Dropping the Dime on Bill Cosby
By Brother Tracy Gibson…
Cos always has a lot to say about how unable, unstable & psychotic Black people are and how unwilling we are to conform to Western society. We don’t talk ``right’’. We don’t breath ``right’’. We don’t pull our pants up and walk ``right.’’ We don’t obey the law ``right’’. We don’t get schooling and jobs the way we should. He never, if ever, mentions the fact that the society we live in never bends towards us, but always demands that the ancestors of the people they kidnapped to do their labor for free somehow ``measure up’’ to what is offered here in America.
Black people will never fully conform to what is offered here in America because we are humane and not meant to be beast of burden for White businessmen and exploiters of European descent. We are inventors, we are sociologically group-oriented—not only about ourselves and wealth and greed. The American political and economic system is build to take our land, exploit us and leave us as economic pariahs—consuming goods and services but never producing enough money and economic value to take care of ourselves and our children... They know it and we know it. They want to maintain ownership of the means of production for Wealthy White people (mostly males) and leave us as a permanent underclass—a consumer class of Blacks--never owning enough natural resources, and having enough jobs, land and economic clout to maintain and care for ourselves and our children. There are several Black men and women who taught us these lessons several decades ago such as The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Marcus Garvey.
Wealthy Blacks like Cos are used as a mouthpiece to blame the victims—sorry for calling us victims, but we continue to be victimized here in North America. Meanwhile, as my good friend Eve always points out to me—even with $500 Million Dollars in the bank, Bill Cosby was unable to shield his family from the very system he chooses NOT to criticize because he lost a son at an early age and had many other family problems. Yet and still, our community is somehow suppose to be immune to the social ills described in this and many other Black books and straighten up and fly right for America!!??? I don’t think so, Mr. Cosby!! Just look at who they are putting into jail (Black men—about a million of um); who is NOT getting the jobs, often regardless of qualifications (Black Men & Black Women); who is victimized by the disparity in health care (Black Families)—this was all documented recently on CNN. But I’m not saying we give up, just know what we are up against and do your best to bring truth to light. Don’t be part of the problem like Clarence Thomas, Ward ConOnelly or even a Skip Gates—all of whom don’t treat their own people right and or advocate for integration (instead of us sticking together as Black people) or suck up to the White man. . . (I call Skip Gates the White man’s Black history professor.)
Cos has done more for Black people than I may ever get the opportunity to do, but he has done his bit of damage as well. While he donates millions of dollars to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and bought millions in art work from sometimes struggling Black artists, he also rakes in millions with his comedy shows, CDs, books and speaking engagements. He has become known as the Father of America because he does not pull the punches with his frank criticisms of Black youth and how they talk, walk and don’t pull their pants up. I rarely hear him say a thing or two about the Black youths who are starting businesses, inventing, researching to cure cancer, achieving at first rate levels in school or helping out by working and bringing in a paycheck to their families to help make those hard ends meet at the end of the month.
We need Cos, but we need to set his butt straight from time to time. Sometimes I think he needs to sit down and have a good two dozen sessions with his friend and colleague, Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, the Harvard-educated professor and psychiatrist who consulted for the major hit TV show of the 1980’s ``The Cosby Show’’ and who collaborated with him on their current book ``Come on People.’’
Cosby is a culprit in other ways also. While I have heard he buys a lot of Black art work, he has also contributed to the detriment of the Black image. I am NOT one who thinks his former Saturday morning cartoon program ``Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids’’ represented any advancement for us as a race. I feel the cartoons were negative stereotypes of what NOT to be into (and look like) when you are a kid growing up in a Black neighborhood such as Philadelphia or Harlem. I don’t care how real or autobiographical they were, the Cosby Kids were negative clowns and buffoons who rarely did anything good to contribute to society—not even a good science project or two or helping old ladies across the street. I know when I was a child we got into trouble in Philadelphia, but we also did some courageous things like become Cub Scouts, learn life lessons from an old White blind man and we never got arrested. These were big achievements for people growing up in the Big City of Philadelphia at the time—the 1960’s and 1970’s.
So, let this be a public butt slapping for the Father of us ALL. Yes, Blacks need to own up for their behavior, but we still live in possibly the most racist, backwards, stupid country on the planet (Read ``Stupid White Men’’ by Michael Moore)—even if you include places like Iran and North Korea, both of which were tormented and deceived by the U.S.—through U.S. foreign policy--in many ways over the last several decades and generations.
