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  • (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

Author Topic: Bill Cosby  (Read 4045 times)

Vespertine

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Bill Cosby
« on: July 27, 2004, 09:57:44 PM »
I saw this article a few weeks ago and I was wondering what you guys thought of it.  More interesting than the article was the poll that went along with it.  The vast majority of nearly 200,000 people agreed with Cosby.  Thoughts?  Feelings?
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/07/01/cosby.comments.ap/
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xolik

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2004, 10:08:49 PM »
The man speaks the truth. Of course, if I said any of this, I'd be branded a horrible racist bigot and shunned by society.
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The_FOO

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2004, 07:54:56 AM »
Quote from: xolik
The man speaks the truth. Of course, if I said any of this, I'd be branded a horrible racist bigot and shunned by society.


You're a horrible racist bigot and I'm going to shun you now. ;-)

p.s. I think he is right though. You have no one to blame for your failures but yourself. Unless of course the other guy is bigger/smarter/faster/better than you are.
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Min

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2004, 08:09:04 AM »
I don't like to look at the race aspect of it.  I like to look at 'stupid and lazy' vs 'willing to make something of yourself'.  All the things he said in that article can also be said of poor white trash.  But yes, he does seem to have a point.  Anybody can go to school and try hard.  True that some schools are better than others, but hard work is key no matter where you are.

The poll results are very interesting.  But if you think about it, the people who would tend to disagree, aren't sitting around looking at CNN.com on their home PC.
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Bill Cosby
« Reply #4 on: July 28, 2004, 08:30:18 AM »
I'm also in agreement with Cosby on this one.  Choosing to blow off school and choosing to drop out is the fault of no one but the person dropping out.  Choosing not to take advantage of opportunities offered is the choice of no one but the one making the decision.

As Marcus on Babylon 5 said, you always have a choice.  Saying you have no choice is just justifying a choice you've already made.
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Bill Cosby
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2004, 08:45:06 AM »
I think what a lot of people are missing is the fact that he's talking in advocacy of black youth here.

Self-reliance and individual responsibility is always better than blaming everyone else for your own lack of initiative, lack of motivation, lack of work ethic, or even just dumb luck.  

He's merely pointing out that a gigantic portion of what he considers to be an important part of our society is essentially throwing their futures away by taking the easy blame-everyone-else-for-keeping-you-down path.

Leaders of the black communities have been denying this for years.  He's simply calling "bullshit" on it, and doing it to their faces and telling them that blaming everyone else will never improve anyone's lot in life.  Hard work, integrity, ethics, and self-reliance will.

Heck, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Bill was a libertarian.

Quote from: Detta
The poll results are very interesting.  But if you think about it, the people who would tend to disagree, aren't sitting around looking at CNN.com on their home PC.


That pretty much hits the nail on the head.


By the way, there's another good article on this here, with reactions from people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, among others.
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Law

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2004, 11:14:47 AM »
I thought it was a fantastic speech.
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pbsaurus

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2004, 06:37:52 PM »
I agree.

And it's great to see you around here Vespertine! :D
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pbsaurus

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« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2004, 06:39:03 PM »
Oh and if you need loot to buy your avatar back, my colleague would be more than willing to donate it.  Just let me know and the transfer will be made.
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Vespertine

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« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2004, 09:33:24 PM »
Quote from: Detta
I don't like to look at the race aspect of it.  I like to look at 'stupid and lazy' vs 'willing to make something of yourself'.  All the things he said in that article can also be said of poor white trash.  But yes, he does seem to have a point.  Anybody can go to school and try hard.  True that some schools are better than others, but hard work is key no matter where you are.

The poll results are very interesting.  But if you think about it, the people who would tend to disagree, aren't sitting around looking at CNN.com on their home PC.

I agree with you about the poll results Detta.  I guess what I found interesting about that poll was the fact that I've never seen such lopsided poll results on CNN before.

Part of Cosby's speech was about black youth squandering the opportunities that the civil rights movement provided.  The poor white trash of the world haven't ever had a movement like that.  I can't help but wonder if the wasted opportunities of the black youth are made more profound by the fact that people died specifically to provide those opportunities...
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Vespertine

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« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2004, 09:37:08 PM »
Quote from: pbsaurus
Oh and if you need loot to buy your avatar back, my colleague would be more than willing to donate it.  Just let me know and the transfer will be made.

You just want to look at my boobs again.  :wink:
Thanks for the welcome back though!
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Min

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2004, 07:59:01 AM »
Quote from: Vespertine


Part of Cosby's speech was about black youth squandering the opportunities that the civil rights movement provided.  The poor white trash of the world haven't ever had a movement like that.  I can't help but wonder if the wasted opportunities of the black youth are made more profound by the fact that people died specifically to provide those opportunities...

Yes.  That I will agree with.

It would be like if the founding fathers of this country made all kinds of sacrifices to make us free, and then we just gave our freedoms away.


waaaaiiiit a minute....
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Bill Cosby
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2004, 09:38:34 AM »
Quote from: Detta
It would be like if the founding fathers of this country made all kinds of sacrifices to make us free, and then we just gave our freedoms away.


waaaaiiiit a minute....


That was over 200 years ago. No one cares about that anymore.
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pbsaurus

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Bill Cosby
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2004, 12:15:11 PM »
Quote from: Vespertine
Quote from: pbsaurus
Oh and if you need loot to buy your avatar back, my colleague would be more than willing to donate it.  Just let me know and the transfer will be made.

You just want to look at my boobs again.  :wink:
Thanks for the welcome back though!


Honestly I was just being nice.  The boobs would have been an added benefit that I could share with my fellow posters.  Anyhow the offer is still good  :D
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