I obviously don’t have the slightest clue whether or not Bill Cosby is guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting women, although it’s troubling that there are multiple allegations of such behavior spanning several decades. The topic reemerged in the news after comedian Hannibal Buress called Cosby a ‘rapist’ during a recent stand-up appearance in Philadelphia.
It’s an especially sensitive topic in Philly because Cosby is almost royalty in these parts, and known for much more than just his sitcom and pudding pops. He is now canceling scheduled appearances (or having them cancelled for him) and doesn’t have much to say in his defense. It doesn’t help that he reached a large cash settlement with one of his accusers.
I don’t know where this story is going, however, since the nature of the alleged crimes makes them impossible to prove (or disprove) beyond a doubt, and all we have is the weight of multiple allegations versus the positive image most of us have of the accused and our assessment of the credibility of his denials.
Other than getting a cash settlement, the only satisfaction the accusers can hope for is that Cosby’s name is tarnished, and that seems to have been accomplished.
For the moment, at least, Cosby can’t even make a radio appearance to discuss African Art without being asked about these rape allegations. Of course, these allegations are not new and they have faded in the past, allowing Cosby to resume a career that approaches normalcy.
I guess I hope that it’s not the case that multiple people have decided to ruin Cosby’s image for their own perverse and mean-spirited reasons, which, ironically, means that I hope that Cosby is actually guilty of the crimes of which he is accused.
Except, I can’t really say that because I actually hope he isn’t secretly a monster who drugs women in order to sexually prey on them.
As someone who grew up watching Fat Albert, the topic just makes me sad.
It’s difficult to pin this type of story down for all the reasons you wrote about: the length of time it covers, the notariety factor, the burial of claims. In any case, it’s a shame. If Cosby preyed on women, and it sounds like this is the case, he should have been punished.
Everyone knows that power is a dangerous thing. Whether you’re a man or woman, being given extraordinary amounts of attention and celebrity status can turn anyone into a monster. With men, it seems like a ticket to take advantage in sexual situations. Look at how many politicians have ruined other lives as well as their own by believing that society’s rules no longer apply to them. And the amazing blind confidence they have that they won’t get caught.
Sadly, any good things done by Cosby will be tarnished, and rightfully so. The victims’ lives were forever changed because of him. A no-win story in the end.
Get your snow shovel ready, donnah. The white death is a’coming!
Ha ha, Mike! Bring it on!
I like snow, so this wouldn’t bother me. I would like for Thanksgiving to be clear, though, since we have family driving in from out of town.
Maybe it will miss us, as it often does when they make predictions in our part of the state. It usually goes north of I-70 or hits Cincy.
Whereabouts are you in OH?
I’m in Warren County. From the looks of the NWS map, we’re in the bullseye of this thing. Time will tell. Hate the cold much more than the snow.
Cincinnati is right in the middle of the humid subtropical zone and humid continental zone, making Cincinnati weather very odd.
I almost miss snow, except that I got it twice last winter here in Atlanta.
It’s a tough situation. When so much time has elapsed, naturally it makes you wonder what other circumstances could possibly surround the whole story. It appears as if the woman he eventually settled with might have been involved in a consensual relationship with him at some point. People settle all the time in the hope that it will make things go away. Other women have come out and made claims of incidents 30 or 40 years ago. That, in and of itself, does not make the allegations any more true or false, however. Certainly, one could reasonably conclude that there is probably some thread of credibility to at least some of the allegations, but as you said, we will never likely know beyond any reasonable doubt. It is a situation where people are going to take sides and will have to take some incredibly crass and insensitive positions in order to try and discredit the other side.
I’m with you. Sad is the word that comes to mind.
Pretty much what the others wrote. Sounds credible to me, especially because the incidents were with women with whom he had some kind of mentoring relationship; such abuse of the relationship can be a problem for men in a bubble surrounded with yes-people. who knows what he told himself, but could be he told himself that it was consensual, and that the pills were to help them “relax”. Other people make other kinds of mistakes when they get in that bubble – spending huge sums of money making the movie Waterworld, for example.
If this story has been around for a decade, why suddenly after the racist midterm election does it suddenly gain currency with the national media?
Oh yes,Hannibal Buress, appearing in Philadelphia called him out thus:
Buress is calling out the “lift yourself up by your bootstraps” collaboration of those black elite lucky enough to have been able to do that. And the moral hypocrisy of power. And the fact that Google shows that it’s a known rumor that has been suppressed because the media likes Cosby’s wholesome message about black advancement. And Buress says that his been doing this bit for some time.
Why now, Scott Simon? Why now? Is the national media getting ready to rumble about black men raping women to divert attention from Ivy campus rape stories and high school football team rape stories. We have a huge male privilege problem in the US in addition to having a huge white privilege problem. I will say this because I am white and male and I understand the privileges that I have been given unasked.