I feel most Black people really try to work and be productive American citizens. Most of us hold our pants up and work or go to school, but there is a real underclass and a rap-gangster subculture that the media and Cos are fascinated by and want to elevate over everything else we have and do achieve everyday: The Black woman who saved a KKK member at a rally that turned violent a while back; Black construction workers who volunteer their time with Black youth; The Brother who discovered the Watergate break- in (Frank Wills); Black crossing guards (male & female); successful Black teachers & students; real Black fathers & mothers who care for real Black children and pay for school books, lunches, taxes and dreams everyday and night; even Black astronauts—somehow their stories get lost in the quick riches made from exposing the underclass and subculture. Let’s let these other stories get out also Cos. The real working people, the activists and the Black people who want to contribute positively to this experience and fill the thousands of Black churches and Mosques every Sunday or Saturday—don’t forget them in the rush to suck up to the White establishment and sell books, CD’s and comedy show tickets. We ain’t doin’ that bad considering the circumstances…
Writer’s Note: There are many things I have chosen to speak about concerning Bill Cosby that are not necessarily positive. I have to add here that he, like Oprah, have done a great deal for Black people. He gives millions of dollars away to Black colleges and has been a positive force in other ways. He has used his celebrity for good and great things. My hope is that Brother Cosby will also find new and improved ways of not only blaming Black people for their ills, but also look at and criticize the system we have to move through as Black people. Even though we have a Black President, our system of governance and business remains strong, but also corrupt and discriminatory against Black people, women and the poor. There are not enough checks and balances in place to help the less fortunate, the disabled and Black people and other oppressed people of color and Brother Cosby needs to lend his voice more to speaking out against these innate injustices in our system just as Al Sharpton, Claud Anderson (the noted Black economist) and Jesse Jackson have done. There have been and continues to be many other voices and were many such voices in history like the late Rosa Parks, and the still kicking Angela Davis and Sister Cynthia McKinney. We need Bill Cosby’s voice raised against the injustice that is inflicted on Black people every day in our Nation and throughout the world—even as we have a Black President in the U.S.….
By Brother Tracy Gibson…
Cos always has a lot to say about how unable, unstable & psychotic Black people are and how unwilling we are to conform to Western society. We don’t talk ``right’’. We don’t breath ``right’’. We don’t pull our pants up and walk ``right.’’ We don’t obey the law ``right’’. We don’t get schooling and jobs the way we should. He never, if ever, mentions the fact that the society we live in never bends towards us, but always demands that the ancestors of the people they kidnapped to do their labor for free somehow ``measure up’’ to what is offered here in America.
Black people will never fully conform to what is offered here in America because we are humane and not meant to be beast of burden for White businessmen and exploiters of European descent. We are inventors, we are sociologically group-oriented—not only about ourselves and wealth and greed. The American political and economic system is build to take our land, exploit us and leave us as economic pariahs—consuming goods and services but never producing enough money and economic value to take care of ourselves and our children... They know it and we know it. They want to maintain ownership of the means of production for Wealthy White people (mostly males) and leave us as a permanent underclass—a consumer class of Blacks--never owning enough natural resources, and having enough jobs, land and economic clout to maintain and care for ourselves and our children. There are several Black men and women who taught us these lessons several decades ago such as The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Marcus Garvey.
Wealthy Blacks like Cos are used as a mouthpiece to blame the victims—sorry for calling us victims, but we continue to be victimized here in North America. Meanwhile, as my good friend Eve always points out to me—even with $500 Million Dollars in the bank, Bill Cosby was unable to shield his family from the very system he chooses NOT to criticize because he lost a son at an early age and had many other family problems. Yet and still, our community is somehow suppose to be immune to the social ills described in this and many other Black books and straighten up and fly right for America!!??? I don’t think so, Mr. Cosby!! Just look at who they are putting into jail (Black men—about a million of um); who is NOT getting the jobs, often regardless of qualifications (Black Men & Black Women); who is victimized by the disparity in health care (Black Families)—this was all documented recently on CNN. But I’m not saying we give up, just know what we are up against and do your best to bring truth to light. Don’t be part of the problem like Clarence Thomas, Ward ConOnelly or even a Skip Gates—all of whom don’t treat their own people right and or advocate for integration (instead of us sticking together as Black people) or suck up to the White man. . . (I call Skip Gates the White man’s Black history professor.)
