Cosby explains - but doesn't back away from - comments

St Paul Pioneer Press (AP) ^ | 7/1/04 | Don Babwin

[dave k]

Cosby explains - but doesn't back away from - comments

DON BABWIN

Associated Press

CHICAGO - Bill Cosby blasted critics who complained when he upbraided low-income blacks for squandering opportunities afforded them by the civil rights movement, saying Thursday that the "dirty laundry" they don't want aired is the black child without the most basic skills to succeed.

"Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other (racial slurs) as they're walking up and down the street," he said during an appearance at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund's annual conference here with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the organization's founder and president.

"They think they're hip," the entertainer said. "They can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."

Cosby made headlines in May when, at a commemoration of the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation decision, he criticized the poor grammar of some blacks and said African-Americans who commit crimes and wind up behind bars "are not political prisoners."

In a talk interrupted several times by applause, the longtime education advocate elaborated - but did not back away from - those comments. He castigated some blacks, saying that they cannot simply blame whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and the school dropout rates that plague some segments of the black community.

"For me there is a time ... when we have to turn the mirror around," he said. "Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in your hole you're sitting in."

Cosby lamented that the same racial slurs used by those who once lynched blacks are now a favorite expression of black children. And he put the blame on parents.

"When you put on a record and that record is yelling (racial slurs) ... and you've got your little 6-year-old, 7-year-old sitting in the back seat of the car, those children hear that," he said.

Cosby made it clear that he stands behind his earlier statements about how the importance of speaking proper English is lost on certain "knuckleheads" in the black community.

"If they set up businesses in the neighborhood, then they can have their own languages," he said to cheers and laughter.

Cosby repeatedly came back to the theme that those who struggled and died during the civil rights movement deserve better than what they are getting from those who benefited from their sacrifice.

"Dogs, water hoses that tear the bark off trees, Emmett Till," he said, naming the black youth who was tortured and murdered in Mississippi in 1955, allegedly for whistling at a white woman. "And you're going to tell me you're going to drop out of school? You're going to tell me you're going to steal from a store?"

Cosby also said that he wasn't concerned that some whites took his comments and turned them "against our people."

"Let them talk," he said.

Jackson defended Cosby's statements. "Bill is saying let's fight the right fight, let's level the playing field," Jackson said. "Drunk people can't do that. Illiterate people can't do that."

People who attended Cosby's appearance on Thursday echoed Jackson. "We as black people are in many ways in denial about what's happening now," said Shirley McKinney, a Chicago teacher and musician. "We need to take responsibility for our children."

"I think he voiced concerns of many of us in the African-American community," agreed Sharon Ransom, a Chicago public schools official who added that because Cosby "had the courage to make those comments, attention will be given to that segment of the community."

[SoftballMominVA]

Last year I taught a 6th grade black young man who read at less than a 3rd grade level, was unmotivated to learn, but certainly wore the right clothes--retro jerseys, expensive sneakers and the like. What I didn't realize until halfway through the year was that he was the first cousin of one of my daughters best friends. This young lady was intelligent, poised, played the clarinet in the band and also had a wonderful set of parents. Her mother told me that she had told her sister over and over, "Why do you buy him those clothes? Take the money you spend on that and get him tutored." The aunt offered to replace his wardrobe if the mother would send him to Sylvan for extra help. The mom turned it down and told her sister to mind her own business.

He was suspended for 10 days at the end of school for telling another girl, "I wanna f***k you so bad." The aunt is beside herself and considering trying to adopt him. But she is obviously concerned about exposing her daughter to his world.

It just bothers me so much to see such a waste of what could be a very valuable member of society turned into a hood. The mother knows better, but she apparently doesn't want him to "act white" like his cousin, who wants to be a doctor. I guess it's "acting white" to want to be anything other than a criminal or welfare mom.

[HungarianGypsy]

There have been some, who never liked Bill Cosby's presentation of blacks. As a kid, one of my favorite shows was Fat Albert. Then, when he had the Cosby Show, it was criticized for the family being too "upscale."
Kind of the same way Will Smith's songs were criticized for not talking more about "the real black experience". His answer was, "I'm black and this is what I experienced."

[miss marmelstein]

His comments come directly from being an upper East Side New Yorker. No matter how wealthy you are in Manhattan, there are plenty of terrible public schools in your neighborhood. After school, groups of teenagers - wolf packs - have been known to menace the local merchants. I know, I've been there. Obviously, Cosby has seen and heard all of this with his own eyes. Good for him!

[FreeManWhoCan]

Thanks O'Reilly. His show was the first one to ever touch the subject that I noticed. So thanks again O'Reilly.

[My2Cents]

Refreshing. I love his "no excuses" attitude.

[Seeking the truth]

Cosby is no "hater".

You need to do some googleing. Try Tawana Brawley, Al Sharpton, $25,000, Steven Pagones....for a start.

[thegreatbeast]

Cosby is getting backing here and now but soon an Eddie Murphy, a Chris Rock or someone else is going to tell the old man to shut the f* up and they'll get the acclaim and the laughs.

