Can't Blame White People
by: Bill Cosby
They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.
I can't even talk the way these people talk: Why you ain't, Where you is, What he drive, Where he stay, Where he work, Who you be...
And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.
And then I heard the father talk.
Everybody knows it's important to speak English... except these knuckleheads.
Mushmouth is what they speak!
You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.
In fact, you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.
People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we've got these knuckleheads throwing that all away.
The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers, for what? And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.
I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18? And, how come you didn't know that he had a pistol? And where is the father? Or who is his father?
People putting their clothes on backward: Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?
People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something? They're walking around with their nasty underwear showing, and holding onto their pants to keep them from falling to the ground!
Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up to her panty line, and got all types of needle piercings going through her body? What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa . With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.
Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem. We have got to take the neighborhood back. People used to be ashamed.
Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.
We have millionaire football players who cannot read. We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We as black folks have to do a better job. Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids saying... you are hurting us. We have to start holding each other to a higher standard. We cannot blame the white people any longer.
It is not for media or anyone of this time anymore to say whether I'm right or wrong. It is time, ladies and gentlemen, to look at the numbers. Fifty percent of our children are dropping out of high school. Sixty percent of the incarcerated males happen to be illiterate. There's a correlation. Tell the media to stop asking me what I think about people who don't believe what I'm saying,
or feel that I'm too harsh or feel that I'm just running my mouth because I'm old. Seventy percent of the teenagers pregnant happen to be African American girls.
Don't ask me to soften my message.
Bill Cosby
Another Correct Answer!!
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9 comments:
Wow, he said a mouthfull of some offensive stuff. I do not like how he categorizes all blacks and single moms that have babies by different fathers. That can happen to anyone. You can get married a few times and have 4 kids by 3 different fathers; that does not mean you are a bad person. Life happens to people! As long as a woman is child-bearing and sexually active, there is a chance that there will be babies (in and out of wedlock). It is life and it happens. There are good parents and horrible parents of all races, creeds, and ethnic backgrounds. It is not a black or white thing, it is a life thing! Yes, we do need to take our communities back, but not just the black low income ones; all of them. I wonder why he did not talk about the increased rate of black young high school students are going to college. Why didn't he talk about the increased rate of top black and minority CEO's? Why all the negativism? I just don't get it!
I read and reread the article, (is it an article or just the answer of a question from an interviewer?) and tried to make a connection between the person who wrote or spoke these words, I could not make any connection. Bill Cosby seems angry at the wrong persons. In my view, he should, indeed, look at the big picture and bring a judgment at the system. Why are we in such a mess? Why are we losing our kids to drug and violence? why the black community is facing such poverty, lack of education and others? These kind of questions would bring better insight to the problems facing not only the black community but our nation. Reading the words of Cosby gives me a better understanding of the indignation of those who have a better awareness of the systems. Bill cosby is trying to blame the victims. Mr Cosby needs to reeducate himself and go to the roots of the problems. Perhaps, he will arrive at a better understanding. Yes, there are major problems in our community. However, seeing those problems and criticizing them without trying to resolve some of them is for me a violation. If I could see Bill Cosby I would ask him: "what are you doing to help resolve those issues?". When we are bless with wealth, knowledge, or any other gift, our responsibility is to lend a hand to the unfortunate brother. What does he do? I have to do some research.
I think Bill's first mistake was generalizing. He speaks of the whole black race as being illiterate because of the use of slang, but there are also whites, latinos, asian, etc. that use slang and he doesn't even mention this. A small percentage of blacks who speak slang does not mean every black person is illiterate. His issue with how black kids dress is very narrow-minded. Outrageous dressing has always been a way for kids to express themselves and I personally do not see any harm. I would prefer this to be their way of expressing themselves than with drugs and alcohol. He speaks of pregnancy as if its only a black issue but all races have children out of wedlock. This was the way life was 100 years ago, is today and will be tomorrow. This is not a race issue, its education. I wonder what could have happened in his life to make him so judgemental and unsupportive of his own race.