Or is this part of a media segue with a more sinister motive. Taken down Al Sharpton, check. Taken down Jesse Jackson, check. Taken down, Bill Cosby, check. Who’s next? Toni Morrison, Oprah, and Barack Obama.
There are several things going on here. Blackmailing celeberities. Elite impunity. Male privilege. Racial sterotyping. Media sensationalism. Human tragic flaws. Politicized media narratives. Double standards.
He is what he is, one way or the other. What we need to look out for is how this story gets spun and exploited. The focus on the O.J. Simpson trial wound up warping American justice in a way that has played out in police abuse and the school-to-prison pipeline. And likely put momentum behind defunding everything.
Taken down Al Sharpton, check.
Al did it to himself 30 or so years ago.
Taken down Jesse Jackson, check.
Jesse did it to himself too. The whole Hymietown thing. I guess the point is that power and fame warp people’s sense of what’s right and wrong.
How is it that David Vitter hasn’t been taken down? Just to pick an obvious one.
IOKIYAR. But not always. Foley and Craig went down.
If a hooker or madame tells after payment for services have been made and the services were heterosexual in nature, could a Democratic politician survive the revelation? Has there recently been one like that?
I have been mostly oblivious to this. I also wonder why it should appear a decade after. Does this mean we will hear more about Bill Clinton? So color me skeptical for the moment.
It helps that I have no heroes – everyone is capable of just about anything, no one is perfect in action or intent – but I don’t really care all that much. Maybe he did it, maybe he didn’t. Doesn’t change the good that he’s done. If he’s guilty and it can be proven then he should be punished. Simple. If not and he’s being slandered then that sucks but there’s not much that one can do about it.
Meh.
Two figures of my youth did standup comedy that was so good and so removed from the usual machine gun fire of dumb jokes that it was really art: Woody Allen and Bill Cosby. I hate this so much I don’t want to know about it.
The stories are shocking. Color me naive, but Bill Cosby doing these things? As a public person, he must have known that they would be revealed sooner or later. Yes, 13 is concerning. But I am as yet unconvinced.
I never had any use for Cosby. I saw him up close and personal…too up close and personal, bet on it…any number of times. A narcissistic, sociopathic prick if I ever smelled one. It always amazed me that others didn’t get the odeur. So it goes.
AG
If he’s guilty, punish him. If not, don’t…bills of attainder and whatnot.
Don’t know. Men lie about having committed sexual assault. Women have been known to lie about being assaulted; this number is assumed to be low. Women have also been known to lie about paternity of a child.
Recognizing that weirdos exist in every income/wealth/status group, don’t get why a man that can easily attract sexual partners or pay for almost any type desired would resort to rape.
This is the first I’ve heard of these allegations, but given the tremendous flak women get for reporting even un-famous rapes, I don’t have cause to doubt these women.
Also, from what I’ve observed in [sociopathic/predatory]* figures both famous and obscure, it’s not that they have a motive to hurt others that anyone else understands; their motive is that they can. It’s a mark of their disconnect with others that they prey on people who cannot defend themselves. And the more power one has, the more one feels one can do whatever the hell one wants. They do it because they can.
*[disclaimer: your label may vary]
Thought I’d stipulated that the claims may be true and Cosby may be a sick fuck. OTOH have to recognize that the woman that demanded money from Cosby or she would reveal that he was her father, refused to submit to a DNA test.
As a humorist, I’ve enjoyed Cosby. As a social commentator, I don’t think he’s been helpful. I’m just reluctant to condemn someone that hasn’t been convicted and the allegations alone don’t have that strong ring of truth. I recall the McMartin pre-school sex abuse hysteria when I was alone among a number of friends in saying I didn’t hear that “strong ring of truth.” Whereas the preliminary allegations in the Sandusky case did.
The story was circulating before the midterms, so it probably helped with the “you can’t trust the black guy” motif that the Republicans favor in election years.
I suspect this is probably true, as opposed to Mia Farrow’s campaign against Woody Allen about their daughter, which I suspect is false. The difference is that there was nothing about Farrow’s claims when they were initially investigated, and the charges against Cosby weren’t adequately investigated at the time they were supposed to have happened. Also, there are more alleged victims with similar stories.
Having said what my suspicions are, I have no proof either way. If Cosby doesn’t want to talk about it and there isn’t a prosecution of anything, it’s all pretty irrelevant. This will give Salon.com something to kvetch about other than their daily attack on atheists, but Cosby, at his age, will only become more reclusive and people who worship celebrities will feel disappointed again.
Sad to see people here jump on the “uncontrollable black animal meme”.
Maybe he did. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe someone just wants to be in the news and get money. Why is everyone assuming Cosby’s guilt and not Michael brown’s?
Allegations are not facts. As one who was falsely accused of rape, I’m in Cosby’s corner until credible evidence is presented, not just accusations.
I spy a silent lie.