# How should Bill Cosby be remembered?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 27, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050 "2020-01-27T15:49:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/61 "2020-01-27T23:08:12Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
>
> Even if he wasn’t a convicted rapist I don’t think appreciation of his work would have out-survived the generations that would otherwise have looked back in nostalgia. None of his material ages well. The funniest bit on his comedy albums was about child abuse and Saturday Morning TV and 80s sitcoms in general age badly.
I dunno. When I became a father a few years ago, I still found his bits in “Himself” as hilarious as ever. I don’t know what child abuse bits you’re talking about, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did something about smacking kids in the 80s. I just don’t remember it.
Really, this is why I often don’t get too deep into artist biographies. Lots of artists I love who I think are absolute scumbags as humans. They still made great art, though.
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### Author:  [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/62 "2020-01-27T23:15:11Z")
> [@NDP](#):
>
> Not at all.
>
> Let him fall through the cracks into obscurity never to be brought up again outside of a few future scholars researching forgotten figures in mass culture.
In a big picture sort of way you are probably the most right. Bill Cosby **won’t** be remembered at all. I don’t thing anything he has done has any lasting historical importance that would warrant be remembered 500, 1000 years from now.
I have no idea if **anyone** alive today will remembered 1000 years now. It is a pretty high bar IMHO.
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### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/63 "2020-01-27T23:17:43Z")
So, when it comes to being remembered by history, should we be attending or listening to raging anti-semite Richard Wagner’s works today?
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### Author:  [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/64 "2020-01-27T23:27:04Z")
How many comedians get remembered anyway? “Rapist” will be his legacy.
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/65 "2020-01-27T23:37:31Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> For I Spy, being a funny guy (right!), Noah (ping!), Jello pudding, Fat Albert, the Cosby Show, The Brown Hornet, The Bill Cosby Show.
>
> You people sure are hard core judgemental.
Are you male or female, and, have YOU, or someone you care about, ever been raped? I despise the man now, although in the 60’s I loved his comic work. I can recite Noah by heart.
He deserves whatever her gets, for hurting so many women.
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/66 "2020-01-27T23:43:15Z")
There was [a thread here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=496936) about whether one could – or should – separate dislike for an artist with appreciation for his work.
I don’t think I weighed in with any brilliant observations on that thread – none at all, actually, which was probably just as well. 😃 But my view is that in most cases one can, and should, because there is a dearth of talent in this world and if you ignore people’s good work or cultural contributions because you hate them, then you’re missing out and doing yourself a disservice. Of course there are exceptions – I’d never own or display any of Hitler’s paintings, because I would be repulsed by anything that might provide insight into the man’s demented psyche. And for entirely different reasons, I can’t stand watching any movie with Tom Cruise in it.
I was never particularly a big fan of the _Cosby Show_ but his early recordings about his own childhood and the antics of the kids around him brought a lot of joy to my younger days. It’s tragic that the same man was capable of such evil, but I can keep the two separate. They’re just entirely different things. Would I consider granting him a lifetime achievement award for some of his early work? Yes. Would I consider granting him a pardon for his crimes? No. It’s that kind of difference.
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/67 "2020-01-28T00:43:17Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#):
>
> Anita Bryant was a good singer, but I’ll always remember her as an overly religious homophobe nutjob.
>
> AND I wish she (and OJ) would disappear.
I thought she did disappear. I just this minute checked Wiki to see if she was still alive. She hasn’t made any public appearances of note since 1989.
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### Author:  [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/68 "2020-01-28T00:55:26Z")
> [@Just Asking Questions](#):
>
> A crime is a crime, a rapist is a rapist.
:dubious: As **Miller** pointed out, the attitude you’re adopting now is not at all consistent with your initial assertion that Cosby should be remembered for his comedic high points and that bringing up his criminal record is being “hard core judgemental”.
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> But he has his fans who apparently forgive what he did, with posts like this:
>
> “Meh, whatever he did was his business and the victim, victim’s friends, and victims family. I don’t, or at least try not to, judge people on their actions.” “It’s not so much as me being okay with it, it’s just that I accept it as something that happened and move on.”
I can see how you could interpret the above quotes as implying some kind of “forgiveness”, but not the following:
> [@Just Asking Questions](#):
>
> “He’s guilty of a crime, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy his movies.”