I have to agree, he is very angry and bitter about something. It's almost like he is angry because he is Black. He is a Black man and nothing can change that. What he can change is his attitude about people and be careful with the generalizations. That's like me saying "all men are dogs." It is not true. It is a generalization. Yes, there are blacks that hang out on the corner speaking language of the streets. But, you can a little of that in white, hispanic, and other communities as well. I feel a little bit sorry for him; he seems very bitter.
I think Mr. Double Stuff turned his attitude after his son passed away. I remember him on "Kids Say the Darndest Things" he was so into children, having fun with them and their parents and being himself, a comedian whom people loved. After reading "Can't Blame White People" it seems to me that he doesn't like his own race.He seems to be frustrated with his race. I personally think he should look around because it is not only his race that sh-- happens to. It is all around, he is just voicing his opinion on how he feels and he's using his race as the example.
Donna, I agree that something must have happened to the people-kids loving everybody Bill Cosby. Maybe the tragic death of his son had something to do with it. Either way, it is sad that he has come to this.
I agree with you Mireille he is taking out his frustration on the wrong people. Me and my wife watched the Oprah show when Bill cosby was the guest and they touched on this speech of his. I was interested on my wife's take on bill's comments.My wife's take on it was that she agreed with what Bill was saying.I remember not to long ago that I thought the same way.I think that this way of thought was mainly due to our up bringing.Me and my wife are first generation to this country our parents were immigrants to this country at around the same time the early sixties. I couldn't imagine coming to a forgien country with little education and a language barrier at a time when racisim was still strong.They fought and worked hard for everything they had and although it may not have been that much they took pride in it. So my wifes take is that of our upbringing work hard, and you can acheive.As i spoke to her about the big picture she didn't agree she basically had Mr. Cosby's back. She questioned the resonsibility that people should take for themselves. And should stop blaming others .Again at one point these were also my thoughts and beliefs but through what I have learned I am able to look at the situation differently. I do beleive that we shouldn't blame others for the problems but that we should recognize the issues that create the problems and try to find solutions for them.
Mr Cosby is so right alot of the thing is said are true especially about speaking english which could go for spanish speaking people also. However, let's keep it real our english went down the tolite and alot of the teens think that it is cool. If you watch the video and see how they talk and the little one try to do the same thing. So we are our worse enemy it is not the white man. Out of all these years we have come along way but we can do better. Some Black folks are trying to act rich on coolade money.The younger generation do dress and some older black people that have not grown up yet; spend there money on expensive clothes and the rent is due. There was a case where this individual was getting evicted because of their rent was not paid and they were on rent assistance paying only $4.00 a month. Alot of parents, both are in jail with long term sentences and the children are put up for adoption and that is reality. I did prison ministires and sometimes the hold family is in jail because of drugs. What happens to family because black people were raised in the church and family people. The values that was once put into us by our fathers and mothers is gone. The young girls do have different daddies for there children and I was in child support, I was a Judical Marshall and two sister were preganet by this guy again. Common sense would tell you not to do it again. However, Mr Cosby makes alot of sense. The football players can't read we want the get rich fast scheme that leads to destruction. Because there is no common sense to keep it. They can't read or count. Then there are others that do well with encouragement excel. I thank Mr Cosby for his comments maybe this would spark some life into the black community to get out of this rut.
I have to say that I was introduced to Bill Cosby's ignorance a while ago. I cannot say that he is correct in anything that he says BECAUSE HE IS CATEGORIZING. How can he state that all blacks and single mothers do one thing. That is false. There are a multitude of individuals who both fill and breaks stereotypes. Mr. Cosby has his first ammendmant right to state whatever he wants. But, he does have the right to use totalizing language(HS)and to behave as if he detests his own race.
I get concerned when people who want to work in the field of serving people; agree and run with what Mr. Cosby stated in his speech.
One thing to rememeber is that institutionaly we are socialized to behave in a certain way. If you want proof of that. Look at clients that we serve. When a family is subject to generatinal behavior this is all they know.
I just had the experience at work on Thursday when a new coworker asked if someone was refering to all Dominicans. She stated that I am Dominican and can assure you that we all love to be on welfare and live ten in a one bedroom house.
One thing that I know for sure is that if you let someone get away with a statement like that once, they become comfortable. I had to jump in and address her.
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