Bill Cosby ROCKS! Says it like it is.

[Dreadsox]

I have had the pleasure of being his body guard three times prior to becoming a teacher. He was always a great celebrity because he always made you feel like you were not just some employee waiting on him.

Here are some comments Mr. Sosby made recently:

[Q]"Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids - $500 sneakers for what? And they won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.' ...[/Q]

[Q]"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't.' 'Where you is.' ... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk. ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth!"
[/Q]

[Q]"These people marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around. Take the neighborhood back."[/Q]

[Q]"These are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake and then we run out and we are outraged, [saying] 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?" [/Q]

http://www.wacotrib.com/featr/conte...jLwHke3Nq52qzyyP6rXSmdD3izouNVSqPqsfjtWT1jbOR!-1504423778?urac=n&urvf=10852281495480.8766112631441862

http://www.newsday.com/entertainmen...5,print.story?coll=ny-entertainment-headlines

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37869-2004May18?language=printer

 

[bonosloveslave]

I have had the pleasure of being his body guard three times prior to becoming a teacher.

He's a pretty smart guy

 

[pax]

One thing Mr. Cosby is, unfortunately, right about: Certain trends in education have de-emphasized teaching proper grammar, spelling, and articulation to young children. While I certainly agree that such teaching needs to be done carefully and with sensitivity, children must absolutely be taught standard English (what a professor of mine often called "newscaster English"--think Peter Jennings and you'll understand).

While nonstandard forms can be beautiful and interesting (i.e. the pidgin English spoken in certain Pacific countries, Spanglish, etc.), children must be taught to read, write, and speak standard English, at least in formal settings, from a very young age. Language is still so important to future success. As an English major, I cringe when I hear people say "different than" or "the student got their book," and any of the many seemingly minor mistakes my educated peers make on a daily basis.

 

[verte76]

Bill Cosby is cool. We have one of his books in the library. I haven't read it but it's on my list of "to read" books.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

His comments, from what I've read, have caused quite a controversy. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think his comments were referring to only African Americans.

from the Post article..

When Cosby finally concluded, Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and NAACP legal defense fund head Theodore Shaw came to the podium looking stone-faced. Shaw told the crowd that most people on welfare are not African American, and many of the problems his organization has addressed in the black community were not self-inflicted.

I like Bill Cosby, but I think it's easy for him to say, so to speak, with the wealth and position he has. He seems to be perpetuating stereotypes.

 

[Dreadsox]

I can find not one single quote that indicates the Cos was saying the problems they face were self-inflicted or that African Americans were the majority on welfare.

From the quotes I was able to find, I do not see it either.

 

[Wild Angel]

But I have read that some Black leaders and groups are upset with his comments.

His intentions were good but maybe he took it too far and became offensive. What's with the doctor stuff? Not everybody wants to be a doctor anyway, black or white.

 

[Popmartijn]

No, not everyone wants to be a doctor. But when you're aiming for an ambitious job (or a job at least), you should be able to speak the language correct. Otherwise, it's almost impossible to do your job correctly. So without good language skills, it's impossible to advance in society. It will keep you in your low class, with not much chance of getting a better life.

C ya!

Marty

 

[Dreadsox]

Is it more upsetting that he spoke the truth to them? Parents are more willing to spend on the game boys, the xbox's, and the sneakers. Money to help their kid get ahead? Nah.

 

[U2Kitten]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/22/a...n=1c0a37d7bb5f0c63&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1

 

[Bono's shades]

I didn't have much of a beef with Cosby's comments...right up until he reached the pound cake part and he lost me. Cops shooting kids in the back of the head for shoplifting seems like a pretty legitimate cause for outrage.

 

[Dreadsox]

From Kitten's Article:

[Q]"A 50 percent dropout rate in 2004 is not all about what people are doing to us. It's about what we are not doing. The Legal Defense Fund and the N.A.A.C.P. can deal on those points of law, but something has to come from the people."[/Q]

 

[anitram]

I agree with part of it, but I also think it's really easy to preach when you've made it out of the ghetto.

 

[pax]

Cosby having made it out of the ghetto, however, is precisely why his voice is needed. He's not someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so to speak. And I really do agree with his comments on speech and language, having worked with children facing many of these challenges. I think anitram's comments might be better-founded if Cosby had never been in the ghetto to begin with, but he was, in fact, there (correct? I believe he grew up in a rough section of Philly, if I am not mistaken). Thus, his voice is actually more credible than if he had never been there in the first place, or if he had not made it out.

 

[anitram]

I think anitram's comments might be better-founded if Cosby had never been in the ghetto to begin with, but he was, in fact, there (correct? I believe he grew up in a rough section of Philly, if I am not mistaken). Thus, his voice is actually more credible than if he had never been there in the first place, or if he had not made it out.

I'm confused, because that's exactly what I said - it's easy for him to preach because he'd made it out of the ghetto. I never implied he wasn't there to start with.

Like I said, I agree with part of it. I come from a country where most people speak dialects, but if you wanted to get anywhere in terms of education or academics, you were expected to speak and write standard language. I think standard English should be mandatory, and it's sad that many people's grammar is so poor at this stage. English is my 3rd language, but sometimes I think I have a better grasp of it than some native speakers, because grammar and spelling were imprinted on our minds.

But like I also said, Cosby is rich, he is now part of the upper echelon, and it is easy for him, since he made it. Not everyone will make it, and statistically, not everyone can. Yes, his voice is valuable, but I can assure you that many poor minorities will look at Bill Cosby and not feel any more in touch with him than they would with a Bill Gates. There is simply a disconnect there.

He may have lived in a ghetto, but you don't know another person's life until you've walked in their shoes. And maybe they lived next door to you in the ghetto, but their circumstances were different. Not everybody is born with the same abilities, and let us remember, luck also plays a role. Cosby has good points, but the way he addressed the topic, I wonder if he's trying to catch flies with vinegar rather than honey, that is all.

 

[Danospano]

I think there are bigger problems in the world and ranting about the state of people's grammar is a waste of valuable energy and time.

Sure, it's worth mentioning, and I doubt Cosby makes it his sole objective to complain about these things, but I don't find this to be as troubling as corporate greed (white collar crimes), invading a country across the world for no ethical reason and killing thousands of innocent people (9/11 and the recent Iraqi conflict), and those other things that deserve the utmost attention (cancer, AIDS research).

 

[pax]

I don't think you understand what he's saying.

It's not a mere matter of grammar. The way a person speaks and writes is so important to his or her future success. If you want to equip a child for a good future, it is just as crucial to teach him or her to speak and write properly as it is to keep him or her away from drugs, promiscuous sex, etc. If a person can speak and write well, it will give him or her better standing in education, work, politics and community activities...the list goes on and on.

If I were the parent of a child trying to get "out of the ghetto," I would in fact be sorely offended by the implication that it is somehow unimportant that my child learn to speak and write well.