[Ramonan]

Bill Cosby has had the truth dawn on him. A few years ago, I heard a speech he made in Philadephia. At that time, he was blaming White people for Black people's woes.
Sounds like he woke up, but more important, he had the courage to tell the truth. And, he wasn't just talking about Black kids. The are kids of every race that are shown the trail to Lazy,and they are taking it.

[jocon307]

"The mother knows better, but she apparently doesn't want him to "act white" like his cousin,...."

THIS is exactly the point Cosby is trying to get across. And this woman would let he son grow into an iliterate, menacing thug, and later, if he crosses some legal line with his bad behaviour, his mother will be the first to blame "the white power structure".

[livius]

Is there someplace people (regardless of color) can send him an e-mail?

When I was growing up in NYC in the 50'/60's, I knew many, many black kids my age who were determined to rise to the top (just as my Irish/mixed American family had been determined to do).

But when I was a teenager, suddenly the City of New York imposed incredibly discriminatory welfare laws on people in public housing (that is, they imposed laws where you no longer had to be legally married, you didn't have to be a low-income working family, you could simply be anybody who had had a child by anybody, and you'd get total welfare support) which destroyed not only the black family, but many other poorer families I knew.

For example - my friend who was Irish-American and Iriquois (northern NY State Indian tribe) and lived in the projects. Her Indian father left about a year after the passage of that strange law and the family went on welfare, lost track of him, and assumed that he had probably died of alcoholism in the streets somewhere.

The only thing that kept many men on track was that they had to provide for their families, and liberal culture took that away.

Cosby has hit the nail on the head for a lot of folks, and they're not all black.

[KarlInOhio]

that some whites took his comments and turned them "against our people."

Which whites are those? All the conservatives I hear talking about what Cosby said are talking for blacks, not against. Educated blacks are not a threat. I want to see a million more Secretary Powells and Dr. Rices.

If the Klan were to try to design a plan for keeping blacks down, they couldn't come up with anything better than the liberals have already done with the schools and the culture.

[softengine]

..."it took him exactly thirteen words to twist Cosby's words from their own meaning and to one more convenient to his own agenda."

Noticed that too.

[George Smiley]

There have been some, who never liked Bill Cosby's presentation of blacks. As a kid, one of my favorite shows was Fat Albert. Then, when he had the Cosby Show, it was criticized for the family being too "upscale."

I recently saw Phylicia Rashad get interviewed, and one of the questions she was asked involved criticism of the Cosby Show for not being "authentic enough"-

Her response: "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

[Tacis]

Even more depressing is the fact that most of these young black people will ever be able to find entry level jobs because illegal Mexican river swimming crilnal aliens will have them all. So, when some of them realize that they are growing old and can't play basketball or rap well enough and try to get a job where they can learn the skills the missed in school, they can't. The dems want to put them on an eternal dole to keep them on the plantation. Domestic and ignorant blacks will and are being displaced by Africans and Caribbean blacks who have the skin color to qualify to fill quotas and the skills and initiative to get ahead in our society. Some of their children are lost to the norms Cosby talks about.

[rdb3]

Cosby is a racist. But that's OK, everyone is a racist.

I beg to differ. Not everyone is a racist.

$710.96... The price of freedom.

[Warrior Nurse]

When I say you the other night debating Ron Daniels and heard Ollie tell Ron Daniels "Man what are you talking about I was over there!" It was great. Black should get the three C's Calculus, Composition and Chemistry then that would make us better off as a nation. There is this young lady that is in my church and is a National Merit Scholar with a 4.0 in Math. She has a full rides to MIT, Harvard Yale and Princeton to pursue a graduate degree. She is qualified on all counts and has a job waiting for her at either Microsoft or Dell when she is done with her graduate work. Her success is through hard work and diligence as well as serving God. She is the type of young lady that you will not see on a Snoop or 50 cent video but you can find her in church teaching math to kids or Sunday School lessons. I am sick and tired of liberals both white and black telling black folks that we are a helpless lot and need their help. Ron Daniels said that there are more black men in prison then in college. Mike you brought up personal responsibility. The simple answer is they are in jail because they broke the law PERIOD.

Now if the judicial system is as racist as it is made out to be why can blacks serve on juries? Also why would any black person with common sense commit or be surrounded by people that would commit crimes to bring attention to themselves so they can be arrested.<p. Black people are inherently conservatives in their religious beliefs, views on abortion, homosexual marriage and the dire straits of the public school system. What they have forgot is the systemic discrimination that sits at the feet of the Democratic party. Bull Connor was the head of the Democratic party in Birmingham when he was setting the dogs and fire hoses on blacks down there. If it were not for the Republicans in congress the Civil Rights act of 1964 would not have passed. If not for Abraham Lincoln slaves would not have been emancipated. With us black folks it is as stated in Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. This is a problem is the black community we don't read enough and we rely on the TV for too much information.