MY GRAIN
Blog by Lyric Golden Leigh
THE COSBY EFFECT
The Cosby show, recently lauded as a beloved sitcom praised for its phenomenal positive portrayal of a successful African American family. It became a cultural phenomenon in African American culture as did shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the earlier African American sitcom, Good Times, all praised for the positive portrayal of the African American family.
The common thread with these three sitcoms were the two parent households providing moral standards, family values, and respect for their family and the community. Parents showed respect and love for each other and extended that love and respect to their children.
I, like most fans of the Cosby show, was an avid viewer who never missed an episode in all of its eight seasons consisting of two hundred one episodes. The show left a lasting beautiful portrayal of the potential and possibility to achieve the African American dream in America. That is until America’s favorite dad became America’s disgraceful disgusting and despicable sexual abuser.
Thus, leading to the Cosby effect. Recent social media posts showed fans full of praise for William “Bill” Cosby, as America’s favorite dad despite the accusations of rape, sexual battery, drug facilitated sexual assault, child sexual abuse and sexual harassment by over sixty known women.
I, of course would never deny or denounce my love for the fictional Cosby family and the Cosby show however, the blatant disregard for the victims / survivors of Bill Cosby’s abuse is disgraceful, demeaning, and totally insensitive to women who found the courage to speak their truth publicly with the sole purpose of not only seeking justice for the abuse incurred, but for the protection of other women and children that may find themselves in the same position as the sixty women Cosby abused.
It is mind blowing how people, especially women will defend the abuser because he or she is a celebrity. I am / was a fan of R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, and Diddy, but I have the human sensibility to separate their talent from their warped personality. One social media female writer had this to say about the Cosby show, “A beautiful sitcom of class and style that made us proud to see how far in life we have come. It is a shame that EVIL PEOPLE had to bring him down. Our ancestors suffered beatings, sexual abuse, they were hanged, and nothing was done!!!”
Is her point that we should do nothing about the intentional covert drugging of women after luring them to what was supposed to be an audition, turned aftermath of a sexual assault to the hangings of victims by racist, cowardice murderers who were not held accountable or brought to justice when those crimes were committed against our ancestors?
R. Kelly wrote and sang songs about sexual abuse. Diddy rapped about violence, sexual abuse, and fornication. Bill Cosby portrayed the perfect father, husband, and pediatrician while drugging and raping women using force, intimidation, and manipulation. Are we supposed to look away, or turn the other cheek because we love their talent?
Wake up people. Celebrities are humans with more notoriety, more talent, and more money than the average human being, but they are still imperfectly flawed individuals who commit inexcusable and incomprehensible crimes against women, men, and children. Does being beloved and famous give them the right to abuse people? Does their celebrity status excuse them from liability for their crimes? Where does empathy and compassion begin for abuse victims and where does accountability begin for abusers?
