# 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:** 38
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/742 "2015-05-17T00:02:06Z")
Man, if true, that would be a huge disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/743 "2015-05-17T00:07:35Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Man, if true, that would be a huge disappointment. Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/744 "2015-12-30T22:06:08Z")
He’s been arraigned. Out after posting $1m bail and surrendering his passport. Faces 10 years in prison, if convicted. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/745 "2015-12-30T22:23:28Z")
[Link to NYT story.](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/business/media/bill-cosby-charged-in-sexual-assault-case.html?_r=0) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/746 "2015-12-30T22:47:08Z")
What could the _legal_ case against him be? How do prosecutors approach convincing a jury “beyond a reasonable doubt” in a case like this? ---
**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 30, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/747 "2015-12-30T22:53:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > … > g.) that there is some question as to whether a drink or drug capable of affecting anyone in the ways some of these women are claiming to have been affected even existed at the time,… I thought he was accused of slipping quaaludes to women drinking alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/748 "2015-12-31T00:02:06Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Somebody’s going to bring this up, in the context of the Cosby stuff, as some kind of gotcha. So I’ll be the first, and I’ll pre-emptively reply to the expected gotcha.: > > [IT WOULD APPEAR](http://defamer.gawker.com/louis-c-k-will-call-you-up-to-talk-about-his-alleged-s-1687820755#) that Louis C.K. is well known in comedy circles for taking his dick out and masturbating in front of women. > > Gross, but it’s possibly even worse. The article recounts accusations that he has done this while at the same time blocking the involved women from exiting the room. > > Differences between this and the Cosby case? A few important ones: I think you missed the biggest difference. He’s not accused of drugging and raping women. I mean, masturbating in front of someone you’ve trapped in a room is gross, and illegal, but it’s not drugging and rape, either. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/749 "2015-12-31T00:22:14Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I think you missed the biggest difference. He’s not accused of drugging and raping women. I mean, masturbating in front of someone you’ve trapped in a room is gross, and illegal, but it’s not drugging and rape, either. I was talking about differences in evidence types concerning the truth of the accusations. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/750 "2016-01-10T01:05:34Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > He’s been arraigned. Out after posting $1m bail and surrendering his passport. > > Faces 10 years in prison, if convicted. There were someone who wrote in an article or somewhere that it looked to them like Cosby’s perp walk was set up to maximize his grandfatherly look for sympathy points, including the sweater and leaning heavily on a cane ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/751 "2016-01-10T01:10:42Z")
> [@computergeek](#): > > There were someone who wrote in an article or somewhere that it looked to them like Cosby’s perp walk was set up to maximize his grandfatherly look for sympathy points, including the sweater and leaning heavily on a cane [Robin Givhan](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/01/04/did-bill-cosbys-grandpa-sweater-make-you-feel-bad-for-him-why-this-con-didnt-work/), Pulitzer-winning fashion writer (didn’t know that was a thing, did you) at the _Washington Post_. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/752 "2018-02-13T18:46:43Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Don’t underestimate the vast amounts of money that a high-end legal team can burn through. There’s also no way of knowing how many other victims we haven’t heard from because they’ve been paid off. > > In my opinion the odds are good that he’s already pinched financially, and will be ruined within a few years - legal problems + no income is a good way to get broke fast, no matter how rich you are. Thought I might resurrect this thread so that I could have my big “told ya so”. [Bill Cosby owes 1.8 million in unpaid taxes](https://www.circa.com/story/2017/09/07/nation/bill-cosby-owes-california-18-million-in-unpaid-taxes) [Bill Cosby took out a 30 million dollar loan against his NYC townhome bought in 1987](https://www.bet.com/celebrities/news/2017/10/26/bill-cosby.html) [Sexual Allegations have cost Bill Cosby a fortune](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2017/06/08/a-look-into-how-the-criminal-case-against-bill-cosby-is-costing-him-a-fortune/#1619a70541ad) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/753 "2018-04-26T17:54:57Z")
guilty on all counts. sentencing to follow, possibly 10 years per count. ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/754 "2018-04-26T17:59:44Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > guilty on all counts. sentencing to follow, possibly 10 years per count. [New York Times article](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/arts/television/bill-cosby-guilty-retrial.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/755 "2018-04-26T20:03:40Z")
The Cos is now a con. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/756 "2018-04-26T20:19:16Z")
I don’t have a private jet, asshole! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/757 "2018-04-27T00:25:14Z")
Let him rot in jail ( which he will never see the inside of because he’s wealthy and powerful, and will appeal for the next 5 years… ) Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Majestic\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Majestic\_Lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Majestic_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/758 "2018-04-27T22:49:52Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Let him rot in jail ( which he will never see the inside of because he’s wealthy and powerful, and will appeal for the next 5 years… ) > > Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk Sadly too true, and the same the world over… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/759 "2018-04-27T23:39:56Z")
It’s a tragedy all around. I feel for the victims and also the black community. So many historical black figures have endured attacks on their character. It apparently was justified in Cosby’s case, but I take no joy in seeing a major black figure disgraced. The world needs more people of color to admire and look up too. Men and women who have achieved both celebrity and wealth. Not less. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/760 "2018-04-27T23:51:12Z")
No. Not ALL around. There’s no tragedy with Cosby. He’s wealthy, powerful, educated, successful- and a serial sexual predator. HE is NO VICTIM. And not “apparently”. It is now a matter of legal fact that he raped at least this one victim. Don’t defend him. Don’t rationalize him. He went out and obtained Quaaludes for decades so he could incapacitate women and rape them. And he did it over and over and over and over again. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075/761 "2018-04-28T01:13:44Z")
I’m not defending Cosby. His disgrace hurts the black community. But, other men and women of color can and will take his place. Giving children people to look up to and aspire for similar accomplishments and success in life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-talk-about-bill-cosby/705075.md?page=39)