in Ebonics.
Because he likes receiving a paycheck.
I disagree. By far, most American blacks are now upper or middle class. He is immensely relevant to these parents. They see their kids being sucked back into the underclass with pressure to be 'black.'
Cosby speaks directly to those issues and to a world in which blacks who just want to be regular people are constantly assaulted by poverty pimps and democrats whose goal is to keep black americans uneducated and poor.
That must have really stung someone with a name like Ta-Nehisi.
Thanks, I'm always confusing those two.
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