Bill Cosby knows what he's on about

About a year ago Vice Magazine put out an issue on Babyboomers which was...less than positive towards that particular generation. In the interest of fairness they had one article where they listed eight baby boomers they were partial to and on that list was Bill Cosby. The reason was not to do with his years as an entertainer but for the fact that he had the courage to stand up and suggest that maybe, just maybe, the African-American community needed better modern rolemodels then barely literate rappers and sports players. That yes Whitey has done his share of keeping them down, but that it was also the responsibilty of black people to pull themselves up. That the family unit needed to be repaired and education needed to be put out as a virtue, not "acting white".

I have to say, my own respect for the man swelled tenfold upon learning this. It's not easy to take on "your" demographic and not be tarred with any number of quick and conveniant negative labels. It's not easy to preach self reliance and improvement when so many people would rather get their backs up then take responsibility for their actions or, you know, make an effort.

This is the speech to which they were referring and it makes compelling reading, no matter who you are. Surprise surprise, Bill caught some flack for what he said and he gives a response to it here, on the implausibly named Tavis Smiley show. Black civil rights in America have been pushed way out of the spotlight by the big developments of our young millenium but, with Barack Obama having announced his presidential candidacy, it's bound to come back in the next couple of years. Given that Barack was present when Cosby gave this speech, and openly applauded not only at the end but several times throughout, I think it's worth reading what Cosby had to say if only to get a better understanding of some of the views held by this up and coming "JKF-in-the-making".