Steven Barnes is one of the few African American science fiction authors in the game. Probably one of the few black belts too. He's got a blog that I've been checking out. I appreciate the method Barnes has used to approach his life, and as I get older, I find it even more important to develop efficient work patterns for every aspect of life. His lifewriting method is pretty sound.
He recently took on William Bennett's comments about blacks and crime. Whereas he was outraged...me? I didn't care that much. I fully EXPECT white conservative elites to hold detestable ideas about blacks...and every now and then to have diarrhea of the mouth and spout them off. Nothing new to see here.
I DON'T expect blacks to evince the same type of idiocy.
Of course Cosby stands out here...and I said as much in my comments to Steve's post. Cosby's comments reveal a disdain for the black poor.
Now this is going to be a bit long, as there is a lot to correct here. So I'm going to start with Cosby's speech, and then create more posts to deal with things like the "elephant slavery comparison" that doesn't hold water, the entire "hardware/software" comparison that falls flat, and other things that strike me. I normally would let stuff like this pass, but from his blog I find Steve to be very fair minded, and decent.
So first, Cosby's speech. I can't get too all of it...it in itself is worth a book.
I had the opportunity to actually HEAR the modified version of his speech given on his smackdown the poor tour. If you read the speech, you hear someone who is justifiably angry at the state of black people--just as Bennett is justifiably angry at the level of crime in America. And as Cosby is a comedian, it is clear that some areas of the speech are solely designed to generate laughter.
But what exactly are we to make of this:
50 percent drop out rate, I’m telling you, and people in jail, and women having children by five, six different men. Under what excuse, I want somebody to love me, and as soon as you have it, you forget to parent. Grandmother, mother, and great grandmother in the same room, raising children, and the child knows nothing about love or respect of any one of the three of them (clapping). All this child knows is “gimme, gimme, gimme.” These people want to buy the friendship of a child….and the child couldn’t care less. Those of us sitting out here who have gone on to some college or whatever we’ve done, we still fear our parents (clapping and laughter). And these people are not parenting. They’re buying things for the kid. $500 sneakers, for what? They won’t buy or spend $250 on Hooked on Phonics.
Isn't this the stereotype? It gets deep though. Who's buying 500.00 on sneakers? If that person had the money to actually buy gym shoes, wouldn't that person almost by definition not be poor? (The response: but you know it happens right? all the time! yeah...just like all them people killed in the superdome.) And what about those people having kids by four and five different men? We KNOW they exist right? Yes they do.
But how many? Check the numbers Steve.
In both cases, Cosby is exaggerating for effect.
But to what effect?
Part of that answer comes in two other paragraphs.
Kenneth Clark, somewhere in his home in upstate New York…just looking ahead. Thank God, he doesn’t know what’s going on, thank God. But these people, the ones up here in the balcony fought so hard. Looking at the incarcerated, 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! Then we all run out and are outraged, “The cops shouldn’t have shot him” What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand? (laughter and clapping). I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else (laughter) And I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if get caught with it you’re going to embarrass your mother. Not you’re going to get your butt kicked. No. You’re going to embarrass your mother. You’re going to embarrass your family.
Cosby's right. There is a difference between a political criminal, and someone imprisoned for theft. But there is also a difference between the legitimate use of force, and police brutality. Seems to me that Cosby doesn't recognize the difference. Could be that he's tough on crime and on criminals.
But if so, why does he appear at Martha Stewart's trial emphasizing his support for her? He's tough on crime...but only when the crime deals with a certain type of perp.
And the kicker for now:
Are you not paying attention, people with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something, or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up (laughter and clapping ). Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack…and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from? (laughter). We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans, they don’t know a damned thing about Africa. With names like Shaniqua, Shaligua, Mohammed and all that crap and all of them are in jail. (When we give these kinds names to our children, we give them the strength and inspiration in the meaning of those names. What’s the point of giving them strong names if there is not parenting and values backing it up).<----This last sentence was removed from his presentation in Baltimore.
With names like Shaniqua, Shaligua, Mohammed and all that crap. People with their hat on backwards.
The combination is a perverse indictment of poverty in which Cosby exaggerates the face of black poverty in order to blame the poor for their own condition. Yes he's getting old and sincerely wants America to be a better place. What? And he can't disdain poor people while he's at it? As bennett is no longer in public service, I think Cosby is far more dangerous.
Posted by at October 1, 2005 10:23 AM | TrackBack
Each has outted himself as a pharisee and hypocrite. neither will suffer meaningful repurcussions...,
Posted by: cnulan at October 1, 2005 09:46 PM