# Could Bill Cosby have said this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295 "2011-10-11T14:23:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/21 "2011-10-11T16:35:47Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Yes, I saw that. But that’s Ben Stein. I was upset by the idea that Bill Cosby would talk that way. I have no such expectations about Ben Stein. 😃 Gotcha. I was thrown off by your use of the word “supposedly”. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/22 "2011-10-11T16:38:19Z")
The OP’s quote is not Bill Cosby. It’s Morgan Freeman. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/23 "2011-10-11T16:49:10Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Gotcha. I was thrown off by your use of the word “supposedly”. Well… ahem… it occurred to me to look it up on Snopes only _after_ I made post #14, heh heh. :o ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/24 "2011-10-11T16:54:48Z")
Since there’s nothing about Jell-O pudding or “THEEEOOOOO…” in the entire diatribe, it’s obviously not Bill Cosby. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/25 "2011-10-11T17:04:34Z")
> [@Strainger](#): > > Since there’s nothing about Jell-O pudding or “THEEEOOOOO…” in the entire diatribe, it’s obviously not Bill Cosby. You’re such a pup. I’ll remember him as the guy who said, “Hey, hey, hey, it’s FAT ALBERT.” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/26 "2011-10-11T17:09:00Z")
Oh, now I want pudding. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/27 "2011-10-11T17:18:42Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > You’re such a pup. I’ll remember him as the guy who said, “Hey, hey, hey, it’s FAT ALBERT.” Ah, yes..his latter years. _I_ remember when he said, “_Riiight_. What’s a cubit?” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/28 "2011-10-11T17:25:29Z")
_VOOba… VOOba… VOOba…_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/29 "2011-10-11T17:28:40Z")
> [@bup](#): > > The OP’s quote is not Bill Cosby. > > It’s Morgan Freeman. Well in that case, it sounds much more reasonable. If it had been James Earl Jones’ quote it would be indisputable. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/30 "2011-10-11T17:32:31Z")
Anyone else get an inadvertant laugh out of the line _“Except for brief period in the 50’s when I was doing my National Service, I’ve worked hard since I was 17”_? Apparently whoever wrote this feels that a few years in military service is a chance to relax. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/31 "2011-10-11T17:48:00Z")
Snopes has a genuine [work](http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/cosby.asp) written by Cosby. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/32 "2011-10-11T18:43:26Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > A lot of older people talk about “when I was in the service”, but I’ve never heard them say “national service”. I’m pretty sure “National Service” was the British term for being a drafteein the 1950s and 1960s. So we’re looking for a prominent enough to be quotable 76 year old Briton who was conscripted into the military between 1949 and 1960 (National Service duration). ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/33 "2011-10-11T18:56:17Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m pretty sure “National Service” was the British term for being a drafteein the 1950s and 1960s. > > So we’re looking for a prominent enough to be quotable 76 year old Briton who was conscripted into the military between 1949 and 1960 (National Service duration). I just don’t see a Limey complaining about “spread the wealth” or spelling it “honor.” Lots of the attitudes (Saudi Arabia has ‘our’ oil money) seem peculiarly American. I think the piece has evolved considerably from the original. I don’t think whoever wrote the part about National Service is prominent at all - just an old jerk who complains to his computer. I often wonder how people feel about adding their own bits - are they just confused that it claims to be from one person? Do they they not care? Do they rationalize it’s a ‘noble lie’ in service a greater truth? In closing, I want to hit the people who wrote this in the back of the head with a folding chair. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/34 "2011-10-11T19:41:47Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m pretty sure “National Service” was the British term for being a drafteein the 1950s and 1960s. > > So we’re looking for a prominent enough to be quotable 76 year old Briton who was conscripted into the military between 1949 and 1960 (National Service duration). Or a Canadian who was in “Her Majesty’s Royal Service”. That might explain his not working so hard during this time. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/35 "2011-10-11T19:55:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Anyone else get an inadvertant laugh out of the line _“Except for brief period in the 50’s when I was doing my National Service, I’ve worked hard since I was 17”_? Apparently whoever wrote this feels that a few years in military service is a chance to relax. Yep, saw that. For those not following the joke, the “original” source has been identified by snopes as Massachusetts State Senator Robert A. Hall. > **[I'm Tired--some updates](https://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2009/02/robert.html)** > > I’ll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting e... Close reading shows the version quoted in the OP has various changes, including truncations and minor tweaks. For example, the line about “National Service” isn’t in the original. Rather, Robert Hall refers to “one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day”. Also, he is 63, not 76, and the line about retirement has been tweaked from “Given the economy, there’s no retirement in sight, and I’m tired. Very tired.” ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/36 "2011-10-16T16:52:34Z")
> [@bup](#): > > The OP’s quote is not Bill Cosby. > > It’s Morgan Freeman. IANAD, but I feel fairly confident in issuing you a diagnosis of acute Freemanic Paracusia. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/37 "2011-10-16T19:12:15Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > It’s not Bill Cosby, and you can tell that from _the first two words_. Cosby isn’t 76 years old, he’s [74](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_cosby). Bill Cosby from the future wrote this. Get your shit straight! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/38 "2011-10-16T19:22:09Z")
IIRC, Bill’s son Ennis Cosby had serious drug problems. So, the rant about how addicts don’t really have a disease made it clear to me that this was not written by the Cos. Now, if you’ll excuse me it’s time to get my pens and my pencils for Picture Pages. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/39 "2011-10-16T19:44:07Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > IIRC, Bill’s son Ennis Cosby had serious drug problems. So, the rant about how addicts don’t really have a disease made it clear to me that this was not written by the Cos. > > Now, if you’ll excuse me it’s time to get my pens and my pencils for Picture Pages. I knew that Ennis had struggled with dyslexia, but can’t remember anything about him being a drug addict. (though Ennis wasn’t at all public figure like so many children of mega-celebrities seem to aspire to nowadays). That said, Bill Cosby has railed against drugs and drug dealers in the black communities for many years, calling out other black leaders for blaming “The Man” and unfair policing practices instead of holding young people (and to some extent their parents) responsible for their own actions. Of course, he has also called out against the skyrocketing rates of single mothers and absentee fathers among inner city black communities, a charge that struck some as a bit hypocritical when it was revealed that Cosby himself had a child with another woman during his marriage to wife Camille. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295/40 "2011-10-16T20:23:16Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > IIRC, Bill’s son Ennis Cosby had serious drug problems. So, the rant about how addicts don’t really have a disease made it clear to me that this was not written by the Cos. > > Now, if you’ll excuse me it’s time to get my pens and my pencils for Picture Pages. It wasn’t his son Ennis that had the drug problems; it was his daughter [Erinn.](http://books.google.com/books?id=NJsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=cosby+daughter+drugs&source=bl&ots=IATbolb52T&sig=RpaGtVZlS9Q3HTwZN0b0B2_DC-s&hl=en&ei=RzybTtvDDNSBsgLR6pCnCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=cosby%20daughter%20drugs&f=false) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-bill-cosby-have-said-this/599295.md?page=1)