What's instructive here is that the Left felt compelled to so quickly attack Cosby *personally* for his opinion...
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.
Bill Cosby is not a perfect human being. More often than not he's sided with the left politically. He's a fully active member of the Hollywood crowd. But the guy gets an "A" for effort.
He's always been able to get a legitimate laugh without resorting to degradation. He at least had the good sense to advocate living a decent life, even if he hasn't always done so himself. His TV shows through the years have been better than 90% of the garbage that's been broadcast. His books and records have been funny, without the filth that his colleagues wallow in. And his activities stressing the benefits of a good education, including pursuing an advanced degree himself, have been positive.
I think the guy has earned a hearing from his own community. The wailing and whining that have followed his remarks prove the very point he was making in his speech.
As did Malcolm X, who preached education and responsibility.
But if you were a white person and only hired, contracted, associated with, patronized, white business, what would you be???
"But if you were a white person and only hired, contracted, associated with, patronized, white business, what would you be???"
One of the most onerous aspects of the "Civil Rights" movement was establishing this notion that anyone who exercised their freedom of association was inherently evil. I have been telling people for years that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with wanting to congregate with your own kind. This applies to blacks as well as whites, and everything in between. If you believe in freedom, that is, TRUE FREEDOM, then this must be allowed. The REAL EVIL is forcing people to associate with individuals or groups AGAINST THEIR WILL.
In fact, the original meaning of "discrimination" has been completely lost to us. It used to mean exercising some semblance of good judgment and good taste, in accordance with the rules of proper social etiquette. The term had no racial component. Thank the "Civil Rights" movement for this distortion.
Right now, I'm practicing my own God-given right to do the same by disassociating from the mad Moslems in our midst. No burqas or hejabs for me, please! Just stay away...
Hey, Ta-Nehisi, eloquence does not make you insightful or correct, you pathetic victim.
Bill Cosby is saying nothing new. There is a Black Nationalist-Separatist element in America (since the time of DuBois, Garvey and others) who still exist today (75 percent of Black America's 45 million people).
This is the type of preaching that comes from the Black Nationalist sector and it has had an effect. However, we are not going to hear people put the dirty laundry of the victims in public. What we will see is a Black America working for total Black independence, self-determination and Black nationhood.
Black America looks around and they don't see other peoples and nations begging. They see peoples and nations working to create their own entities, separate, free and without the boots of others on their backs.
Yet, while Cosby has the right to criticize, he and other Black intellectuals should organize to work for the return of Black self-determination. Blacks deserve the same right to self-determination that others have.
Should Blacks decide that a free, independent and autonomous region is the only soulution to dependance and the parasiting of African-Americans by the very same people who constantly turn their noses up at African-Americans, a better future will be created. Will we stop looking for scapegoats? No, the Irish, Germans, Italians, French Canadians, white women, Semites and others will become the new scapegoats, just as they are in Europe today and just as they were when most Blacks were concentrated in the South, the East Coast and California.
Cosby may be a very good reader and may have read works like "Oliver Twist," Shirlock Holmes, "A History of Education Book II," "Susu Economics," "The Miseducation of the Negro," "Civilization or Barbarism," "A History of Racism and Terrorism, Rebellion and Overcoming," as well as many others. Had he read these books, as many millions of people have, he would see that poverty and the pathological behavior that comes from poverty and lacking is the habit of a very few.
The fact is, the vast majority of Black Americans are a very ultra-conservative but when it comes to any schemes to violate the human and natural rights of people, Black Americans do not stand for it it. Can one be conservative pro-family, pro-religion and for conserving certain values? Of course and that is the vast majority of Blacks in the US.
FORMER "FLOWER POWER," "FREE SEXERS" NOW CONSERVATIVE
One of the ways that the People are being hoodwinked today is through the use of sheer trickery. Many of those who call themselves "conservatives," are only conservative because there is a bigger agenda at hand that has nothing to do with the interests of all Americans but with a few people whose loyalties are to some lands in the Old World. That group will switch sides if the opposition supports their agenda.
Why then are all the so-called "conservatives," who are supposed to be promoting conservative values, some of the very same people who were at the top of the decadent 1960's and 70's, when all the vices that are called "pathological" today were introduced by them. The people today who are pretending to be conservative were the most liberal of the sixties and their policies and ideas are responsible for the conditions we are in today. Their ideas of feminism, family breakups, introducing welfare and other forms of exclusions of fathers is responsible for the situation that some poor Blacks, Whites, Hispanics and others find themselves in. Yet, it seems today they continue to pretend that they are conservative and shout the loudest while making scant reference to the fact that in the sixties and seventies, they were the frontline in the introduction of the very problems of "pathology" they heaped on what were strong and stable Black families.
