Posted on 11/20/2004 4:18:43 PM PST by wagglebee
ATLANTA (AP) -- Bill Cosby said Thursday that there is an undercurrent of anger behind the problems facing black youth in America today, and that it is up the older generation to help turn things around.
"Our children are angry. The profanity is out in the street. It's on the buses and in the subway. Our children are trying to tell us something, and we are not listening," Cosby said in a speech at Frederick Douglass High School, named for the 19th-century black man who became an abolitionist leader and an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln.
The Atlanta visit was part of Cosby's tour of the country speaking to young black men and women about morals and responsibility.
During previous speeches, the 67-year-old comedian has criticized some black children for not knowing how to read or write, said some had squandered opportunities the civil rights movement gave them and unfairly blame whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and high dropout rates.
About 3,000 overflowed the high school gymnasium to hear his remarks, which largely were addressed to parents.
"We're loaded with wisdom. We've got to open our mouths. We've got to stop this thing," Cosby said.
"Our children want to cry. Our children want to be hugged, and we're not giving it to them," he said.
"You have to know your power. You can see it in your history. Just go to an old person and say `How did you do it?"' he said. Cosby said one of the most pressing problems is young men fathering children and taking no responsibility.
"I'm saying to you men, please, for goodness sake, if you got children, even if you don't have a job, go visit them and explain how sorry you are," he said. "There are teachers in the United States who cry in the daytime because they see a child or children who haven't eaten properly, children who haven't used soap in so long.
"You can't tell me that this is all the white man's fault," he said.
"Everybody is not a victim," Cosby said as he began to tell the story abour Brown vs. Board of Education, and the legal team that overturned school desegregation.
"They beat back the white bigots with their brains," Cosby said. "When I look at 55 percent of our black men dropping out of school, how bad off are we going to be when we need some lawyers?"
Most of the audience members seemed supportive of Cosby's comments. Claire Walker, who works at IBM and lives in Decatur, said she got off early to hear him speak.
"It's something that should have been said a long time ago," Walker said. "Our leaders aren't taking responsibility for the youth of black America."
Walker said she is from the Caribbean, where people don't understand the attitudes and actions of many black youths in the United States.
"I just don't understand parents accepting mediocrity," she said. Henry Joyner III, who graduated from Douglass High in 1982 and is now a middle school teacher, said the turnout was good.
"This is the central issue in black America -- the education of our youth," Joyner said.
Douglass ninth grader Orientrius Cook said Cosby "is very powerful, and he spread his wisdom."
Cosby hit home when he talked about unwed parents, he said.
"I see a lot of girls who are pregnant. If they had a father figure, some of this wouldn't be," he said.
He's finally saying what I've been wanting to say. Problem is, I'm just a middle class white boy.
"Cosby said one of the most pressing problems is young men fathering children and taking no responsibility."
- He should know. He knocked up a woman when he was a young married comedian and never saw the baby girl. Apparently, she tried to squeeze some support money out of him several years ago by threatening to reveal that Cosby was her father. Being black and a loyal Democratic Party plantation worker, the press made no fuss and the daughter got the Paula Jones trailer trash treatment. I don't remember reading if they sent her to jail or not.
Compare that to the dirt dumped on old Henry Hyde for his youthful affair from half a century ago. They crucified him.
He kinda was. His work (The Cosby Show, Ghost Dad) portrayed blacks as successful people.
It takes a doctorate, in "education" of all things, to be allowed to state the obvious nowadays. Sigh!
Moral Absolutes Ping - Just a gentle reminder from Mr. Cosby that when 75% of babies are born illegimate, chaos and social destruction ensue. Millions of lives are destroyed. Families are destroyed. Men wind up in prison. Women wind up with numerous children fathered by numerous men, none of whom act as fathers.
Basically, children need (1) father, who is married to (1) mother. And when nuclear mass of illegimatacy is reached, as in the black community and among a lot of white people as well, then - the results is subhuman barbarians who ruin their own lives and lives of those around them.
And we want "gay" marriage now?
Let me know if anyone wants on/off this pinglist.
hmmm... citing this as abusive is taking quite a 'liberal' position -your implied yet unproven intent and victimhood are only morally relative argumentive points that attempt two equate two entirely differing actions...
She is missing the point. Don't count on leaders, rely on yourself. No "leader" can do it for you.
That's like saying President Bush can never talk about the evils of drinking because he had a problem in his youth.
Substitute teacher... she said she can't imagine teaching there regularly.
That's it! You hereby become my favorite FReeper above even JimRob.
Sorry. He let this crap get outta control for 20 years, and not once when blacks were rapping about bitches and Ho's did he object. Where was he? All the sudden its terrible that blacks can't read? Where has PHD Cosby been for the last 2 decades? Pathetic!
"A father who works all the time and does not make nay effort to emotionally connect with his children is just as abusive as a father who physically assaults his children."
There's a difference between neglect and abuse.
"Our leaders are not taking responsibility for Black youth". This was quoted from a Black woman who attended Mr. Cosby's speech. Well, I hate to tell you it is not only your leaders that have failed you, it is yourselves. You have let your leaders hold you down from becoming all that you can be, and you have wasted your precious votes on the Democrat "Traitor/Slavery" Party for the last fifty years and that loyalty and devotion has gained you nothing but being kept in economic slavery and mired at the bottom of the economic totem pole. Wake up, and get new leaders that are comtemporary with the times and get out of the Democrat Party right now and forever!!! Otherwise, unlike Hispanics and Asians, you will be left behind in the dismal arena of the status quo which you created for yourselves.
Cos is da man! I mean that as a compliment.
He is isn't he? :-)
Exactly, too late and a dollar short..
He should be speaking the truth (if he even knows it)
The republican party jammed through the Civil Rights Act and made it all possible.. The democrats have consistenly worked for black mediocrity or worse. Cosby should be supporting some new black leaders like Jesse Peterson
HE ISN'T. He's just whineing.. STOP whining Bill and speak the truth.. The democrat party is self induced POISON FOR BLACKS, Latinos and any other minoritys. Especially women who are not a minority at ALL..
Aw, man! Guess I'm in trouble now.
;-)
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