Posted on 05/22/2004 8:12:27 AM PDT by mhking
When avuncular comedian Bill Cosby took aim at African-American parents this week, he ruffled some feathers.
Friday he remained unapologetic.
"I can understand the sting. I feel I have to say it," Cosby said in a telephone interview.
Cosby said he was chagrined that conservative radio talk shows seized on his comments and recirculated them. Yet he said he was more concerned about protecting children in unsafe neighborhoods.
"If I weigh a loudmouthed conservative racist announcer's thoughts and opinions against a 12-year-old child being shot," concern for the child wins, he said.
During a speech Monday in Washington at a ceremony commemorating the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, Cosby criticized black Americans who squandered the access to education won by those who risked life and limb to desegregate schools.
He also took aim at parents who spend $500 on sneakers for their children but won't spring for a Hooked on Phonics cassette to teach them to speak correctly.
"Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads," he said during the speech.
Cosby's comments were discussed on talk radio in Atlanta and nationally, with listeners lining up on both sides of the debate.
Atlanta host Frank Ski of V-103 said Cosby may have been "untactful," but he added "it was a conversation that needed to be brought up."
Lines from the Cosby speech were also repeated on Neal Boortz's morning talk show at WSB-AM, where a caller lambasted African-Americans who don't take education seriously.
"These people act like they don't even want to go to school, and that's what [ticks] me off," said the caller.
The Washington Post reported that Cosby earned a "stonefaced" reception from his hosts, including Theodore Shaw, the NAACP legal defense fund director, and Kweisi Mfume, the NAACP president.
Mfume, however, said he was far from "stonefaced" at the event, and he supports most of Cosby's comments.
"He said at some point in time you can't continue to blame white people for every problem that black people may have, and I agree with that."
Mfume said he disagreed only with Cosby's emphasis on "lower economic people," saying there are blacks who are "not doing enough" in every economic class.
A spokesperson for Shaw said he would not be available for comment Friday.
"I didn't want to throw cold water on the celebrating," said Cosby, but he stressed that many African-American neighborhoods were in crisis. "We've got to help these people," he said. "We've got to get the neighborhood back."
Cosby blamed lack of education on many ills that he sees in black communities.
"We should look and see how many males are incarcerated and look and see how many of them are illiterate," he said.
I heard Orieilly say on Friday that Bill Cosby is a bitter and foul man. I have hear this from several people about Cosby.
I should have been a bit more clear, I suppose. There are those in the lower economic classes who pay no taxes- to them Public School is free. You are also correct about his comments extending to those of all ethnic and racial groups. It does however extend into all socio-economic classes as well. I can't count the number of times I've heard some rich white kid driving the beemer daddy bought him say things like, "what kind of dog that is?" (dressing and acting like the poor young blacks Cosby is talking about? Why? Fashion. Trends. Gotta be cool like the people on TV, yadda, yadda, yadda) And I'm not surprised that your experiences with the public schools have been completely ridiculous. I wouldn't send my kids there unless I had no choice.
"If I weigh a loudmouthed conservative racist announcer's thoughts and opinions against a 12-year-old child being shot," concern for the child wins, he said.
Still the jerk, aren't you Cos'.
It's about decency, manners and excellence. These are things being pushed aside by people everywhere. Still, the lower class street thug style being emulated by kids, sports stars and entertainers is everywhere.
It's pretty funny to see rich kids from the suburbs wearing locks and speaking "street."
Word to ya mutha.
Methinks thou protesteth too much. (Shakespeare?)
Bill Cosby is right on the mark with his comments. The only mistake he made here is allowing the interpretation to be made that this is a problem divided along racial lines. It is not.
Hi. I didn't say "all white" I said "all those whites," meaning the slave owners, the makers of Jim Crow laws, and the Democrat politicians who corrupted blacks with tax bribes.
I agree with you that talk of collective guilt is nonsense. Maybe my wording was confusing, but I was talking about all those who were individually guilty of contributing to black malaise.
Chagrined, huh? Has liberal media delivered any reaction to Cosby's statements, and if not, does he wonder why?
Priarie
How many scholarships has he set up for young balack men and women ?
Literally hundreds. But more over, why is that an issue -- what entitles someone else to his money?
That's no different from the government liberating me of my money to put into someone's pocket who is "disadvantaged."
Right - I didn't *think* you were the collective guilt type person, it just sounded like that. My response was primarily for the lurkers and residual "mass guilt" believers!
There is no such thing as "group karma".
So now you give one a "cubit"?
That's ketchup, ain't it? That's ketchup coming out from around his mouth...please tell me that's ketchup, cause I hate to think that you KILLED JOHNSON!
My mother did collections for awhile and she said lawyers and doctors were the worst.
Even the black ruling class in this country doesn't get it. Cosby's comments are correct as far as they go, which isn't nearly far enough.
There's air to blow up basketballs, blow up volleyballs.
It's about as long as you can tread water. ;>)
read later.. ;))
When did he say that?
Please freepmail me those reasons. I have mind also, but am interested to know what yours are.
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