Cooperation from a consenting minor is an extenuating circumstance, but does not change the essentual statutory legal nature of the sexual abuse. From a legal standpoint, cooperation from a minor is not an excuse because the minor is not legally deemed to have enough knowledge and experience to make decisions concerning participating in sexual acts with adults on her own.
As to why they are turning on him now, I do not know and most people probably cannot tell with certainty. If I had to guess, I would guess that the alleged victims have formed a support network and are coordinating taking Cosby down legally, and that they are doing it now because of the momentum that has built up in the press and media. There was recently a full length movie on the topic of sexual abuse in the film industry that was just recently released. It discusses other movie stars. I think it might be Amy Berg’s “An Open Secret.” So with the alleged Cosby victims, the question possibly would have been “if not now, when?” and “can we let him (Cosby) get away with it forever?” (if he is in fact guilty of the allegations).
One has to factor in that the women who step forward all risk being regarded as “bimbos” and “sluts,” and that the way this game is played in Hollywood and elsewhere is that the rich and powerful hire lawyers to blame the alleged victims, even if the charges are true. The road to settlement is littered with stories of unsuccessful lawsuit victims who stepped forward, just to see their own lives turned inside out in public by high priced lawyers. Young people in their teens and twenties do not always pay attention to headlines, but older and more powerful people can game the system to their advantage. i think this is about more than Cosby. It is about an under-exposed dark side of the entire film making culture. Cosby is just the tip of an iceberg. The people coming forward now are in part trying to change the culture for the better by exposing that dark underbelly. However, they are taking the flak for it. Cf. earlier responses about bimbos and sluts. Whether or not one believes Cosby is guilty of sexual predation, hopefully everyone here can agree that this sort of institutionalized abuse should be stopped, and stopped immediately, by any legal means necessary.
IANAL
... and part of the proper function of our legal system is deterrence.
I agree.
As to why they are turning on him now, I do not know...
Me either, but I know where it started and who started it.
i think this is about more than Cosby. It is about an under-exposed dark side of the entire film making culture. Cosby is just the tip of an iceberg. The people coming forward now are in part trying to change the culture for the better by exposing that dark underbelly. However, they are taking the flak for it. Cf. earlier responses about bimbos and sluts. Whether or not one believes Cosby is guilty of sexual predation, hopefully everyone here can agree that this sort of institutionalized abuse should be stopped, and stopped immediately, by any legal means necessary.
Very well said, and I agree. However, it continues and likely will.
P.S. Thank you for your well written responses. Only through rigorous debate can we root out the truth.
"On Oct. 16 during a performance in Cosby’s hometown of Philadelphia, Buress uttered the words “when you leave here, Google ‘Bill Cosby rape.’ … That [expletive] has more results than Hannibal Buress.”