# Can we talk about Bill Cosby? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075 "2014-11-19T15:24:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/541 "2014-12-09T14:06:02Z")
The funny thing is, whether these charges are true or not, whether he is cleared or convicted or something in between, Cosby’s legacy will stand. He may personally be a jerk and a rapist, but Bill Cosby the actor did a huge amount to normalize the idea of the black middle class. When Dr. Huxtable was at his peak, there were very very few black men living that sort of life. Now there are lots. Enough that I’d guess we all know a few, and it’s completely normal to be treated by a black doctor, or work with a black lawyer, or hire a black architect, or… Whatever else he did, I think Cosby can take some pride in helping to accomplish that. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/542 "2014-12-09T14:28:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Whatever else he did, I think Cosby can take some pride in helping to accomplish that. Prideful rapist. Band name? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/543 "2014-12-09T16:29:29Z")
I’m wondering what exactly is the motive behind these women and their accusations. Obviously, there’s a money grab involved. But, many of these women seem to be minor Hollywood players so it seems some of them are always hoping the extra publicity will help their careers. These accusations are ridiculous, they sound like a plot line from bad Lifetime Network movies. I think Cosby had consensual sex with some or all of the women and maybe sometimes that occurred after a few drinks. The claims of rape and drugging are ridiculous. Mr. Cosby will be paying a fortune to settle this, unfortunately. I’m also afraid he’s persona non grata for quite a while. He’s accomplished a lot over the years, so a few years laying low out of the public eye will allow him a well earned rest. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/544 "2014-12-09T16:34:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The funny thing is, whether these charges are true or not, whether he is cleared or convicted or something in between, Cosby’s legacy will stand. He may personally be a jerk and a rapist, but Bill Cosby the actor did a huge amount to normalize the idea of the black middle class. When Dr. Huxtable was at his peak, there were very very few black men living that sort of life. Now there are lots. Enough that I’d guess we all know a few, and it’s completely normal to be treated by a black doctor, or work with a black lawyer, or hire a black architect, or… > > Whatever else he did, I think Cosby can take some pride in helping to accomplish that. Bill Cosby helped create affluent black people with a 1980s sitcom? Really? Or do you mean to say that the sitcom helped reduce discrimination. Against black professionals on the part of potential white clients? I could perhaps accept that claim. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/545 "2014-12-09T16:36:49Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’m wondering what exactly is the motive behind these women and their accusations. Obviously, there’s a money grab involved. But, many of these women seem to be minor Hollywood players so it seems some of them are always hoping the extra publicity will help their careers. > > These accusations are ridiculous, they sound like a plot line from bad Lifetime Network movies. > > I think Cosby had consensual sex with some or all of the women and maybe sometimes that occurred after a few drinks. The claims of rape and drugging are ridiculous. > > Mr. Cosby will be paying a fortune to settle this, unfortunately. I’m also afraid he’s persona non grata for quite a while. He’s accomplished a lot over the years, so a few years laying low out of the public eye will allow him a well earned rest. I don’t know how anyone could be supporting Cosby at this point. How many women now with a similar story? 13? 15? Don Lemon asked the five women last night how many were seeking compensation from Cosby. None. None of the five, that’s how many. No, fuck Bill Cosby. What a piece of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/546 "2014-12-09T16:37:16Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Bill Cosby helped create affluent black people with a 1980s sitcom? Really? Trying to figure out how “normalize the idea of” means, or implies, or has much to do with, “create.” Failing. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/547 "2014-12-09T16:44:03Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Bill Cosby helped create affluent black people with a 1980s sitcom? Really? No, he didn’t create affluent black people. What he did do was reshape the perception of black people. Previous to Cosby’s show, we had largely fare like “Sanford and Son” or “Good Times” in shows that had black stars. Whatever their merits might have been, the shows presented black people as poor. “The Jeffersons” were affluent, but the show drew heavily for its stories and characterizations on a backstory of George and Louise having come up from poverty. Cosby’s show presented affluent black people who just enjoyed living as affluent people. I haven’t seen an episode in years, so I don’t remember if there was a poverty backstory. If there was, it was not frequently referenced. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/548 "2014-12-09T16:53:58Z")
The women may not be ‘seeking’ compensation, but I’m sure a check with a lot of zeroes at the end will help discourage them from running in front of the cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/549 "2014-12-09T16:59:42Z")
Fuck Bill Cosby. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/550 "2014-12-09T17:19:55Z")
