Bill Cosby: No Excuses

I grew up watching The Cosby Show. I do believe that I have seen every single episode and I still laugh at the reruns. It is one of those shows that is timeless, family-friendly and groundbreaking all at the same time. I have always appreciated Cosby's attempt at showing that a black family can be fully functional, successful and strong. It is a message the black community desperately needed to hear when The Cosby Show first began and perhaps needs to see and hear even more now.

Though The Cosby Show sent a subtle message to the world during its run, Bill Cosby himself is speaking out in a not-so-subtle way now, this time directly addressing the black community. In recent years, Cosby has become increasingly vocal about the disintegration of the black family, the lack of education and morality and violence. Cosby's remarks have been candid, even blunt, and say what few other prominent black leaders dare to say. He advocates taking responsibility for one's actions. As a result, Cosby has been harshly criticized for his words, with some of the harshest critics being prominent black "leaders".

Cosby's latest comments are stirring up debate as well. Speaking at a rally in New Orleans this weekend, "It's painful, but we can't cleanse ourselves unless we look at the wound," Cosby told the rally of about 2,000 people in front of the city's convention center.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you had the highest murder rate, unto each other. You were dealing drugs to each other. You were impregnating our 13-, 12-, 11-year-old children," he said. "What kind of a village is that?" Cosby basically calls for the people of New Orleans to stop making excuses for their situation and take some personal responsibility for their lives.

Bill Cosby knows what he is talking about. He is black and grew up during a much more racially segregated time. He was abandoned by his father and raised by a single mother. He dropped out of high school after the tenth grade to join the Navy. He finished school through correspondence courses, earning a GED. He then went on to earn his master's degree and eventually a doctorate in eduction from the University of Massachussets. He has quite literally, been there and done that.

While other black leaders continue to make excuses for the rapidly failing black family and community, Cosby pulls no punches. He says (in a 2004 article in the Washington Post), "Racism continues to exist,... but "there is nothing that will defeat parenting." He added: "My call is for more, tighter reins. Know what your children are doing."

Cosby responded to critics by saying, "I know a victim when I see one. And so did Christ. And so does God know victims. And so do we all recognize victims. But some victims you can look at and say, 'Get up.' "

Bill Cosby gets this right. There are true victims (as some of the Katrina survivors are) and then there are those to whom it is time to say "get up".