The Bill Cosby furor still rages in the media, even if an awful lot of black people continue to express their agreement with his tough comments about self-responsibility, parenting, education, speech and comportment in the black underclass.

The underlying idea - and a tired one at that - is that Cosby ought to apologize for "airing dirty laundry." But he's not backing down an iota, and is drawing widespread support from blacks who really don't CARE what white folks say (could that be a form of liberation?)

Trentonian columnist L.A. Parker says:

...we need to get busy on numerous fronts, especially education.

Luckily, opportunity came my way via parents and family that helped uplift me and siblings out of poverty. We never went hungry. Went to church. Learned to read and write. We wore one another’s clothes and our sneakers cost more like $1.50 than $150. I’m probably sounding like an old geezer who starts every sentence with "back in the day.’’

...Being poor is no easy lifestyle. Staying poor is an invitation for all the crap those circumstances can produce. Drugs, crime, deplorable living conditions, serious health issues and depression are byproducts of poverty.

...Many of Cosby’s insights produced stinging truths and while others scramble to dispute his opinions I support most of them. Baggy pants that hang below the waistline may be a rite of passage for teens, but I don’t buy the explicit rap lyrics or videos that disrespect women or glorify violence.

The ‘N’ word thrown about like an incendiary bomb only adds to the deterioration of the fabric of our African-American culture.

I believe that black-on-black crime contributes to the blight of our existence. I believe that too many black men end up in prison rather than learning institutions. And I certainly believe that we can do better.

However, we arrived in whatever unhealthy or unproductive situation we currently live in, there is certainly a way out. The human spirit is a tremendous entity capable of resurrection from almost any dark place.

Escaping the throes of poverty is no easy task.

But life rarely is.

At a Cosby comedy concert before the NAACP's 95th annual convention in Philadelphia earlier this week, audience members gave him a standing ovation, and told reporters they supported his accountability campaign.

Many of the people attending the convention said his comments were sporadically discussed among attendees.

''There have been statements made that all of us should have a responsibility that these children go to school, stay in school and learn while they are in school,'' said Frank Wallace, 83, from Forth Worth, Texas.

''There's a heck of a lot to be done with parents on the business of raising children.''

Irene Davidson, 13, agreed.

''Ignorance is an in thing with young African-Americans when the goal should be learning what you need to know to get through life,'' she said before the show. ''I just hope he speaks his mind. That's what I like about Bill Cosby — he's straight up.''

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at July 15, 2004 12:15 PM

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