# Bill Cosby: Rapo **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339 "2005-02-10T03:54:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/61 "2005-02-10T15:53:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Mr. Cosby has sure made some enemies of late with his POV on young black males. But if the bias of Fox News is a factor here, in which direction would you expect it to lean? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/62 "2005-02-10T16:09:54Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > But if the bias of Fox News is a factor here, in which direction would you expect it to lean? If I may, I’d expect Fox to lean toward whatever slant was the most likely to get ratings, and slamming Cosby is the flavour du jour. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/63 "2005-02-10T17:11:32Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > But see, that’s the thing. If the accused has money then the accuser always has “potential to gain” which means it’s impossible even for real victims to ever be believed. > > What could a genuine victim do that would make her more credible than a gold digger? Not wait 30 years? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/64 "2005-02-10T17:52:24Z")
She’s not asking for money or trying to sue, she’s just trying to support the current accuser…and she didn’t wait 30 years to tell other people, she told other people at the time. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/65 "2005-02-10T18:11:33Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > She’s not asking for money or trying to sue, she’s just trying to support the current accuser…and she didn’t wait 30 years to tell other people, she told other people at the time. Coincidence? What was her reasoning for not reporting the incident to the police at the time? One would think that if her accusations were true, and the incident was as serious as she’d have people believe, then going to the police would have been the most prudent thing to do. Telling a few friends does not substantiate her claim. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/66 "2005-02-10T18:19:26Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > She’s not asking for money or trying to sue, she’s just trying to support the current accuser…and she didn’t wait 30 years to tell other people, she told other people at the time. Coincidence? But her telling other people 30 years ago doesn’t provide any real evidence against Cosby. There are plenty of people who make up wild stories because they need attention or suffer from delusions. The ability to recall her story does not verify it. Even if she is telling the truth the problem with her case being vindicated in court is this, there is no physical evidence that a crime took place nor are there witnesses to the actual alleged crime. That’s enough reasonable doubt to scuttle her case given a reasonable jury in a criminal court. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/67 "2005-02-10T18:20:04Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > What was her reasoning for not reporting the incident to the police at the time? One would think that if her accusations were true, and the incident was as serious as she’d have people believe, then going to the police would have been the most prudent thing to do. Telling a few friends does not substantiate her claim. It was the early 70’s, he was rich and famous, she was young and nobody and sexual assault victims were routinely treated like shit at the time. She had no physical evidence and knew that she would never be believed by the police. Most victims of sexual assault do not report it to the police and pointing at the failure to report is a vacuous, disngenuous reason to question credibility and I know that you are informed enough to know that. If she told people 30 years ago that he drugged her then I think it’s too much of a coincidence that two other women who knew nothing about the first woman would come up with the same story. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/68 "2005-02-10T18:24:41Z")
> [@Blackclaw](#): > > But her telling other people 30 years ago doesn’t provide any real evidence against Cosby. There are plenty of people who make up wild stories because they need attention or suffer from delusions. The ability to recall her story does not verify it. > > Even if she is telling the truth the problem with her case being vindicated in court is this, there is no physical evidence that a crime took place nor are there witnesses to the actual alleged crime. That’s enough reasonable doubt to scuttle her case given a reasonable jury in a criminal court. She’s not trying to make any case in court. She’s not pressing charges, she’s not suing civilly. She’s just coming out to publicly support the current accuser and say the same thing happened to her, that she told other people at the time and that those people are backing her up that she told her at the time ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/69 "2005-02-10T18:29:25Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > IMost victims of sexual assault do not report it to the police and pointing at the failure to report is a vacuous, disngenuous reason to question credibility and I know that you are informed enough to know that. This is true. Apologies if I was unclear, but I was only stating that her credibility would be greater if she’d reported the incident to the police at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/70 "2005-02-10T18:45:51Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > This is true. Apologies if I was unclear, but I was only stating that her credibility would be greater if she’d reported the incident to the police at the time. Yes, I agree it would be greater, and I’m not saying her statements now (or then) in themselves would be compelling evidence, I’m saying that if she can prove she told people this story 30 years ago, then, IMO, I don’t think it could just be a coincidence that another woman would make up the same story with such parallel details. People can imake false allegations, even multiple people against the same person. But it’s worth taking notice when two people who don’t know each other come up with the same story with the same unusual details. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/71 "2005-02-10T19:45:27Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Yes, I agree it would be greater, and I’m not saying her statements now (or then) in themselves would be compelling evidence, I’m saying that if she can prove she told people this story 30 years ago, then, IMO, I don’t think it could ju **st be a coincidence that another woman would make up the same story with such parallel details**. People can imake false allegations, even multiple people against the same person. But it’s worth taking notice when **two people who don’t know each other come up with the same story with the same unusual details.** Emphasis added. Dio, quit saying, but two independent sources say the same thing! It’s been debunked. Green knew about the details of the latest accuser **before coming forward with her story**. In fact, that’s why she came forward. There’s no “coincidence” involved because there are not two \*independent \* eerily similar accusations. There’s one accusation and a “me too - thirty years ago”. > [@](#): > > Green, who allowed her name to be used, said she came forward this week because her experience closely matched one alleged by the former Temple employee who went to police last month to report that Cosby had given her pills and fondled her at his suburban Philadelphia mansion a year ago. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/72 "2005-02-10T20:03:57Z")
She told people about it 30 years ago so that makes it independent. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/73 "2005-02-10T20:30:25Z")
Or [three people say she told them](http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/10847881.htm). Question: 30 years ago, did LA have a restaurant called Figaro’s? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/74 "2005-02-10T21:40:35Z")
Or “Figero’s” even? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/75 "2005-02-10T23:36:59Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > **Shodan** , Wiley never accused Bill Clinton of rape. You are saying Cosby is guilty of rape, because he has been accused multiple times of sexual assault. Bill Clinton was accused multiple times of sexual assault. He is therefore guilty, by your standard. And I don’t seem to see you condemn him. You are therefore applying a hypocritical, and therefore worthless, standard. As usual Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/76 "2005-02-10T23:38:30Z")
Bill Clinton was accused only once of sexual assault. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/77 "2005-02-10T23:40:27Z")
Ronald Reagan was accused of rape just as many times as Bill Clinton, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/78 "2005-02-10T23:51:18Z")
Ah, the “coincidence” standard. I think that was given legal weight in the famed _Thomson v. Thompson_ decision. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/79 "2005-02-11T00:49:17Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Is there anyone on earth who couldn’t be villified and discredited if enough money and resources were put into it? How many of us would come out looking like virgins. Thank you for this spirited defense of Mr. Cosby. ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339/80 "2005-02-11T03:54:34Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Ronald Reagan was accused of rape just as many times as Bill Clinton, by the way. Only when dead and naked, ya know.(other thread in -joke) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-cosby-rapo/289339.md?page=5)