by Hollis Wormsby, Jr.
Latest Cosby Accusations Sign of Media Gone Wild
First off I have to insert the disclaimer that I am a lifetime Cosby fan. As a little boy his albums were one of the delights of a relatively dull life, and I have followed his groundbreaking career and always admired his commitment to give back to where he came from. This would not give him a pass for rape if I felt he did it, but it does make it harder for me to believe he did what it is being said he did.
Rape is a very serious term, and if somebody had raped me, and I felt in my heart they had, there is no way in hell or heaven I would continue to have a cordial relationship with that person. And yet a common theme in each of these accusations is that the women claim that the events happened in multiple locations over multiple years. In order to believe in Cosby’s guilt you literally have to believe that 13 or 14 women, who in most cases either already had or were on the precipice of successful careers, repeatedly got on jet planes and flew to encounters with Cosby after he had previously raped them. This just doesn’t pass the smell test to me.
What also bothers me about the current presentation is that these claims have mostly been aired before, decades ago, and the only thing new about them now is the existence of TMZ and other crap sites that make a living mucking over the lowest denominator in the human spirit.
The most recent accusations are by former super model Janice Dickinson. Dickinson was at the height of an extraordinarily successful modeling career when the alleged trysts between her and Cosby occurred. What power would Cosby have had to impact her career in modeling? And even if you buy that he held power as her reason for not reporting, what is the reason for going back repeatedly for the same treatment? And what moral value did she place on the fact that she was hooking up with a man who had a wife and children.
There is no doubt that these troubling accusations will have an impact on the legacy of Bill Cosby, because even in the absence of believing the rape charges, we clearly see a pattern of self-indulgence and disrespect to his family. Does this take away his right to have opinions on the state of the community?
Well, let me ask it a different way. Jay Z, bless his heart, can rap about drug dealing, call women out their name, and sponsor some of the most vulgar rap artists in the world on his label and still attend events with the President of the United States. Rush Limbaugh has been convicted for drug abuse. Rock acts have been rumored to have done all kinds of things, but none are being held to the standard they are trying to hold the Cos to, for events that happened decades ago, and for which most of the accusers did not come forward at the time of the alleged events. I also believe there are some in our community who are happy to see him being taken down because he had nerve to have opinions about questionable lifestyles.
What I see evidence of so far is poor judgment and self-indulgence. I see evidence that Bill Cosby, no matter how much we might want him to be, is not Cliff Huxtable. But I believe he is still a man who during his distinguished career has chosen to use his wealth and his platform to help move the community forward. I see a man who has donated millions of dollars to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. I see a man who earned a PhD in education so that he could educate as well as entertain. I see a flawed great man, but I do not see a rapist, and for the media to imply otherwise, with no more evidence than they have, is asinine and irresponsible.
Or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Do you have a question or comment on this column? Look me up on Facebook/HollisWormsby or email me at hjwormsby@aol.com.)
