Opinion of Bill Cosby

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Brilliant entertainer, but his views on race are, alas, sorely lacking. (And no, I don't give a damn about him being black. Racist crap is racist crap regardless of whether the person saying it is white as the driven snow or black as the darkest night).

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Nothing happens in a vacuum. The 1991 riots didn't happen because "lulz, let's kill whitey". They happened because of the total failure of justice where white cops, beat a black man half to death, and were acquitted by an all-white jury. It was essentially 90's Trayvon Martin - and had there been rioting after Zimmerman's acquittal, I wouldn't have cheered them on, but I wouldn't have laid the blame squarely at black people's feet.

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

His views on language are incredibly ignorant, but his overall point that young black people need to try harder is totally apt. Go to any black high school in America and watch the defiance and the hostility toward people who are trying to help them. See the apathy and see how the kids who do make some effort to make something of themselves are treated. It's infuriating to people who care about education and black people. Ignoring this problem and attacking the messenger doesn't help anybody.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. The 1991 riots didn't happen because "lulz, let's kill whitey". They happened because of the total failure of justice where white cops, beat a black man half to death, and were acquitted by an all-white jury. It was essentially 90's Trayvon Martin - and had there been rioting after Zimmerman's acquittal, I wouldn't have cheered them on, but I wouldn't have laid the blame squarely at black people's feet.

I think that's a pretty silly way to look at these issues. 

Sure, you shouldn't judge "black people" based on the actions of a few criminals.  I agree with that.  Cory's point is basically racist drivel, and that's why Bill Cosby's words became problematic in America.  We tend to turn everything into a white vs. black issue unfortunately.

But, that's not what Bill Cosby actually meant.  I think his point is that even if there are racial inequities, black people ought to work on the social problems, mostly born out of poverty, on an individual level.  If you just constantly see yourself as a victim with no agency, that's actually racist in my eyes because it's disempowering to black people.  Individual people can make a huge difference in things like the achievement gap, by talking to their young children and reading to them for example.  That's not to say, black parents have the same advantages as white parents on average.  But, I think the point is just that constantly focusing on racism and the victim status of black becomes counter-productive after a point.