His remarks were emblematic of the anger that many African Americans have over the interpersonal problems that we need to address.
On the week that Bill Cosby made his remarks two years ago, I was at my grandfather's house for a funeral in the family. The day before, I decided to walk to Sam and Terry’s barbershop to get a hair cut. For 50 years Sam and Terry’s has been one of the few enduring institutions in the African American community in Tacoma. I got my first haircut there in 1983, at the tender age of five, from Sam Moore, the co-founder still going strong in his 9th decade. Anyone with a inkling of sense, history or any sort of cultural sophistication knows that the African American barbershop is one of America’s great conservative institutions, a sort of folk lyceum, where a democracy of Ideas is permitted to flow free from politically correct discourse and dogmatism. A lot of my pragmatic Hurstonian conservative philosophy comes from the hundreds of conversations I have overheard and had at Sam and Terry’s, as well as my taste in soul music and African American literature. I also owe a lot more to Sam personally, because he was the last man to cut my father's hair when he was in the hospital, rife from the spiral meningitis and complications from diabetes that would kill him only a few weeks later; an act he didn’t have to do, because for the last 20 years of his life my father was a degenerate dope fiend.…
Article comments
76 - Ronald Court
Excellent analysis, Mr. Lashley.
I believe that Dr. Cosby's wake-up call marked a turning point in recognizing that hard work, a good education and personal responsibility are key to success, regardless of color.
Thank you for providing a forum to reach more thinking people.
77 - brown
Is there any medical research available about the long term effects of the abnormal gait required to keep baggy pants from falling while walking?
78 - brown
PS.
I believe the banning of Affirmative action in California and, just recently, Michigan will be our wakeup call. The problem is a large majority of us have assimilated to the point where we will just hit the snooze button and roll over into another false state of “la la” land.
79 - Chellemi
I think that what really bothers me about Sharpton is his denial of black on white racism and the detrimental effects it has on our desire to better our society. As the movie 'Crash' showed, racism is racism is racism. Have whites suffered at the hands of blacks as blacks have at the hands of whites? Not even close! But to deny that black people can be racist really slows down our forward progress, just as the white man that claims there is no racism in America today does.
As to these thugs, it just kills me that the parents and grandparents of these children worked so hard for equality and they just crap all over their progress. The black middle classed parents in our neighborhood might well have had to work so much harder than any white man to get to where he is at and their child laments the fact that he wasn't brought up in a ghetto!
80 - Jeff
Today I watched Bill Cosby and Harvard Medical School Psychiatry Professor Dr. Alvin Poussaint on Meet the Press. These wise grandfathers gave advice to the American man (Black, White, Latin, Asian, Native American ... all races). Although Bill Cosby has been villafied by Black leaders, who are afriad of loosing their power over the masses, this man is a prophet of all men and women, and should be listen to and followed. God Bless Bill Cosby and let his words be echoed throughout this country to all races and cultures.
Jeff Petty
Shell, Wyoming
81 - Ed Smith
My commendations to Dr.Bill Cosby. No good can come from living one's life with a chip on their shoulder.
82 - TONEY STEEL
Bill Cosby's own son was killed by a white man. Bill went to court because he had sexual problems with these white women accusing him and now Bill feels we should not blame the white people.
LETS PAINT BILLS FACE WHITE AND CHANGE HIS NAME TO CLARENCE THOMAS.
83 - DCubean
Bill Cosby seems to have forgotten the days when he played a two bit hustlar or a want to be drug dealer(Mother Juggs and Speed, Lets Do It Again) the guy is a comidan, a payed clown, he did not make his fortune being a scholar and he is not brave enough to get into politics (Jesse and Al both ran for president) as for the guy who was called a "herb" you have to learn how to speak the thugs lingo,if you knew how to defend your self physically you would get there respect, which is what it sounds like you wanted. I grew up on the Hill, i love to read, but I also can throw blows with the best of them, its not always good just to be smart, sometimes you have got to be tough as well,kind of like how America is ,tough and smart at the same time. So if you ,or Bill think you can make better leaders for our people step up to the plate, don't talk about it, or wine do something about.
84 - DCubean
Sorry I fogot somethings, Isn't Brother Billy the one who made up a cartoon(Hey, Hey, It be ah Fat Albert)about a junk yard gang (We is ah gonna have some fun now with Bill and all the Gang, while ah we all do our thang!)This is the same dude who put what cuold possibly be his own daughter in the pen, and this is the guy to listen to? His son got shot by a white thug, and white people are not to blame,o.k. not for all of our problems but at least 95% of them! See it's funny how this works whites use to hate us because we wanted an education, and wanted to work, now they talk about how ignorant and lazy we are, (danmed if we do, and they claim that we don't, want to work that is) you see if hard work in a racist ass country like Amerikkka really paid off like uncle "Buck Billy" says it does the slaves wuold have had it made, the call us criminals when they stole us from aother country! for the weak brother from the barber shop why don't you go to a all white barber shop and see how you get treated o.kkk., how come you give the whites a pass(I don't want to go into that, that's a whole different story altogether) your just like all the other bootlicking "Toms" with this don't you be blaming the master now ya hear. Your problem is that you and the rest of you "wiggerwhoos" think your better than other brothers if you want whites to except your dumb ass go to a Skinhead or Klan rally and see if they give you a honorary all white, I mean right pass since you love whites and hate thug Negroes so much!
85 - Tobias
Some of these comments are very well thought through logical expressions of worth. However, sadly, quite a few are not. One of the most appalling was the individual stating how you should know how to fight, and be smart that way too, so you can then be respected by these thug types. That's ludicrous.
I have lived in some tough towns, and have done a few years time; I know how to hold my own, when needed. But I do not believe that should ever be a necessity to earn respect. People should accept others regardless of if they can fight well or not.
I believe being gifted with the ability to do higher-thinking makes it our responsibility to use it. Those wanting to live in civilization, with all it's wonders, must be civilized, or are not holding up to their end of the agreement they made by choosing to continue to live in this cultured society.
It is one of the greatest shames that what the author of this article, as well as Bill Cosby, are saying is true. I have witnessed this permeating problem in the free world, living in the north-east, and while in the penitentiary, in Texas. It exists. It also seems to me that the black community itself is the only thing that can influence this rapidly spreading sub-culture to redirect its heading.
When I see a TV flip past BET and the video currently playing has a man dancing around in platinum cuffs, glorifying doing time, and there are actually people looking up to this, something is definitely wrong.
Enough of the black community needs to get together and assist others to change their exalted views of anti-education/pro-violence into a proper understanding of appropriateness, and why that appropriateness should be exercised. There is a severe moral break that must be mended, and that mending can only come from the inside.
I am very happy to see black men seeing and addressing this problem. I have had talks on this matter a few times, sometimes with black friends of mine, sometimes not. And the times not usually have a feel about them that I've said/done something wrong. This is something that should also be fixed. With people being afraid of being considered racist all the time, it's harder for them to address facts.
In closing: I liked this article very much, and will hopefully read more from this author.
Much appreciation,
~Tobias
86 - BillCosby
DCubean, you and people like you are the reason he made this article. I love how you say "if you wanna be white so bad" when nowhere in the article did he say anything about being white. You relate reading books to being white. His point=proved. Fantastic article man keep it up, You've got a gift.