Fortunately, the fact that Black America's political ideology is self-determination and progress using any means necessary is a positive. Black America will overcome whatever problems that are current but solutions and ideas that are effective will have to be put to use.
Nubianem3@webtv.net
How did you get that, hmm, translation? Did you use "Dialectizer"?
Please tell.
Would I do that?
I is sure that dat be the right thing to do.
Cosby went up about 50 points in my book.
Click scroll commentary, know what I'm sayin'?
Ebonics! Weird Names! $500 Shoes! Shrill Bill Cosby 'n da speech that shocked black America
Village Voice ^ | May 26 - June 1, 2004 | Ta-Nehisi Coates
Posted on 05/25/2004 10:30:56 AM PDT by dead
I never gots Fat Albert, know what I'm sayin'? Dumb Donald wore a lampshade fo' a hat, Russell dressed like a bag ho, 'n Bucky appeared be da victim of a back-alley orthodontist, know what I'm sayin'? Bill Cosby's distorted, funny-looking kids couldn't shoot fire from they hands, 'n they wouldn't know a weather dominator from a flux capacitor." Instead, they wuz a dumb 'n dumpy bunch who conquered da travails of life (deodorant? candy overload?) wit one simple weapon—Fat Albert's formidable moral center."
I thought 'bout that moral center last week, when Cosby ventured down Washington 'n ripped into da has-nots among us n' shit. The occasion wuz da 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Ed, 'n da Coz had been invited Chocolate City by da NAACP Legal Defense Fund, da NAACP proper, 'n Howard University, know what I'm sayin'? The triumvirate had decided honor Cosby fo' having "advanced da promise of Brown, know what I'm sayin'? " Cosby decided do some advancing of tha dude's own, know what I'm sayin'?
The comedian launched into a relentless attack on poor 'n working-class African Americans, criticizing 'em fo' everything from what they name they kids how they speak n' shit. "Ladies 'n gentlemen, da lower-economic muthas are not holding up they end in this deal," tha dude told da audience, in remarks later quoted by gossip columnists n' shit. "These muthas are not parenting, know what I'm sayin'? They are buying things fo' they kids—$500 sneakers fo' what?"
And then: "They're standing on da corner 'n they can't speak English, know what I'm sayin'? I can't even talk da way these muthas talk: 'Why yo' ass ain't?' 'Where yo' ass is?' n' shit. , know what I'm sayin'? , know what I'm sayin'? And I blamed da kid until I heard da mother talk n' shit. And then I heard da father talk, know what I'm sayin'? ." , know what I'm sayin'? n' shit. Everybody knows that shiznit's important speak English except these knuckleheads, know what I'm sayin'? n' shit. ." n' shit. Yo' ass can't be a doctor wit that kind of crap coming out of yo' mouth!"
Ouch."
Cosby has be like tha dude's words wuz taken out of context, which is tough prove since officials at Howard won't release a video of da event, know what I'm sayin'? Informative Shiznit organizations around da nation has been asking fo' a copy, know what I'm sayin'?
According one eyewitness, Coz lampooned blacks fo' giving they kids weird names like Ali 'n Shaniqua 'n finished up by launching a parting barrage at da prisoners rights movement, know what I'm sayin'? "These are muthas going around stealing Coca-Cola," da press reported n' shit. "Peeps getting shot in da back of da heezee over a piece of pound cake 'n then we run out 'n we are outraged, [saying] 'The fuzz shouldn't has shot tha dude's ass, know what I'm sayin'? ' What da hell wuz tha dude doing wit da pound cake in tha dude's hand?"
Cosby's audience wuz reportedly shocked by da classist diatribe." They shouldn't has been." Throughout tha dude's career, Bill Cosby has been many beautiful things—brilliant humorist, anti-apartheid activist, champion of historically black colleges, name a few n' shit. But over da past couple of decades, tha dude's played one ugly role that tha dude's activist friends like ignore—patron saint of black elitists, know what I'm sayin'?
