" Bill Cosby did not grow up in the projects, living in a rathole, dirt poor, with a father that beat his mother or wasn't there at all, not knowing where his next anything was coming from. Some of the things he said needed to be said by a black man who scratched his way up from these conditions. No matter what he says in the future, white biggotts will use his remarks."
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I followed Daddy until the last sentence. Is he really incoherent? What will they use Cosby's words for? I don't get it. Will they use him as an example of a black man who, because there is no discrimination or disadvantages for black men in this great nation of ours, pulled himself up by his boot straps?
Mama, the mouth piece for Daddy:
He: "You know, those op ed writers shouldn't put words into my mouth."
She: "Your Daddy says that those bastards in the local paper write crap that they just make up all the time. He hates them."
He: "I think I'll drive down the the Fena."
She, after he returns: "I thought you said you were going to bring me ice cream."
He: "What'd she do to her hair?"
She: "Your Daddy said he likes your hair cut."
He: "It don't matter to me."
She: "Your Daddy wants us all to go to the drive-in together and see 'Friday the 13th.'"
He: [Silence. He's working the crossword puzzle.]
She: "He wants you to have the money."
Very funny. That would make a great cartoon.
But, I swear, I was at the computer and he came upstairs saying, "tell them this" and began his semi-rant. I first took it down just as he said it, including, "no, put this in," "how much trouble is it to juggle the words, do you have to delete a phase (sic) and retype it or what." "Okay, then, say with a father who beat his mother before not knowing where anything is coming from" "go back and say his, not the" etc. When I read it back to him that way, he was somewhat annoyed with my secretarial skills, not realizing it was a joke. Then, he, personally, through my fingers, edited it, word for word. It is all his. I have no idea-well, a vague idea- what he's on about. I do recall COsby saying something controversial a while back. I figured this was a response to some ongoing discussion he had going with you all or one of you.
I think that he thinks that everything he thinks inside his head is heard aloud by everyone around him, and recalled in detail, and pondered upon at length.
Which, I guess, would make for a satisfied mind.
He also raised his voice when I slipped and said Crosby instead of Cosby. I did ask how he knew Cosby didn't grow up in a project and said Cosby was raised affluently, he just knew. I will print your response for him, after which I can hardly wait for his next dictation.
1 - Aside - Did "Dictator Daddy" misspell "bigot", or was that you?
2 - I see his meandering point. I've heard enough ballcaps on the radio taking the opportunity to agree with him as a jumping off point for their rants on ebonics and English as the official language. "I mean, if one of the coloreds admits it, it has to be right, right?"
3 - Doesn't anyone see the obvious chain here? Clarence Thomas, Coke can. Bill Cosby, Coke spokesman. Norm Crosby, master of malaprop, can't speak English, but it's ok because he's white. Bob Barker, super-surprise mystery guest to Norm Crosby, personally neuters puppies and performs ritual female circumcisions, but that's ok, because his name reminds people of dogs, and he's white.
4 - I don't know where Cosby grew up, except that it was in or around Philadelphia, which is as much punishment as one man should endure. That said, does anyone know if he has any "real" doctorates to his credit? Does he have the skills and tools to neuter animals?
That is my (mis) spelling of yopa's pronunciation of the word bigot--"big-ott" with the accent on ott. I guess the idea was too subtle. I'll print your comment for him He will be gratified.
From a Q&A with President Clinton in American Progress: I agree with what Daddy says, in that it's dangerous to give the right any tools, but at the same time, it's important to be able to say that we're doing what we can on the other side to encourage success in the black community.
"Q: The comedian Bill Cosby's recent remarks about personal responsibility in the African-American community have caused some controversy. Do you think such a discussion helps or hurts the broader discussion of race in America in its various complexities?
President Clinton: Absolutely helps. It helps because it helps for two reasons. First of all because I think that whenever you're blaming other people for your problems - I know I've been there - whenever you're blaming other people for your problems, even if you're right, and in this case, non-blacks are responsible, or at least the history for a lot of the problems of the black community, you still have to be careful because it diverts your attention from what you can do to improve things. So what Cosby did was really good for the black community, because whether you agree with exactly how he said it or not, he said, okay, suppose we got a lot of problems that are other peoples' fault, what about what we can do to fulfill our responsibilities, so it was a big plus.
The second reason it was a plus is it is good politics because it removes an excuse from the members of the white community, who might not want to do more for black children, or for black economic development, who say, well they're not trying to help themselves. Cosby takes the excuse away. So it was good in two ways. Cosby did a service to black America and to all Americans by doing that, by focusing black Americans on what they can do for their future and reminding white Americans that most black people are doing the very best they can to do everything they can and therefore we all ought to be working to overcome these disparities."
After yesterday's post, but before today's, which I will print for him to read tonight, Daddy said," Huh?"
Then he said, "I meant to say 'these remarks' specifically rather than 'his remarks.'" Is that punctuation right?
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