I think that it’s not clear what exactly the Huxtables did for black people. In some sense it could have helped white people see that black people could be middle class, but it might also have reinforced the idea that black culture is something black people need to shed, that smart black people can be more white in a cultural sense, if they want to be, that if black people behave “properly” then they wouldn’t have any cause for complaints about racism, etc. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/551 "2014-12-09T17:23:34Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The claims of rape and drugging are ridiculous. Why are they ridiculous? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/552 "2014-12-09T17:36:47Z")
I think they’re ridiculous because they all have that “roofied and raped” allegation which has become trendy over the past few years. It sounds like nonsense from a bad movie or fictional accounts from a bad women’s studies class. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/553 "2014-12-09T17:38:41Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I think they’re ridiculous because they all have that “roofied and raped” allegation which has become trendy over the past few years. It sounds like nonsense from a bad movie or fictional accounts from a bad women’s studies class. You are aware that “roofied and raped” is a real thing that has happened to people, right? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/554 "2014-12-09T17:47:14Z")
Too many people report car break-ins in this country. At this point, I can’t believe that anyone would believe this is happening. Obviously people are saying it just because they think it makes them cool. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/555 "2014-12-09T18:35:50Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Bill Cosby helped create affluent black people with a 1980s sitcom? Really? > > Or do you mean to say that the sitcom helped reduce discrimination. Against black professionals on the part of potential white clients? I could perhaps accept that claim. Yes, on the part of clients, employers, co-workers… I think the show made a difference. > [@Acsenray](#): > > I think that it’s not clear what exactly the Huxtables did for black people. In some sense it could have helped white people see that black people could be middle class, but it might also have reinforced the idea that black culture is something black people need to shed, that smart black people can be more white in a cultural sense, if they want to be, that if black people behave “properly” then they wouldn’t have any cause for complaints about racism, etc. That’s a fair criticism, but I think pioneer minorities in any field tend to make an effort to “fit in” culturally with the majority. And I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/556 "2014-12-09T18:46:21Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I think that it’s not clear what exactly the Huxtables did for black people. In some sense it could have helped white people see that black people could be middle class, but it might also have reinforced the idea that black culture is something black people need to shed, that smart black people can be more white in a cultural sense, if they want to be, that if black people behave “properly” then they wouldn’t have any cause for complaints about racism, etc. In what ways should the characters on Cosby’s show have “acted blacker” in your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/557 "2014-12-09T19:27:59Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I think they’re ridiculous because they all have that “roofied and raped” allegation which has become trendy over the past few years. It sounds like nonsense from a bad movie or fictional accounts from a bad women’s studies class. What are you doing in this thread? Did Bill Cosby get signed by an NFL team? ---
**Author:** ![Clarisse\_McClellan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Clarisse\_McClellan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clarisse_McClellan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/558 "2014-12-11T03:44:13Z")
Comedian Patton Oswalt, not a money and/or 15 minutes of fame grabbing slut, [outs]([Actor/Comedian Patton Oswalt On Bill Cosby: ‘Comedians Have Known For A Long F\*\*king Time’](http://www.inquisitr.com/1657701/actorcomedian-outs) patton-oswalt-on-bill-cosby-comedians-have-known-for-long-fking-time/) Bill Cosby. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/559 "2014-12-11T04:03:42Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Yes it’s sad. If only he were a well beloved millionaire. Then maybe he could get his side of the story out there. That’s not fair either - And has been said multiple times in this thread - For Cosby at this point, the option is to either mount a robust defense to every claim, or admit those that he doesn’t have the data to defend. Given his situation - my advice would also be to stay silent. Better not to comment at all, then to defend some and in the process tacitly admit the others. At this point, it’s highly likely that he has things to answer to - whether all, some, most of the incidents are as portrayed…or are a combination of many things that the passage of time has amplified, that cultural mores have shifted or something is a matter for us to think about. It doesn’t change that larger issue (IMHO) that the way this has played out is not entirely “fair” All the way from the original crimes / incidents going uninvestigated to the current vilification of Cosby for what are mostly unsupported allegations ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/560 "2014-12-11T23:43:56Z")
Beverly Johnson , a model, claims she was drugged by him during an audition for The Cosby Show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075.md?page=29)