In May 2004 after receiving an award at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that outlawed school racial segregation, Cosby made public remarks critical of African Americans who put higher priorities on sports, fashion, and "acting hard" than on education, self-respect, and self-improvement, pleading for African-American families to educate their children on the many different aspects ofAmerican culture.
In "Pound Cake," Cosby, whose doctorate is in education, asked that African-American parents begin teaching their children better morals at a younger age. Cosby told the Washington Times, "Parenting needs to come to the forefront. If you need help and you don't know how to parent, we want to be able to reach out and touch". Richard Leiby of The Washington Post reported, "Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks Monday night at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision."
Cosby again came under sharp criticism, and again he was largely unapologetic for his stance when he made similar remarks during a speech in a July 1 meeting commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. During that speech, he admonished blacks for not assisting or concerning themselves with the individuals who are involved with crime or have counter-productive aspirations. He further described those who needed attention as "blacks [who] had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement." The speech was featured in the documentary 500 Years Later which set the speech to cartoon visuals.
Georgetown University sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson wrote a book in 2005 entitled Is Bill Cosby Right or Is the Black Middle Class Out of Touch? In the book, Dyson wrote that Cosby was overlooking larger social factors that reinforce poverty and associated crime; factors such as deteriorating schools, stagnating wages, dramatic shifts in the economy, offshoring and downsizing, chronic underemployment, and job and capital flight. Dyson suggested Cosby's comments "betray classist, elitist viewpoints rooted in generational warfare."
Cornel West defended Cosby and his remarks, saying, "[H]e's speaking out of great compassion and trying to get folk to get on the right track, 'cause we've got some brothers and sisters who are not doing the right things, just like in times in our own lives, we don't do the right thing. ... He is trying to speak honestly and freely and lovingly, and I think that's a very positive thing.
In a 2008 interview, Cosby mentioned Chicago; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Oakland; Detroit; and Springfield, Massachusetts among the cities where crime was high and young African-American men were being murdered and jailed in disproportionate numbers. Cosby stood his ground against criticism and affirmed that African-American parents were continuing to fail to inculcate proper standards of moral behavior. Cosby still lectures to black communities (usually at churches) about his frustrations with certain problems prevalent in underprivileged urban communities such as taking part in illegal drugs, teenage pregnancy, Black Entertainment Television, high school dropouts, anti-intellectualism, gangsta rap, vulgarity, thievery, offensive clothing, vanity, parental alienation, single-parenting and failing to live up to the ideals of Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the African-American ancestors that preceded Generation X. Cosby criticizes those African Americans who associate his ideals with race treachery.
I used the above bio, from Wikipedia, about Mr. Cosby to illustrate the direction America's Black community is traveling. They didn't pay attention to Mr. Cosby's words because he didn't bite his tongue in delivering the words. Mr. Cosby spoke the "God's truth". Our young Black generation is mired in bull shit. Most, not all, but most, can't tell you whats happening around them if it is not directed related to video games, hip hop videos or their pants down around their ass cheeks.
How do we help them? How do we educate them on current events? How do we get them informed enough to make common sense choices come election day? How do we prepare them to become the Barrack Hussein Obama of the future? That is the 64 million dollar question. Answer....first, start by teaching our young Black ladies to refrain from having babies while a baby themselves. Teenage pregnancy is out of control. Second, educate our young Black parents on how to raise a child, teach the parents family values, show them how to be good parents. Third, give them a viable education, help them get into college and expose them to intelligent, critical thinking. Fourth, and most importantly, show them by example that escaping the "ghetto" is a very strong possibility.
Educate them, by example, on how to avoid gangs, drugs, dishonest activities. Show the young Black population how to work the system from the inside the lawful way. If you are a black business man/woman, if you own a business, have access to jobs, educational programs, lets help our own people. Do NOT depend on the racist caucasian to assist you to succeed then get pissed when he does not. I say let's help ourselves.
Mr. Cosby was so correct...todays parents need a class in parenting.
Racial Treachery....it is killing the black community.
"Disagree Intelligently, Use Facts & Truth".
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