Bill Cosby

This is my daily rant about something that pissed me off, I almost think this is kind of therapeutic.

Cosby clips:http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/billcosbypoundcakespeech.htm

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=4235750

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3194001
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4628960


Bill Cosby

All around this entire world Black people are poor and white folks are for the most part financially secure. Anywhere you go on this earth Black people are going to be poor, it doesn’t matter if you in America or South Africa, Haiti or South America, we all are poor. In the US 42% of Black children live below the poverty line. Bill Cosby’s comments, at Howard and a variety of other places, reflect his disconnection from the everyday life of most Black people in America and around the world. The reality is that the problems that exist in the “lower class” are economic, and this problem is imposed on us by the white power structure not only in America, but all over the world. Not because we don’t work as hard or because we came to work late, but because this is the way the system is currently designed to operate.
Cosby criticizes the community for having sectors that drop out of school, he obviously is not aware of the conditions of public schools. He also must not be aware or doesn’t care about the mis education that goes on inside of these schools. Who would want to sit through class, and be subjected to a teacher trying to explain why Imperialism was good for Africa? Who would want to enter a school where the police search you everyday like you were entering the county jail? The fact is that if every Black man graduated high school and college it would be enough jobs to support the influx of graduates. Is that a coincidence, I don’t think so. The white power system is designed to keep us disenfranchised.
That’s not to say that we shouldn’t strive to receive an education, but we have too look at the bigger picture. You can’t blame the oppressed for their situation you must blame the oppressor. You can’t blame a twelfth grader that can’t read for his lack of skills, you must blame the system that allowed this injustice to take place. Some of you are saying to yourself what about the parents? Statistics say that if a child can’t read odds are the parents can’t either. The statistics also say that those same parents either went to the same high school as the children, or within five miles. How many people do you know that have family that have lived in the same area for generations. The same foolishness that was going on back when you grandma was young is the same thing going on now.
Bill Cosby calls for more Black male teachers, I agree. But, I also understand that even if we had 1,000 more Mr. Jackson's or Mr. Williams it wouldn’t be enough to change the circumstances for the masses of Black people in this country. Would things improve for the students in those specific classrooms, potentially, but we are talking about 1 or 2 teachers out of an entire day and school year of BS. Hiring more Black teachers, can’t be the solution, similar to hiring more Black police officers. Do we need them, absolutely, but it would be foolish to believe that the problem would be solved if only WE did a little more. We have been doing a whole lot, if wealth was generated by how hard you work, WE as a people would be extremely wealthy.
Bill Cosby also discusses the amount of Black men in prison. His analyzes does nothing but let the white power structure off the hook. Economic develop, as opposed to police presence will decrease the number of Black and Brown men in prison. No one grows up saying they want to be a pimp or a drug dealer. Most young men have aspirations of great goals. The economic situation inside of the Black community fosters an environment where an illegal economy is almost necessary for the community to survive. This type of behavior is clearly unacceptable, but what alternative means of income are available to some of these young men. (Drug dealers, pimps, and thieves support the white power structure also, but that another topic)
Bill Cosby would make the argument that each individual has a choice to make, and if you make the wrong choice it’s your fault. Following that logic everywhere on earth Black people are making the wrong decisions, and white people are making all the right decisions. That logic seems pretty irrational. The prison system is economically supporting the white community. Without the prisons many counties all across this country wouldn’t be able to support itself. The situation that currently presents itself in the Black and Brown community would then be transferred to their community.
Prisons need clientele and Black and Brown faces make perfect since in the mind of white power. The fact is the white people engage in more criminal activity than any Black person ever could. Blue collar crimes, white collar crimes, and drug activity are more prevalent in the white community than the Black community. Why is it then that the police infest our neighborhood looking for criminals, while ignoring the white community, where the real criminals reside? The goal is to criminalize us, in order to make us believe our condition as a people are our fault and that if we just got our act together we would be alright. I say that’s B.S and Bill Cosby should get called out for his support of the white power structure.
Do we need a value check in our community? YES!!! Do we need to take more responsibility for our families, neighborhoods, and neighbors? YES!!! Will all these wonderful things correct the institutional ills? NO!!! Instead of spending so much time attacking what clearly is primarily an economic problem, lets attack the institutional level that cause all these problems. Let’s not continue to beat, the beaten, nothing constructive can come from that.
Bill Cosby is the undisputed champion of donations made to HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). He has been an advocate of education for as long as I can remember, and I’m sure many years before that. I believe that his heart is in the right place, most of the time, but I also think that his head is in the clouds. It easy to say praise his value system, with all the money that he has in the bank. Money won’t solve every problem, but it does have the potential to create a school system that teaches about our greatness, maybe a hospital that actually focuses on diseases and conditions that affect us, or a farm where we can grow and raise food that doesn’t contribute to our demise. Bill Cosby has the ability to contribute to change in a huge way, and in many aspects he has. But, as he gets older his attack of the people that should be defended and helped has become more vicious and personal. If he has lost vision of what is important, then he needs to move out the way.

Marvo

On a side note Cosby was the start of this debate around “Black” names. No need to re hash that, I talked about that yesterday. I really think writing these little blurbs helps my blood pressure LOL. I always feel like I’ve let off a little bit of steam. I’m going to confront my co worker from yesterday, after school lets out, its always good to give yourself sometime to cool down. Those that know me, know what I mean. Thanks for reading!!!!