I have been purposely avoiding comment on the Bill Cosby debacle. I must admit I did not want to believe it. Who wants to believe America's "Dad" is a sexual predator? A freak? An abuser? Where was his wife in all this? I will even admit to wondering if some of the women were jumping on the bandwagon for notoriety. We've been inundated with stories about rape, murder, violence and it does tend to anesthetize me/us after a while. With so many women coming forward with stories about Cosby drugging, raping, abusing them dating back to the 1960s, it seemed plausible yet overwhelming. How can so many have kept quiet so long (even though I TOTALLY get the feelings of powerlessness and fear that pervaded)? Are we victimizing yet another black man without proof?
I listened and laughed to "Why Is There Air?" I fell in love with Cosby as the voice of God & Noah on his famous recording about Noah & the Ark. I loved the recorded (and later animated) Fat Albert stories. I watch "I Spy" as a teen and "The Cosby Show" as an adult though I did find the latter a bit treacly.
The point is, I had all the same questions, hesitation and confusion most people do.
Beverly Johnson, the first black top model, a woman I remember from my late teens and twenties who graced the cover of every magazine I liked, has come forward to tell a similar story: Bill Cosby, in the guise of revitalizing her career with a part on "The Cosby Show", drugged her. Her detail is chilling. It's also believable. She addresses the questions I've had in a straightforward manner. Her attitude is believable.
I believe her. I believe the others.
The emperor has no clothes.
22 comments:
I also grew up with him and his comedy albums. I got to see a live show of his once. I don't want to believe he is this bad. Maybe we will need to wait until a trial.
I'm just glad that he didn't get away with it forever. Now the world will know the man for who he really is. I have no doubts, with all that I've read and the incredible number of similar stories. It also makes me glad to realize that the environment has changed and women can now speak out when thirty years ago it was impossible.
Hi Cali Girl, I've been following you again for a while, but haven't been commenting on anyone's posts much. Still trying to wade slowly back into blogging. I moved to a new blog from Bear Swamp.
This whole horrible thing with Cosby has rattled my faith in father figures, and yet confirmed what I already knew, that that persona often cannot be trusted. It's how most serial predators operate. Gain trust by being friendly and avuncular, and then moving in. What makes it worse is that he portrayed this man for so long and gained the trust of the world, which made it so difficult for all of these women to come forward.
Beverly Johnson's account, I think, has put the last nail in his coffin. What on earth would she have to gain by telling it? I'm sure she knows that it will bring some hate in her direction from people who won't believe, no matter what. But I believe her, as I've believed all of the other women who have told their stories. It's a shame that it takes a well-known voice to make people really hear, but I'm glad that she came forward at last.
Well, geez, I'm getting old and forgot that I commented on your Thanksgiving post! I'm so happy to be back in the saddle. Apparently I have a lot to say. :)
Love to you, CG!
Bill, I felt as you do for a long time. Unfortunately the statute of limitations applies to all but one instance where the woman claims she was under age when he assaulted her. I think they settled out of court but the question remains as to whether this will be opened and subject to a possible grand jury hearing.
Djan, the longer I live, the more I realize, as did Scrooge, that "I don't know anything."
Susan, my husband's succinct words are "...this from a man telling the world how to live."
I was taken on a date in the late 60's to a Bill Cosby concert in San Diego, it was a blue event, my date was upset over the language we did not find anything funny at all, we left early for a lovely meal at the US Grant Hotel Restaurant and my feelings toward Bill Cosby never ever returned to anykind of admiration..No one comes forward with what happened to them for anykind of reward or gain, maybe to have the perpetrator arrested and charged and convicted of sexual abuse and the drugging, really???? He certainly has a bigger problem them trying to rape a woman using drugs really???? People who are famous, wealthy and powerful are NOT ROLE MODELS OR ENTERTAINERS AT ALL! I cannot believe a lot of people think they are, our only child works in the film industry and she tells me plenty and I pray for her to keep the hell away from any of those famous people, she always says Oh, Mom they would never eat a Friday or sunday meal at your table, they don't have manners and don't know good people from a--h----s! she is blunt and honest, she might meet some of them, worked for an actor once and that was it, and I mean IT. The person is no longer living, most waste their lives and are terrible to their families and lots of drugs, alcohol and many things I could never mention in polite society..Bill Cosby is not getting what he certainly should have gotten many years ago, the knowledge and facts of what he did to aspiring actresses what a fellow he is not a gentleman in my book and never has been..Karma is a bitch when you hurt other human beings, his wife is complicite in the whole shebang, married to him for many years, she tolerated far more than most women would, that is a fact..
I meant to say Bill Cosby is GETTING WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN FOR HIS ACTIONS OF 30-40 YEARS AGO, HIS KARMA PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!!!!!!
Anonymous, thank you for your comment. As for the film industry, I have friends in it, all of whom grew up in it (nepotism) and work behind the scenes. None of them is an actor. I've heard hilarious and terrible stories over the years. It takes all kinds. Just look at the Sony email hacks. Those folks sound like ranting, spoiled children.
I still hope the stories aren't true. I don't know. I also grew up on Cosby.
I think most people simply haven't wanted to believe it, but every new account brings the number of his supporters ever lower. There is such a thing as innocent until proven guilty, but with over 20 similar stories, one has to assume that -- to purposely use another cliche -- "where there's smoke, there's fire."
Shady, I'm glad you commented. I think we all want it not to be true. "Say it ain't so Joe" and all that. But it does not looks positive. One thing I know from growing up in LA, when you hear a rumor over & over, it's usually true. These kinds of things, once upon a time, did not leak out to the rest of the country or the world, for that matter. But the close-to-home gossip about movie stars, people of note, etc, was usually true. My mother was raised in the Hollywood of the 1930s and she told me things the rest of the world knew nothing about. When I asked the my friends' parents, in the biz, about them, I was surprized and sad to learn they were almost always true. But people outside of the city really did not know. It was kind of like the way FDR's illness and JFK's pecadilloes were protected from the public by the press. The studios protected their stars from the most egregious reporting. Those walls are down now.
Foxy, ditto what I said to Shady Grady.
I don't know CG, it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.. I'm not understanding the whole waiting like 300 years later before bringing it out and then so many coming out of the woodwork..I know the old saying 'there's no smoke without fire' but still, why wait so long and what was the impetus to do so now?
If it's true, it's depressing. If it's not true, it's depressing too.
Perth! the time lag is what kept me from posting and kept me pingponging back & forth over the content and sheer numbers of people coming forth. It just seemed overwhelming. However, I don't see any gain for someone like Beverly Johnson who, unlike a Janice Dickinson, has never sought notoriety other than her fame as a top model. I find her credible.
Blue G: you are so right. Thanks for commenting.
It's much more than sad. Your comment above times have change and women can more readily come forward with the truth is the one hopeful thing about the whole degrading aspect...
TBirder, it really is amazing that, despite the women's movement in the 70s paving the way, advances have been slow with respect to sexual discrimination, intimidation and the like. And don't get me started on equal pay or the ERA.
Maybe, maybe not. I prefer a legal trial as opposed to a media trial.
As for all the accusers ... lots of people swear they've seen UFOs, grassy knoll assassins and devils/witches/Mary.
will, strong point. hard to reserve judgment particularly in a 24/7 news world.
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