‘This Is How We Lost to the White Man’

[guitarist]

[quote vision63]Well Cosby is gonna draw the same crowds if he came to spit on the ground. He's beloved and "very" famous, so everyone pays attention to him. I saw TV's Judge Mathis a couple of weeks ago speak at an event. They had to turn folks away. Whoa.

And truth be told, he isn't really saying anything that most people aren't already saying. Every preacher, every teacher.
Really? Baloney. When Bill started this campaign, it was unpopular, aggravating, contrary, swimming against the tide. He took a fair amount of heat for it. It started arguments with other leading figures who's toes he was stepping on. The reason it's not "new" anymore is because he's been on this rant for five or ten years now. If it's a familiar point of view, it's likely because he's no longer the only one saying. Most "preachers and teachers" were on the opposite side of the argument. Many of them still are.

[DaviDC.]

Good article.

I'm glad he said something about the ridiculous, made-up names ignorant women are saddling their children with.

[vision63]

[quote guitarist][quote vision63]Well Cosby is gonna draw the same crowds if he came to spit on the ground. He's beloved and "very" famous, so everyone pays attention to him. I saw TV's Judge Mathis a couple of weeks ago speak at an event. They had to turn folks away. Whoa.

And truth be told, he isn't really saying anything that most people aren't already saying. Every preacher, every teacher.
Really? Baloney. When Bill started this campaign, it was unpopular, aggravating, contrary, swimming against the tide. He took a fair amount of heat for it. It started arguments with other leading figures who's toes he was stepping on. The reason it's not "new" anymore is because he's been on this rant for five or ten years now. If it's a familiar point of view, it's likely because he's no longer the only one saying. Most "preachers and teachers" were on the opposite side of the argument. Many of them still are.
How do you know? I "know" otherwise. Unpopular among the pundits maybe. Not among the general population. I don't a single person that opposed Cos except Michael Eric Dyson.

[Black Landlord]

[quote DaviDC.]Good article.

I'm glad he said something about the ridiculous, made-up names ignorant women are saddling their children with.
Were there a way to do so without directly insulting those with aforementioned names.

But there's not, so that piece could have been left unsaid.

[guitarist]

[quote vision63] How do you know? I "know" otherwise. Unpopular among the pundits maybe. Not among the general population. I don't a single person that opposed Cos except Michael Eric Dyson.
On reflection, I don't think we disagree that much. I agree with you that the tough-talk message he popularized wasn't totally original, much of it was in circulation, with support already behind it. Cosby's celebrity status and combative approach gave it more brand identity, brought it to a wider audience, even though he was speaking to all-black audiences. Jello Pudding man talks tuff.

Mainly what I was objecting to was the eye-rolling "been there, done that, ho-hum, it's only 'cause Cosby is a celebrity, his message is the same as everyone else, big deal". I'm not necessarily defending Cosby. But that's so dismissive and trivializing, it's hard not to defend him a little. Even if you claim to "know" otherwise. (I didn't realize either of us are "experts" on the subject.) When an expert shows up, we'll make sure and ask 'em to weigh in.

Two questions though, general population? I was talking about other black leadership figures who disagreed publicly with Cosby. And what pundits? I don't remember any pundit commentary on it, unless we consider obscure Atlantic Magazine reporters "pundits".

As I recall, first time around, Cosby's message did meet with opposing comments from other pulpit pounders like Jessie Jackson, etc., and more obscure figures too, the ones who had been selling their own branded message, usually involving victimization, empowerment, reparation, etc. They either objected to Cosby's bullying statement, or the opposite, they claimed they had that message first, long before Cosby did (but if you look at their message, they didn't) or, they objected to Cosby's unneccessary mockery of name choices, which is what got the most negative attention.

I think Cosby got some hate mail after that, some of it from young women with names like Kamalyeshea, only now they have PHDs after their names, and the letters were written on Harvard stationary. And from other high profile figures, black entertainers, preachers, as well as single mothers, students, etc. I wonder, had Cosby not made that mockery misstep, would it ever have been in the news in the first place. Otherwise it was a fairly low-key story.

[RgrF]

[quote Black Landlord][quote DaviDC.]Good article.

I'm glad he said something about the ridiculous, made-up names ignorant women are saddling their children with.
Were there a way to do so without directly insulting those with aforementioned names.

But there's not, so that piece could have been left unsaid.
Names like Barack?

[vision63]

Condoleeza

[Effin Haole]

[quote $tevie][quote mattkime]Cosby's general message is very good and then he proceeds to destroy it in the details. there is simply no reason to insult the way people name their children.
Perhaps he was psychologically scarred from making millions working with people named Tempestt, Keshia, and Raven-Symoné.

Then he shouldn't have hired them.