The mugshot of Dr. Bill Cosby pains. I wasn’t gong to write about this any more until some kind of official court verdict was rendered, but I saw an interview with Eddie Griffin and couldn’t resist. He is the only celebrity that has come forth in Cosby’s defense. The interview headline
was:
‘They all want us to have an asterisk by our name’: Cosby rape allegations are part of a conspiracy to bring down successful Black men, says U.S. comedian
- Comedian Eddie Griffin said during a recent interview that ‘there is a systematic effort to destroy every Black male entertainer’s image.’
- Bill Cosby, 78, was formally charged this week with a felony count of sexual assault over an incident dating back to 2004.
- Griffin referenced Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant as examples of Black men singled out for their alleged illicit behavior.
- ‘Nobody leaves this business clean,’ he said as he referenced those examples. ‘You’re not going to die clean.’
The 78-year-old Emmy winner Cosby appeared in court in Pennsylvania over an incident dating back to 2004 and was formally charged with a felony count of sexual assault.
Griffin speaks to a point; a married man has invited you to his room or his house. The lady’s first question should be, where is your wife? Answer, perhaps she’s not here, she’s out of town.
Second, Cosby’s question, would you like some pills? Lady answer, no thanks. Why would I want some pills? Cosby answer, to make you relax. Lady answer, no thank you. What kind of pills? Why do I need to relax? Relax for what? I am fine, thanking you very much.
Lady should think, I should get out of here; this man is trying to give me pills. Next Cosby question, would you like a glass of wine to go with your relax pills? Answer, maybe not. By this time the grown women are visiting and it is clear that intimacy is the purpose of the visit.
Lady question, am I about to really have sex with the funny man? Perhaps. Cosby, the women are relaxed and probably reclined.
Now 20, 30, 40, or 50 years later, you remember rape. Really? Something is wrong with this picture. I am not saying he didn’t have sex; I am saying rape? Maybe not.
All of the women tell the same tale, they paint the same picture, but I wonder what made them come forth in unison. What took them so long? Was this organized? If so, by whom?
Cosby’s Worth
Cosby is worth about $400 million. His image was squeaky-clean. He was on top of his world. He made TV history with a top rated show.
He imaged the Black family as “American” normal. On the show, two parents worked, the children went to school and did homework. The world saw a middle-class professional family, educated. They ate dinner and they solved “normal” problems.
Cosby crossed over. He gave us an American family that topped the charts and some suggest saved NBC. He brought forth new actors and actresses. He mentored new comics, helping them develop their skills, including Richard Pryor and Eddie Griffin. He brought the next generation of comics along.
He opened the doors for many. He brought the past generation to the small screen remember the Lena Horn and Joe Williams segments? He educated students. He supported Black colleges. He walked the talk. He didn’t
forget or ignore. He never forgot he was the boy made good from the projects, who also ran track.
He recognized Black social problems and put his money where his mouth was. He delivered to the civil rights movement with gold; he took on the new Black reality show. He challenged the new “Black image”. But most of all, he took on the new Black reality.
“What happened?” he asked. He talked about broken family structure - baby mamas and daddies. What happened to the wives and husbands and mothers and fathers? He talked about parenthood and said cussing and violence and
baggy pants were unacceptable. He traveled the country with a ministerial message, with a clarion call for Black folk to straighten up.
Even his reruns were vastly successful. At the time the allegations began, The Cosby Show was about to return to TV at the highest price ever paid for a rerun series.
And then Cosby tried to put a deal together to purchase NBC. And then trouble came.
The women came out of the woodwork, screaming, he raped me. Why didn’t they say something earlier? Only one stood up and filed claims against Cosby, and she is now taking him to criminal court within a day of the legal limits to file criminal charges.
Cosby is most embarrassed, ashamed and has been brought down. He has lost his case in the court of public opinion, looking like a thug, a broken 78-year-old man, going blind.
The oldest trick in the world is to scream rape. This is the trap that has been set for Black men throughout history. Guilty is another question.
But the test of the accusation is to prove you didn’t rape the White woman, particularly. Truth of the matter is that only the women and Cosby involved know for sure what happened behind closed doors. I question, why now? What happened to bring it forth at this time?
Meanwhile, I appreciate Eddie Griffin stepping up for Cosby. Many of the awards, trophies and board appointments have been taken away from Cosby. But noticeably, not one school or one student suggested they would refund his scholarship or educational money.
I think Cosby had sex, but not rape. But he still is shamed. And just one more thing if the 18-year-old White boy from the wealthy family could use “affluenza” to plead his innocence for killing four people in an auto accident that he was responsible for, can Cosby use the same for his defense?
Perhaps a new term will materialize – “Richenza” or “Celebrityenza”. How did these women get in my room? Cosby asked.