Let's not act like Cosby's points are baseless, know what I'm sayin'? Here in New York, black activists rail against da evils of Giulianism, but shrink from confronting crack dealers." That be like, Cosby's critique betrays tha dude's own narcissism—like da dandies who worship tha dude's ass, tha dude fancies himself an everyman, but tha dude's embarrassed by everymen n' shit. Tha dude's been a tireless critic of fellow black comedians, many of whom—fo' better 'n worse—chose follow in Richard Pryor's footsteps instead of tha dude's. At last year's Emmys, Wanda Sykes asked Cosby what accounted fo' tha dude's success 'n that of other early black comics n' shit. Cosby, clearly annoyed wit da demonstrative Sykes, fixed her wit an ice-grill 'n be like, "We spoke English, know what I'm sayin'? "
Broken English is an obsession of Cosby's. In 1997, tha dude wrote a mocking editorial fo' The Wall Street Journal denouncing da Oakland School Board fo' teaching Ebonics." "In London, I guess Cockney would be da equivalent of Ebonics," wrote Cosby." "And though they may study Cockney at Oxford as part of literature, I doubt they teach that shiznit, know what I'm sayin'? " The fact wuz, da Oakland School Board never planned "teach" Ebonics, know what I'm sayin'? They actually planned teach proper English young kids using Ebonics." But facts wuz irrelevant Cosby because whenever tha dude walked into a cocktail party 'n a stuffed shirt made a joke 'bout Ebonics, tha dude's self-image crumpled from da hit n' shit.
In da '80s, Cosby's elitism wuz relatively benign, a punchline in an Eddie Murphy joke, know what I'm sayin'? But amid tha dude's most significant 'n entertaining work, The Cosby Show, there wuz always a touch of bourgeois fantasy n' shit. The marriage of a black doctor 'n a black lawyer wuz blatantly calculated send a message." Yo' ass could almost see da algebra etched on Heathcliff's forehead (Negroid MD + Negroid JD - Cousin on Smack = Good PR fo' Jack-'n-Jillers)."
There wuz no toilets in da Huxtable crib, 'n da family repped fo' everything da elite liked think that shiznit wuz n' shit. In reality, that elite enjoyed a frightening proximity da rest of us n' shit. But The Cosby Show, at its root, wuz fighting racist propaganda wit race-conscious propaganda n' shit. We'd survived Good Times, so da face-lift Cosby offered wuz welcome." But that shiznit wuz still Cosby doing da surgery, know what I'm sayin'? Which explains why, during da show's heyday, in da midst of Reaganomics, wit black-on-black crime surging, wit da crack epidemic wreaking havoc, wit New York (where da show wuz based) in racial hysteria, Theo never so much as had tha dude's pockets run, know what I'm sayin'?
The show's obsession wit keeping up appearances wuz not only a product of its creator, but of its creator's generation, know what I'm sayin'? It's no mistake that black America's biggest awards show is da NAACP Image Awards n' shit. Ditto fo' da Coz's recent diatribe, know what I'm sayin'? The civil rights crowd has had a rough 30 years as da old tactics of marching 'n boycotting has come up lame." Its leaders, like Cosby himself, are in winter, 'n having beaten Bull Connerism, they now stand befuddled 'n silenced before they greatest new adversary—class."
Race still matters, but largely da problems of black muthas today are da problems of poor muthas n' shit. In tha dude's last days, Martin Luther King turned tha dude's attention class, a focus Cosby's brethren airbrushed away n' shit. They could march on Washington every 10 years without having march on they own drug-riddled corners, know what I'm sayin'? They ignore da ghetto or, when emboldened like Cosby, shit on that shiznit."
When da Coz came Constitution Hall last week, tha dude wuz one up on tha dude's audience." Tha dude had no solutions, 'n unlike tha dude's audience, tha dude knew that shiznit, know what I'm sayin'? And so tha dude fell back on what elitists do best—impose condescending lessons on ethics 'n etiquette n' shit. Tha dude fell back on Fat Albert, 'n a world where poverty can be beaten through sheer force of blithe axiom n' shit. Morality becomes da answer when yo' ass don't has another one n' shit. Maybe we are everything da racists be like we are—dumb, fat, 'n cute, in a really ugly 'n childish sort of way, know what I'm sayin'? But if we could just pay attention in school, stop stealing, learn proper English, 'n correctly apply deodorant, we'd be izzall right." Well, maybe not izzall right, but at least we wouldn't make Cosby look so bad, know what I'm sayin'?
What's instructive here is that the Left felt compelled to so quickly attack Cosby *personally* for his opinion...
Names like this border on child abuse.
It's his money to do with as he wishes, after all, he earned it.
But if a white millionaire conducted himself in the same way, we'd read an expose about it in the newspapers at least twice a year.
Possibly every month if he were a Republican.
That different sets of rules are applied is what is wrong.
Yes. Otherwise known as a sellout or an oreo.
This article would be less hypocritical if it were written in Ebonics.
Not true. Bill Cosby does business with white people. First of all, he sponsored a film course at NYU where lots of white kids attended (including my sister). My sister also MET Bill Cosby through her friend's mother who was his personal florist (she's white). Rumors can be a bad thing.
I know how you did that, but it's still funny. You should email it to the jerk at the Voice.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.