The L.A. County District Attorney’s office decided not to file charges on Bill Cosby. The statement read, “Consequently, after evaluating all potential charges, there is insufficient evidence to prove these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.” However, Cosby is still facing charges in Pennsylvania. He had to post a million dollars bail and surrender his passport in December 2015.
I am not sure what to think about this situation. In my heart of hearts, I want to believe that Bill Cosby is innocent. I want to tell myself he is the black community’s favorite dad, and this is white supremacy trying to swallow up his legacy. Even if he did everything they say he did, there is still something about this that feels outrageously, ridiculously weird. Now, don’t get me wrong; I have heard some stories, and I’ve got my own stories. Forbes Woman reports, “Nearly sixty percent of Black girls experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 18”.
The greatest men can most certainly be and sometimes are predators. RAINN reports that every 107 seconds someone 12 or older gets sexually assaulted. One minute I see Janice Dickinson looking like she is bluffing, acting like a strung out druggie on Nancy Grace, and the next I see Jewel Allison‘s story coming down the Facebook feed. Parts of me are obligated to believe Jewel. Jewel wrote how she understood Bill Cosby’s legacy and his impact on the community, and that is why she didn’t come forward. If she is telling the truth, I feel sorry for her. Why do I say “if”? ‘Cause the girl who said that Bill Cosby drugged her at the Playboy Mansion can’t prove he was there. Her dates don’t add up. I don’t think you would forget that time you were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby.
Daniel Holtzclaw raped 18 black women, so I would be a fool to put it past any man, even Bill Cosby. There are so many questions, but not enough answers. I most definitely wanted to get the Kings’ perspective on this issue. When they finished my survey, a few of them were annoyed. They had more to say, and they wanted to go deeper. By the way Cosby’s allegations are set up… I don’t think that will be a problem in the long run.
I am hoping at least 50 of the Kings will take this survey before I close it out. If so, you can get a more detailed analysis via my newsletter. If not, I won’t bother. However, I asked 25 Black men:
Do you know what Cosby was accused of?
100% of the kings answered yes
Do you think or feel Cosby is guilty?
33.33% answered yes
66.67% answered no (only 21 answers)
4 refused to answer
Do you feel Cosby should have been arrested?
20.83% answered yes
79.17% answered no
Should Camille Cosby leave Bill Cosby?
0% answered yes
64% answered no
36% answered I don’t know
I definitely want to go deeper on the last question in my next survey! None of the men who believe he is guilty or should have been arrested answered yes. At one point during all of this I thought a lot about Camille… how she must feel as a woman who has loved this man, always willing to give it up to him, have his babies, and his last name. What do these answers say about black men and marriage? I can’t wait to find out. Ladies, what are your thoughts on this?
I also asked the kings whether or not they thought that Cosby’s show should remain on air.
95% percent said yes
4.35% answered no
I asked why should the show remain on the air or be taken off of air.
Qualitative answers:
The real truth may never come out. Seinfeld is still on air, and Micheal Richards is a racist. Hulk Hogan toys are still made.
The shows have nothing to do with the man’s personal indiscretions.
Supporting his work is a different question on rather it should remain on the air. One is empowering the public to choose, the other is censorship based on allegations. Although I believe he has some capability, it sets bad precedent to erase everything based on now.
What do his shows have to do with his personal life? So far these are just accusations and if I’m not mistaken the Pittsburgh Steelers still play on TV.
Because the shows are fiction, you separate the character from the actor, the Cosby Show is a legacy within itself, furthermore Stephen Collins, Woody Allen, and Roman Polanski’s works on still being aired in this day and age and people just seem to forget that they too have done way worse things than what Bill Cosby is being accused of.
Also I stand with Eddie Griffin because what he said is true when you look at the track record of how many black men in Hollywood have been taken down and didn’t leave the industry clean it all makes sense, now if Bill did rape these women than he’s a horrible human being, there’s no way around that. Oh and that jerk Judd Apatow needs to shut the hell up forever! I am pretty sure he done did some dirt as well only thing is he’s white and Bill is black, racism is still alive and well in this country whether you want to believe it or not.
If you’re going to do things based on morality and merit, let it be equally done across the board.
12/31/2015 10:21 PM
It was a show that had an upper middle class black family. They were well spoken and well mannered. It showed a different side of the black family than most sitcoms. A show that the whole family could watch.
These comments fairly represent the whole. There was not one single comment advocating that Cosby shows should be taken off the air, although one king did write NO COMMENT. Personally I don’t think his shows should be removed, but I find it disturbing that some of the Kings justified Cosby’s shows remaining on-air by comparing his treatment to that of other white rapists and molesters. What are your thoughts on this?
