(ThyBlackMan.com) Whatever you may think of Bill Cosby, he is definitely not the Cosby Show dad. By now, most of us should know the Cosby Show was an unrealistic look at African American upscale life. Not because of the doctor and lawyer professions, but rather because they never dealt with life’s real issues that are even present in the homes of wealthy African American families.
Ironically, Bill Cosby (much richer than the Cosby show dad) had his share of real life experiences – sadly, a son who was killed, a daughter on drugs and a sex scandal that has unfortunately destroyed his reputation. Many of our people refuse to believe that Cosby is guilty because they wish he wasn’t, they want the illusion of the icon to survive, they recognize the many people he has helped financially or they are locked into the image he presented on television. But it’s not that simple and while none of us were there in the hotel rooms, trailers or condos with him and over 50 women, a lot of other facts are very evident.
It is evident that Bill Cosby has destroyed his own reputation, whether he sexually assaulted any of the women or not. Bill Cosby has admitted that he repeatedly cheated
on his wife, a behavior clearly not befitting of a role model. The African American community is likely the only ethnic group that has a comedian as a role model in the first place. And in many ways, the role model was the Cosby Show dad, not the real Bill Cosby. There is an apparent difference.
We must never forget that Bill Cosby (comedian, movie star, Ph.D. and philanthropist) made a portion of his money and his reputation by stereotyping poor African American kids (Fat Albert etc.) and helping the country laugh at us – not with us. He was in fact an opportunist. Dr. Cosby then began to degrade a large portion of the poor African American community instead of lifting them up. What he said about pulling pants up etc., was true but his tone was condescending and the type of people he condemned are exactly how he made a portion of his fortune and popularity in the first place. While Cosby contributed millions of dollars to schools, students and education, what about those he put down who did not fit into the academic mold he supported? If we do not excuse Caucasian people when they do it, we certainly cannot afford to excuse our own.
Our thoughts and prayers should go out to Bill Cosby’s wife and family. We should not be making excuses for a man who fed the stereotype that all good African American men still have to fight to overcome every day. We should not be singing the praises of a man who put his wife and family through Hell because of his hormones. It is not likely that Cosby raped all of those women. But it is likely that he put them on the proverbial “casting couch”, made promises to them and took advantage of their ignorance. And while some of you would say we are not to judge another man’s morality, realize that Bill Cosby put himself out there as America’s African American dad and a pinnacle of morality and stature. When you do that, you should expect heavy scrutiny – a lesson Dr. Ben Carson found out the hard way.
It’s time for our people to hold our own people accountable instead of making excuses. I am not oblivious to the fact that so many of our brothers were falsely accused and lynched back in the days of slavery. And obviously this Cosby sex issue is based on a lot more than meets the eye – a lot bigger than Cosby and a bunch of women. However, if Cosby was a Caucasian comedian accused of raping or sexually assaulting African American women (just like what happened to the Lacrosse team at Duke University), African Americans would be proclaiming his guilt, screaming bloody murder and ready to march or riot. I overstand that we want to believe in our own – Michael Jackson, O.J. Simpson, Eddie Long, Bill Cosby. But a desire to believe neither makes a man innocent nor changes the facts.
If we make excuses for consistent bad behavior in our community, we will never correct the immorality in our community and a sense of right and wrong will fade into oblivion. If we keep letting people off the hook when they put themselves on a pedestal of scrutiny, we do our people a huge disservice. No man (or woman) of any ethnicity is perfect but the African American community must raise up a standard of excellence and greatness. We must hold to that standard, expect it of ourselves, demand it of each other and require the world to accept it. No more excuses.
Staff Writer; Marque-Anthony