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Victims? We know who the perpetrators are, it's us! —William Reynolds
We are not slaves any more, only to our minds. Only we can help ourselves! —J. Marie
I find it hard to believe that anyone could believe that black people are simply choosing to do this to themselves. The effects of poverty are not a choice. —George Mitchell
These are just some of the emotional reactions from readers, black and white, that have poured into DiversityInc over the past week as the response to Bill Cosby's comments on the travails in the black community continue to reverberate.
But why do the remarks resonate three years after he initially made them? Perhaps because the raw nerve Cosby touched was on self-accountability. Maybe it's because the idea that blacks will get nowhere by playing the blame game on issues of high illiteracy, teenage pregnancy and growing incarceration rates is one that's shared by many.
But support for Cosby's position isn't universal. Political commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson, who contributes to DiversityInc, lambasted Cosby for what he deemed "ill-thought-out remarks."
"[The statements] are not just grist for the mill of conservative talking heads to hammer blacks," Hutchinson wrote. "Cosby didn't invent the shopworn stereotype that poor blacks, and indeed the poor in general, are their own worst enemy. This belief has been around for a long time. But Cosby is a recognized and endearing icon, and when he speaks, people listen. In this case, what they heard from him won't change their negative belief about the black poor."
Similarly, author Michael Eric Dyson took shots at Cosby for lecturing at the black community from a perceived perch.
"No matter how you judge Cosby's comments, you can't help but believe that a great deal of his consternation with the poor stems from his desire to remove the shame he feels in their presence and about their activity in the world. There's nothing like a formerly poor black multimillionaire bashing poor blacks to lend credence to the ancient assaults they've endured from the dominant culture."
But Hutchinson and Dyson appear to be in the minority as approximately 40 responses to DiversityInc were received from both black and white readers. Those responses, the majority of which appear to be from black readers, applaud Cosby for speaking out and pointing the finger directly back at the black community.
Here are some more reader responses:
I totally agree with Mr. Cosby and did from the time I read excerpts from his speech.
There was a time when most of us continued to raise our children with dignity and respect. We knew the other slings and arrows would come, but the majority upheld our beliefs in God, wisdom and character. It appears that many of our brothers and sisters cannot bear to hear the truth. Many are so intimidated by it that they would rather believe that it is all the white man's fault for our morale character and lack of sensitivity to our families. No, white people are going to do what they have always done, but they can't keep good men and women down. We need to shift our paradigm. Let's do better with recognizing what we can change for the better and do it. Don't make excuses or let other blacks keep us thinking that it is all about someone else, therefore, shifting responsibility to someone who can't and won't help us. We are not slaves anymore, only to our minds. Only we can help ourselves!
—J. Marie
We live in a culture that encourages isolation, and more importantly, depravation. The principles of depravation are often cited as a cornerstone to our capitalistic philosophy where it felt to be a motivator to build success. But motivation becomes something else when people are not able to pull themselves free by strength alone. We are one of the few industrialized countries that ration the necessities of life including education, healthcare and housing. To that end, we allow people to remain impoverished and create vectors for crime and suffering alongside extravagance and waste. How is it that our country is more willing to spend so much more money on a good prison than a good school?
—George Mitchell
I remember when Mr. Cosby said those comments and I most definitely agree. You can ask a child to name 20 rap singers or name the events that took place in their video and you WILL get a quick answer, but ask those same children to name the first 5 presidents (at the very least) or name all the U.S. states and more so than not, you'll get a blank stare ... Oprah opened her school in Africa amongst MUCH criticism from "people" here in the U.S. One comment I read that she made was that the children here don't appreciate education like the children in
—Trecena McKinney
When something negative happens against our people, we frequently move to look externally for an excuse. Playing the "Blame Game" has never benefited us. What it actually [gives] is an internal gaze into what we can do different [sic] in regards to our situation. We must first exhaust the efforts of what we can do to improve our status ... What hurts a black child worse? Is it a white society that is against his success, or his mother, or a nonexistent father, who doesn't care if the child studies or even goes to his classes?
—Butch Woolfolk
Absolutely. He was right then and his theories are right on the money. I have witnessed this and can attest to the fact that cousins, aunts and uncles in my family have failed the youth in our community by taking the "hands-off" approach. I have two cousins who criticized me harshly for the fact that I am tough on my daughter. For instance, I demand excellence, expect and buy clothes for her to dress respectfully, encourage her to read, I don't allow hip-hop music or anything related to that culture in my home and we attend church regularly where she can get the fuel needed to offset the negative impact our society has on our youth.
Four years later, both of their children (one teen girl and one 20-year-old boy) have been arrested numerous times for everything from petty larceny to possession of narcotics with intent to distribute. Their children were very manageable at one point, but their mothers missed the opportunity to groom them into responsible citizens and respectable youth by having this hands-off mentality ... In the meantime, I continue to listen to my daughter, teach her by example, and sacrifice myself to ensure that she is raised to be the productive and intelligent and morally upstanding young woman that I am praying she will be.
—J.E.H.