Griffin Speaks
BILL COSBY TOLD
THE TRUTH:
OUCH!
Believe
it or not, the truth can hurt. I praise comedienne Bill Cosby for publicly
asserting that the real cause of the problems in the African-American
community is the result of personal failure rather than external factors
such as white racism and public policy.
Bill
Cosby delivered his now famous “Pound Cake” speech on May 17, 2004 at a
Constitution Hall gala event. The event was staged to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that outlawed school
segregation. Many saw Bill’s comments as a direct attack on poor blacks. I
saw it, as a long needed truth about personal responsibility.
Bill
told his audience that “lower-economic people are not holding up their end
of the deal.” “These people are not parenting. They are managing their
kids’ lives by cell phone.” “They are buying things for kids…$500.00
sneakers for what? And won’t spend $200.00 for ‘Hooked on Phonics.’”
I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in
an orange suit. Where were you when he was 2? Where were you when he was 12?
Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn’t know that he had a
pistol? And where is the father? “The idea is to one day get out of the
projects. You don’t just stay there.”
On
Blame: Bill says “We as black folks have to do a better job… Someone
working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us. We have to start
holding each other up to a higher standard.” “…We cannot blame white
people…”
I
must agree with Bill Cosby, we can no longer take the easy way out and blame
white people for the problems that our race suffer. Shaniqua, Taliqua and
Mohammed have got to take personal responsibility for the outcome of their
lives. They have to learn how to speak correct English. I am sorry if it
hurts, but it’s the truth.
Bill
was correct when he pointed out that we have “Basketball
players—multimillionaires—can’t write a paragraph. Football
players—multimillionaires—can’t read. Bill
was also ‘right on point” when he told poor blacks to own up to their
own problems.
You
can call me an Uncle Tom if you choose, but I’ll be in good company with
Dr. Bill Cosby!
Greg
Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by
visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com
