Cosby's Second Serving

To the chagrin of some notable black intellectuals, it seems that our good buddy Bill Cosby is at it again. Entitled, the ‘Call Out Tour’, Cosby is visiting over 20 cities with the hope of calling attention to critical issues in the black community.  Picking up where he left off two years ago at Constitution Hall, the comedian turned philanthropist has continued to present his critique of black America to willing and unwilling audiences.

At Spelman College's commencement, Mr. Cosby admonished black men who’d “rather sell drugs than flip burgers”. Weeks later in D.C, according to the Washington Post, Cosby assailed black churchgoers “who preach religion but fail to confront problems that plague their communities”. According to similar reports of the same event,  Cosby responded sternly to a man who criticized his remarks as being too “watered down”. The wheel-chair bound activist mentioned Professor Michael Eric Dyson’s scathing critique of the “Cosby Perspective”. Leaving the stage to address the man directly, Cosby responded that he is “not afraid of any Mr. Dyson”.

Sound like fighting words?  It seems the second serving of  Cosby's world view may stir up even more consternation from the Dyson discipleship than the first. Op-Eds are starting to roll in that criticize 'Cosby-ites' for refusing to engage in serious discussion with Dyson or other like-minded leaders. Bloggers, (self-proclaimed) public intellectuals, and lotion-lacking militants have also weighed-in offering a range of views in support and against Cosby’s stance. Meanwhile, brief conversations with attendees and organizers of the Spelman commencement and the D.C. speak out, suggest that there are plenty of African Americans that see Cosby’s latest crusade as a welcome and necessary response to certain community indiscretions.

With the emergence of a new brand of black policy-makers, writers, professors, and pundits, Cosby’s ‘Call-Out Tour’ may very well mark the beginning of a more substantive dialogue about our community that pushes away from the tired 'amen choir' framework of old. After all, a public dialogue about the precarious circumstances of black Americans, shouldn’t always resemble a Baptist Revival.

We’ll keep you posted. Read more here. 

Comments

[BougieBlackBoy]

As I said in a recent interview, I agree with Cosby wholeheartedly. I think it's pathetic that the Black community has ousted Cosby simply because he speaks the truth. A truth that Black americans are too embarrassed to hear and agree with. Our people, as a whole, would rather spend $300 for a pair of sneakers, than $10 for a book to read. Just when our ancestors have worked hard for us to have an easier life, we simply reverse it and deny progression.

[Heru Ammen]

Bill Cosby is simply telling the truth and is definitely on point. It appears that he is using his celebrity to force a dialogue that should have flowed freely from African American Intelligentsia a long time ago. I'm happy to see someone other than Jesse, Sharpton and the rest of the usual AA talking heads getting some attention. I say let the debate begin....