Cos has done more for Black people than I may ever get the opportunity to do, but he has done his bit of damage as well. While he donates millions of dollars to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and bought millions in art work from sometimes struggling Black artists, he also rakes in millions with his comedy shows, CDs, books and speaking engagements. He has become known as the Father of America because he does not pull the punches with his frank criticisms of Black youth and how they talk, walk and don’t pull their pants up. I rarely hear him say a thing or two about the Black youths who are starting businesses, inventing, researching to cure cancer, achieving at first rate levels in school or helping out by working and bringing in a paycheck to their families to help make those hard ends meet at the end of the month.
We need Cos, but we need to set his butt straight from time to time. Sometimes I think he needs to sit down and have a good two dozen sessions with his friend and colleague, Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, the Harvard-educated professor and psychiatrist who consulted for the major hit TV show of the 1980’s ``The Cosby Show’’ and who collaborated with him on their current book ``Come on People.’’
Cosby is a culprit in other ways also. While I have heard he buys a lot of Black art work, he has also contributed to the detriment of the Black image. I am NOT one who thinks his former Saturday morning cartoon program ``Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids’’ represented any advancement for us as a race. I feel the cartoons were negative stereotypes of what NOT to be into (and look like) when you are a kid growing up in a Black neighborhood such as Philadelphia or Harlem. I don’t care how real or autobiographical they were, the Cosby Kids were negative clowns and buffoons who rarely did anything good to contribute to society—not even a good science project or two or helping old ladies across the street. I know when I was a child we got into trouble in Philadelphia, but we also did some courageous things like become Cub Scouts, learn life lessons from an old White blind man and we never got arrested. These were big achievements for people growing up in the Big City of Philadelphia at the time—the 1960’s and 1970’s.
So, let this be a public butt slapping for the Father of us ALL. Yes, Blacks need to own up for their behavior, but we still live in possibly the most racist, backwards, stupid country on the planet (Read ``Stupid White Men’’ by Michael Moore)—even if you include places like Iran and North Korea, both of which were tormented and deceived by the U.S.—through U.S. foreign policy--in many ways over the last several decades and generations.
I feel most Black people really try to work and be productive American citizens. Most of us hold our pants up and work or go to school, but there is a real underclass and a rap-gangster subculture that the media and Cos are fascinated by and want to elevate over everything else we have and do achieve everyday: The Black woman who saved a KKK member at a rally that turned violent a while back; Black construction workers who volunteer their time with Black youth; The Brother who discovered the Watergate break- in (Frank Wills); Black crossing guards (male & female); successful Black teachers & students; real Black fathers & mothers who care for real Black children and pay for school books, lunches, taxes and dreams everyday and night; even Black astronauts—somehow their stories get lost in the quick riches made from exposing the underclass and subculture. Let’s let these other stories get out also Cos. The real working people, the activists and the Black people who want to contribute positively to this experience and fill the thousands of Black churches and Mosques every Sunday or Saturday—don’t forget them in the rush to suck up to the White establishment and sell books, CD’s and comedy show tickets. We ain’t doin’ that bad considering the circumstances…
Writer’s Note: There are many things I have chosen to speak about concerning Bill Cosby that are not necessarily positive. I have to add here that he, like Oprah, have done a great deal for Black people. He gives millions of dollars away to Black colleges and has been a positive force in other ways. He has used his celebrity for good and great things. My hope is that Brother Cosby will also find new and improved ways of not only blaming Black people for their ills, but also look at and criticize the system we have to move through as Black people. Even though we have a Black President, our system of governance and business remains strong, but also corrupt and discriminatory against Black people, women and the poor. There are not enough checks and balances in place to help the less fortunate, the disabled and Black people and other oppressed people of color and Brother Cosby needs to lend his voice more to speaking out against these innate injustices in our system just as Al Sharpton, Claud Anderson (the noted Black economist) and Jesse Jackson have done. There have been and continues to be many other voices and were many such voices in history like the late Rosa Parks, and the still kicking Angela Davis and Sister Cynthia McKinney. We need Bill Cosby’s voice raised against the injustice that is inflicted on Black people every day in our Nation and throughout the world—even as we have a Black President in the U.S.….
No comments:
Post a Comment