A caller in to my talk show yesterday, accused me of being a racist and insulting the entire Black community with my criticism of Bill Cosby, the man. The caller passionately spoke for the Black community in his criticism of me for making the point that it is understandable that Bill Cosby is free from prison because of a major mistake by the prosecution, but Bill Cosby, the man, should not be celebrated because of what he admitted to doing with young women.
My first reaction was to ask the caller when was he anointed to speak for the entire Black community to which he had no answer. The caller went on to make the point that Bill Cosby is so wealthy that he could easily pay for women to have sex with him and therefore would never need to drug them for sex.
That caller did not represent the entire Black community, but he did represent a group of overly sensitive individuals who perceive any criticism of an African-America as an attack on their race. I was quick to point out that I had never mentioned Cosby’s race and never made race an issue. My judgment was not of Cosby’s race, but of his behavior.
The first caller that called in after that call began a series of calls from Black listeners who denounced everything the man said and expressed total support for my position that Bill Cosby deserves condemnation for his behavior with women.
Bill Cosby admitted to drugging young women to render them somewhat unconscious while he had sex with them. That behavior is the behavior of a sexually depraved mind that is not voided by money. Cosby’s wealth does not factor into his defense any more than Jeffrey Epstein’s wealth was an excuse for his sexual exploitation of underage girls. There is a sickness that lives in the minds of some people that reaches beyond rational thought. The fact that Cosby can “afford” to pay women to have sex with him apparently would not satisfy his desire to drug a woman as a way of gaining total physical control over her body for the purpose of sexual activity.
As I have repeatedly said on my talk show, Bill Cosby deserves to be free from prison because of a major legal blunder on the part of the prosecution, but Bill Cosby does not deserve to be free from the judgment and stigma of being a sexual predator. Cosby’s race has nothing to do with the judgment.
We cannot tolerate the race card being played to excuse negative behavior. As a nation, we should never be afraid of any consequences resulting from criticizing deplorable behavior.
Those who are quick to use the race card to distract from behavior that is unacceptable are indeed acting as racists.
Bill Cosby deserves the harsh condemnation many Americans, both white and black, now launch at a man who was once known as “America’s Dad.”
