I would challenge Cosby to realize that too many of our kids are born into situations where astronomical odds are stacked against them from birth. Being born without a father, dodging bullets on your way to an inferior school that sends you into a world with no job opportunities means that simply pulling your pants up and being a good person might not help you succeed. Of course, there are kids who overcome these odds and go on to do amazing things. But we can’t expect that creating a community of 20 million super negroes is going to solve the problem of racism. Black kids should not be punished for being average.
With the full understanding and agreement that black men must step up and push ourselves to be better, we must also be as determined to speak mightily against the structural obstacles that are designed to keep black people in a cage. You can’t keep letting a rαpist commit crimes without penalty and then curse out the victim for wearing a dress that was too short. It is not the failing of black men that keeps racism alive. The cultural failings of white men play an even more prominent role in the structure of our society. An appearance on CNN gives you more opportunities to challenge white men than black ones, so I suggest that Cosby keep the target audience in mind.
5) We love him, no matter what – at least I do: No matter what anyone says, I love Bill Cosby. I think that my appreciation for his advice is due to the fact that my father (not the man who impregnated my mother, but the real man who raised me) is a relatively conservative, former police officer and pastor who rarely believes in making excuses (when he quit smoking cold turkey, his explanation was, “I wanted to stop smoking, so I just stopped”). So, even though I disagree with my dad on nearly everything, I respect where he’s coming from. I also understand that we live in a world where, no matter how bad your situation is, no one is going to feel sorry for you. Equally important is to realize that you can almost never solve any problem by feeling sorry for yourself.
