quote:
...Cosby is entitled to publicly air black America's alleged dirty laundry but when there's more myth than dirt in that laundry, than he must be called out on it.
Cosby myth:
"You've got to stop beating up your women because you can't find a job, and you want to get an education and now you're minimum wage."
Truth: It's not clear what bed and living rooms in poor black households Cosby peeped in to make that charge, but a Justice Department study in 2000 found that since 1993 domestic violence plunged among all groups. It further found that the murder rate of black females killed by their partners sharply dropped, while the murder rate jumped among white females killed by their partners.
The Justice Department study and a UCLA School of Public Health study in 1996, however, found that blacks are more likely to report domestic violence than whites, Hispanics and Native Americans. In the UCLA study, the blacks that physically abused their partners were young (under 30), lived in urban areas, had lower income and were less educated. The study noted that only about five percent of the men resorted to physical violence during their marital arguments and that the "vast majority" reported discussing their disagreements with their partners calmly and without resort[ing] to physical violence.
Cosby Myth:
"They think they're hip, they can't read; they can't write, they're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."
Truth: But many do think it's hip to read and write. The U.S. Dept. of Education found that in the decades since 1975, more blacks were enrolled in school, had improved their SAT scores by nearly 200 points, and had markedly lowered their dropout rate. It also found that one in three were in college, and that the number of blacks receiving bachelors and masters degrees had nearly doubled.
A 2002 survey of student attitudes by the Minority Student Achievement Network, an Illinois-based educational advocacy group, found that black students were as motivated, studied as hard, and were as serious about graduating as whites. Many of the blacks that now attend historically black colleges and probably other colleges are from lower income, disadvantaged homes. In a majority of cases they are the first members of their family to attend college.
Cosby Myth:
"Well, Brown versus Board of Education: Where are we today. They paved the way, but what did we do with it. They don't hold up their part of the deal."
Truth: The ones who aren't holding up their part of the deal are Cosby's lower income whites, and middle- income blacks not the black poor. According to the latest census figures, a higher percentage of lower income blacks were registered to vote, and actually voted, than lower income whites. The same can't be said for their more well to do black brethren. The census found that a lower percentage of higher income blacks were registered, and voted, than their higher income white counterparts. The quantum leap in the number of black elected officials in the past two decades could not have happened without the votes of thousands of poor blacks.
Some poor young blacks can't read or write, join gangs, deal drugs, terrorize their communities, and beat up their wives or partners. Many whites, Hispanics, and Asians also engage in the same type of dysfunctional and destructive behavior. Cosby did not qualify or provide any factual context for his blanket indictment of poor blacks. He made the negative behavior of some blacks a racial rather than endemic social problem. In doing so, he did more than break the alleged taboo against publicly airing racial dirty laundry; he fanned dangerous and destructive stereotypes.
That's hardly the call to action that will inspire and motivate underachieving blacks to improve their lives. Quite the contrary, it will further demoralize those poor blacks who are doing the best they can to better their lives. It will do nothing to encourage government officials and business leaders to provide greater resources, and opportunities to aid those blacks that need help. In doing that, Cosby, not poor blacks, failed miserably to hold up his part of the deal.
Now it's rather ironic how in any other conversation we feel like we are underserved by our government (as Black people) yet we don't have the ability to connect the idiocy of Cosby's statements with the prevailing attitudes among Whites who run our government with our money.
And that's the biggest problem here. The DISCONNECT! For the sake of church member nods for Cosby citing one of our (non-exclusive) sins we act like there is not only no cosequence to his narrow and aimless, condescending statements but we also act like it has no effect on justifying the entrenched, racists attitudes of White people in power using our very own money at their whims.
Like KEVIN says a lot, those that voice Cosby like sentiments (mostly B-CON's) act like this country and White people are suppose to get a pass on racism, past and present. Instead of demanding that we get out as much as we put into the system, we take what they decide to not only give us materially but we take on a branch of their philosophy too. Instead of making the connect that the racism that was/is involved in inequitable resources over the years being an integral part of the problem... one that either created and/or (still) exasterbates conditions, we're willing to do just what they want and say "well, it nobody's fault but our own..."
Hmmm... That's really about the dumbest reductionism ever made. We've accepted as a matter of course the idea that we must overcome all the barriers in place and set in motion by this racist society. We've accepted, as a matter of course, that we must work "twice as hard" just to be considered just as good... And, after all this time talking about "equality" we haven't realized that we have accepted and arbitrarily placed undue burden on ourselves by accepting such a thing as something we "have" to always do.
That's yielding ever so directly to WHITE SUPREMACY and accepting that as our fate.
No, I not at all arguing against esteeming excellence. But to require something of ourselves that is way over and above what anyone else is really required to do is insane. Individual excellence and our collective well being are not mutually exclusive and the ultimate for both require removing the structural problems of racism/White Supremacy.
There is no way we can achieve those goals individually or otherwise in any widespread way without doing that. Simple good parenting alone is not going to deal effectively with all that.
I guess good parents just pop up on the word go.
I'd advise everyone to refer to Geoffery Canada's Three Areas Where Values Must Be Reinforced and seriously think about how you create such enviroments. Hmm... and that would be what's missing from Cosby's "message" - solutions.
And I've yet to see the full two (or more) sides to the "deal" that the "Lower Economic" people were not keeping up their end on. I guess when you got a "message" there's no need to get bogged down with telling the whole story and including all the actors/characters.
I mean... when did the "Lower Economic" people strike a deal? Are there contract papers somewhere that shows how they (alone) are in breach?
And though I am in no way hoping for agreement on this issue, I will go ahead, for the sake of clarification of my thought on this, finish my thought. 
