sometimes i feel bad for young people because they missed out on a great rock band or the thrill of being introduced to a new toy called Pong
but today they should be relieved that they were not around, and young, and black when The Cosby Show was around.
sure it was a hit show that everyone loved, but for black folk it was way different. sure we had seen blacks in Good Times – but they were super poor. And of course there was The Jeffersons (who even had a maid) but who could you relate to? George? Please.
while the Cosby show as also a bit too hard to believe with dad being this affable doctor and mom being the perfect lawyer who never seemed to take her work home with her, either you could see yourself as one of the kids – or you could see your friends in them very easily.
and the scenarios were also hugely relatable.
the show was so good, so heartwarming, so pure, that Bill Cosby could wear the ugliest sweaters and instead of thinking, holy God that’s ridiculous, you’d say, “well, I guess that’s a thing that really smart, rich people of color wear.” and sure enough, everyone started wearing Cosby Sweaters.
in a tv schedule flooded with white faces, to see the Cosby’s on top, week after week, year after year, gave families like mine the same warm feeling that my Asian friends basked in this summer with Crazy Rich Asians, and how many women and girls felt while watching Wonder Woman kick ass on the big screen: finally. Yes! Oh HELL YES!
and sure, some of the mighty fall. Mike Tyson, Pete Rose, Paris Hilton, Martha Stewart – all ended up on the wrong side of the prison cell. But Bill Cosby? the comedian who never swore? who weirdly told young rappers to pull up their pants?
who had a huge selling comedy album where Noah told God “riiiiight” when the Lord warned him about the Flood.
to have that guy end up being one of the most notoriously slimy rapists in US history is not just shocking, but almost unbelievable.
the only thing that makes it believable are the long history of other humans being horrible in the past.
but Mr. Jello Pudding? Mr. Hey Hey Hey it’s Fat Albert?
He knew he was a hero to black folk. He knew kids everywhere looked up to him for a million reasons. He knew that he had taken the road less traveled, the Good road, and it had paid off.
And all along he was being the worst?
If it was a script the studio boss would throw it on his huge desk and say riiiiiiight and kick out the idiot writer.
because neither he or his wife or any of his friends who may have known about this horrible behavior will admit it, it’s hard to learn and good lessons from this terrible tragic. but there are a few.
the most important being: we need to listen to the women and believe them when they say that weird shit went down. no matter who was behind it.
because if we had a culture that omg believed women and didn’t throw them to the lions any time they spoke up, there would have been fewer victims at his hands.
when i was a kid bill cosby was one of the biggest heroes ever. today he is one of the sickest victims. he belongs in jail.
likewise, the women accusing the current supreme court justice nominee of sexual crimes deserves to be heard, believed, and something needs to be done about it. otherwise we havent learned a damn thing.