>
> "I won’t stop liking his films. "
>
> “And he is incredibly talented to boot.”
>
> “I draw a distinction between the person and the art, and can hate the one while savoring the other.”
None of those is suggesting in any way that the artist in question should be “forgiven” for his crimes.
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### Author:  [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/69 "2020-01-28T01:15:00Z")
I often recall jokes and stories from his albums and have a second of laughter before I remember the source was such an evil man and I stop smiling.
Such a shame that all that humor will be lost forever, but justified.
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### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/70 "2020-01-28T01:24:01Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
>
> Even if he wasn’t a convicted rapist I don’t think appreciation of his work would have out-survived the generations that would otherwise have looked back in nostalgia. None of his material ages well. The funniest bit on his comedy albums was about child abuse and Saturday Morning TV and 80s sitcoms in general age badly.
Other than producing one, I don’t remember Cosby doing any bits about Saturday morning cartoons. I do know his early records he talked about spending Saturdays at the movie house watching westerns and horror movies when he was kid but those routines were set during the 1940s (which is even more distant as a cultural point of reference). Thus, good point.
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/71 "2020-01-28T01:29:29Z")
To me Bill Cosby is the completely disgraced serial rapist that was the second funniest stand-up comic ever.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/72 "2020-01-28T01:31:52Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
>
> Even if he wasn’t a convicted rapist I don’t think appreciation of his work would have out-survived the generations that would otherwise have looked back in nostalgia. None of his material ages well. The funniest bit on his comedy albums was about child abuse and Saturday Morning TV and 80s sitcoms in general age badly.
IDK man, that Bill Cosby “Himself” special was pretty epic and covered parenting and children in a way that will always be applicable. And damn it, it was fucking funny! Hilarious!
I will never listen to or watch it again. Whenever I hear his name my mind just boings “Rape! Rape! Rape!”.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/73 "2020-01-28T01:43:04Z")
> [@NDP](#):
>
> Other than producing one, I don’t remember Cosby doing any bits about Saturday morning cartoons. I do know his early records he talked about spending Saturdays at the movie house watching westerns and horror movies when he was kid but those routines were set during the 1940s (which is even more distant as a cultural point of reference). Thus, good point.
I think **Elmer** is listing three things that don’t age well:
1. Comedy routines about child abuse
2. Saturday morning cartoons
3. 80’s sitcoms
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/74 "2020-01-28T01:43:06Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#):
>
> How many comedians get remembered anyway? “Rapist” will be his legacy.
How many rapists get remembered anyway?
Who knows? Predicting the whims of cultural acceptance and shunning is a mug’s game.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/75 "2020-01-28T02:07:44Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> I think **Elmer** is listing three things that don’t age well:
>
> 1. Comedy routines about child abuse
> 2. Saturday morning cartoons
> 3. 80’s sitcoms
Yes. Thank you.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/76 "2020-01-28T02:14:45Z")
A talented standup comic and pioneering multimedia black entertainer whose legacy is forever and irreparably tarnished by his serial sexual predation.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/77 "2020-01-28T02:28:13Z")
**[Moderating]**
So, **Just Asking Questions** , let me get this straight: You belittled rape in this thread, just to make a point that you don’t like how people are treating Kobe Bryant’s rape, in a thread that isn’t even about Bryant? That’s definitely something… Let’s just call it trolling, OK? Which is worth a Warning.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/78 "2020-01-28T03:02:17Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#):
>
> I will remember him in the same way as a bad piece of pork that caused me to get sick from food poisoning. I will remember him as someone who acted with malice aforethought.
That’s a strange metaphor to choose. If I get food poisoning, I don’t think it was because the food was planning to hurt me.
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/79 "2020-01-28T03:02:44Z")
as the guy who likely set the world record for the most honorary degrees revoked, he has had over 50 revoked. A few schools have not revoked his honorary degrees and he did earn a PhD in education the normal way from UMass. He also had other awards revoked such as Kennedy Center Honors.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-bill-cosby-be-remembered/847050/80 "2020-01-28T03:25:12Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#):
>
> as the guy who likely set the world record for the most honorary degrees revoked, he has had over 50 revoked…
Yeah, it’s pretty daunting list - look in the rightmost column: [List of honorary degrees awarded to Bill Cosby - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_honorary_degrees_awarded_to_Bill_Cosby)
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