Bill Cosby stuns crowd with speech

[Freddie Stubbs]

Washington Post
Published on: 05/21/04


WASHINGTON — Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks at a Constitution Hall bash commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. To astonishment, laughter and applause, Cosby mocked everything from urban fashion to black spending and speaking habits.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal," he declared Monday night. "These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids — $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.' ...

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English," he exclaimed. "I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk. ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth!"

Cosby also turned his wrath to "the incarcerated," saying: "These are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake and then we run out and we are outraged, (saying) 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"

more: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0504/21cosby.html

[JayS]

1. I've got to agree with Mr. Cosby. He has always been ahead...

...of his time in saying things that need to be said. What he is saying applies to all races and ethnic groups.

[wubbathompson]

2. Pound Cake?

Bill Cosby is being a little insensitive, but isn't too far off in what he says.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. He's been giving such speeches for years...

...including one railing against "Snoop Doggy-Poop" at Howard U nearly a decade ago.

[Egalitarian Zetetic]

4. About time somebody famous said it. Jesse jackson sure isn't

cosby is an educated man, and he is right in what he says.

[JI7]

5. he has been saying this stuff for years

[WI_DEM]

6. I can agree and disagree with what he was saying

Agree that some (certainly not all) people in the lower economic cycle (and not only black but white folks too) are to permissive with their children and are not giving them a firm foundation and stressing education and allowing children to run the streets at all hours of the night--hmm, but doesn't this go for all income levels? not only the poor?

However, I part company with Bill when he says that the guy running away with a coke or pound cake or something to eat are criminals who deserve to be shot--they deserve to be helped.

In reading it over again I would say Cosby is using some awfully broad brushes but I think some of his points are relevant.

[zanana]

10. I can't agree with a damn thing he said.

What was he doing there anyway? He sounds like a member of the Heritage Foundation. Cosby may have memories of being poor and disadvantaged, but you can tell those memories are getting dimmer and dimmer.

[bicentennial_baby]

12. Really?

"Cosby may have memories of being poor and disadvantaged, but you can tell those memories are getting dimmer and dimmer."

Cause he just gave a bunch of $$$ to local schools here in Western MA where he lives. He also lets farmers(incl. my fiancee's boss)
work his fields for free. He does quite a bit for the community here.

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. He didn't say that

However, I part company with Bill when he says that the guy running away with a coke or pound cake or something to eat are criminals who deserve to be shot--they deserve to be helped.

He is simply saying that people who don't steal things and run from the police are a lot less likely to be shot.

[SoFlaJet]

7. I am not commenting

as a white guy it would be politically incorrect for me to do so.My son is being home schooled and when he said brang I told him there's no such word it's brought.Hey Snoop Doggy Dogg makes more money than Cos does these days.So who's to say maybe these parents are working on raising some future rich rap starts.I use ain'ts and gonnas so that also disqualifies this white boy

[LisaM]

8. Re the clothes: he didn't put it into practice on his who

Those kids (especially Vanessa) were dressed in designer garb every week. I never saw them wear the same thing twice. In fact, I remember when Theo cut the sleeves off a shirt, per the style of the times, and Cosby said "some day, those sleeves will be used again!" and yet the shirt and the sleeves never returned. It used to bother me excessively when I watched that show, because I thought expensive clothes for kids are a serious issue and they NEVER addressed it.

[Dr Fate]

9. He is a humorist, so of course there is generalization...n/t

n/t

[Yavin4]

13. So Why Is He Making "Fat Albert The Movie"?

I seem to recall that those cartoon characters didn't use the King's English properly.

[hlthe2b]

14. Role models should "empower," and I think that is what Cosby is

trying to do. A bit of a tough love message, perhaps? Insensitive, yes, but I don't think intentionally patrionizing. Perhaps more meant to be provocative.

Given his personal experience throughout his life and particularly with the tragic murder of his own son, I think his sincerity rings through whether one agrees with him or not.

[Moderator]

15. Actually, this story is two days old

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37869-2004May18.html

(Scroll down a bit - it was published May 19. Sorry.)