2014 RANDOM TV THOUGHTS

[Reed]

Oh, and whenever I type the name "Hannibal" I suddenly get a picture of Hannibal Lecter being the one behind Cosby's downfall. That's weird.

[Technico Support]

And now the cast of the Cosby Show is gonna be right up there with the cast of 7th Heaven, absolutely pissed about losing royalties. 

[Reed]

At least Lisa Bonet has Lenny Kravtiz money.

[Elsalvajeloco]

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

[Reed]

I'm not black so I'm not the best person to comment on it...but there does seem to be a difference between Cosby saying "Stay in school/don't do drugs, etc" which is fine and not controversial to anyone in the world, and saying things like "wear a suit, pull your pants up, etc".

 

Like I said, that's more up to people in the culture to decide how they feel about it, but it seems to have pissed off Hannibal enough to comment on in a stand up show.

[Elsalvajeloco]

I'm not black so I'm not the best person to comment on it...but there does seem to be a difference between Cosby saying "Stay in school/don't do drugs, etc" which is fine and not controversial to anyone in the world, and saying things like "wear a suit, pull your pants up, etc".

 

Who is to say which thing is fine or not? There is no real moral compass book we're all given. There are plenty of people that say you don't need school too.

 

I like Hannibal and the fact that he said it wasn't all that mind-blowing. Murphy did that bit 25+ years old minus the rape allegiation parts in Raw. However, people knew Cosby was a piece of shit THEN in the industry.

 

Addendum: I live in a town of 13,000 where you have to pay a $250 fine for wearing sagging pants. This was passed in late 2006, IIRC.

[supremebve]

 

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

 

The thing that disqualifies everything that he said is that the way young black dudes wear their pants says nothing about their intelligence, talent, work ethic, integrity, or anything else.  If you judge someone because of the way they wear their pants, it is probably because you were looking for a reason to judge them negatively.  They don't care about how they wear their pants, they care about who is wearing them.  Seriously, what if I told you that I won't hire someone who didn't sag their pants?  You'd think I was ridiculous, but what we are talking about is how someone chooses to wear their pants.  All of the respectability politics people can fuck all the way off. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

 

 

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

 

The thing that disqualifies everything that he said is that the way young black dudes wear their pants says nothing about their intelligence, talent, work ethic, integrity, or anything else.  If you judge someone because of the way they wear their pants, it is probably because you were looking for a reason to judge them negatively.  They don't care about how they wear their pants, they care about who is wearing them.  Seriously, what if I told you that I won't hire someone who didn't sag their pants?  You'd think I was ridiculous, but what we are talking about is how someone chooses to wear their pants.  All of the respectability politics people can fuck all the way off. 

 

 

Probably not. If you work at Burger King, they ain't wearing the uniforms that way to express themselves. The whole dress code thing blows that up.

 

Being told not to show your ass crack or titties at work or a job interview isn't a novel idea in 2014.

[supremebve]

 

 

 

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

 

The thing that disqualifies everything that he said is that the way young black dudes wear their pants says nothing about their intelligence, talent, work ethic, integrity, or anything else.  If you judge someone because of the way they wear their pants, it is probably because you were looking for a reason to judge them negatively.  They don't care about how they wear their pants, they care about who is wearing them.  Seriously, what if I told you that I won't hire someone who didn't sag their pants?  You'd think I was ridiculous, but what we are talking about is how someone chooses to wear their pants.  All of the respectability politics people can fuck all the way off. 

 

 

Probably not. If you work at Burger King, they ain't wearing the uniforms that way to express themselves. The whole dress code thing blows that up.

 

So we are going to pretend that all of these conversations are about the teenagers who work in fast food joints?    The people who are on this respectablitly politics shit are always talking about black people getting arrested, being unemployed, and getting shot because of the way they dress, talk, and carry themselves.  So your example of someone who is employed goes against the point of these people any way.  We are talking about people who said that Trayvon Martin got shot because he was wearing a hoodie in the rain, but ignore the fact that Bill Belechick wears a hoodie at all times and isn't ducking bullets.  The issue isn't that Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie, the issue is that when someone sees a young black kid they assume he is a criminal.  The fact that he was wearing a hoodie is completely irrelevant, the fact that someone believed he was a threat because he was young and black is the issue.  We don't tell teenagers(we are talking about teenagers for the most part) of any other race or culture that they have to behave like professional adults or risk getting shot, arrested, or get a job in the future.  Being young, black, and male is the only real issue here, and no matter how they dress, talk, or act they can't change their age, race, or sex.  If they change how they dress, talk, and act they will find some other reason to treat them like suspects.  Missouri has declared a state of emergency because a cop shot a black dude in broad daylight with 7 eyewitnesses and are not going to indict him.  People legit believe that he tried to kill a cop because he got caught jaywalking.  They don't believe it because it makes any sense whatsoever, they believe it because he is young, black, and automatically a criminal.  

[Elsalvajeloco]

 

 

 

 

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

 

The thing that disqualifies everything that he said is that the way young black dudes wear their pants says nothing about their intelligence, talent, work ethic, integrity, or anything else.  If you judge someone because of the way they wear their pants, it is probably because you were looking for a reason to judge them negatively.  They don't care about how they wear their pants, they care about who is wearing them.  Seriously, what if I told you that I won't hire someone who didn't sag their pants?  You'd think I was ridiculous, but what we are talking about is how someone chooses to wear their pants.  All of the respectability politics people can fuck all the way off. 

 

 

Probably not. If you work at Burger King, they ain't wearing the uniforms that way to express themselves. The whole dress code thing blows that up.

 

So we are going to pretend that all of these conversations are about the teenagers who work in fast food joints?    The people who are on this respectablitly politics shit are always talking about black people getting arrested, being unemployed, and getting shot because of the way they dress, talk, and carry themselves.  So your example of someone who is employed goes against the point of these people any way.  We are talking about people who said that Trayvon Martin got shot because he was wearing a hoodie in the rain, but ignore the fact that Bill Belechick wears a hoodie at all times and isn't ducking bullets.  The issue isn't that Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie, the issue is that when someone sees a young black kid they assume he is a criminal.  The fact that he was wearing a hoodie is completely irrelevant, the fact that someone believed he was a threat because he was young and black is the issue.  We don't tell teenagers(we are talking about teenagers for the most part) of any other race or culture that they have to behave like professional adults or risk getting shot, arrested, or get a job in the future.  Being young, black, and male is the only real issue here, and no matter how they dress, talk, or act they can't change their age, race, or sex.  If they change how they dress, talk, and act they will find some other reason to treat them like suspects.  Missouri has declared a state of emergency because a cop shot a black dude in broad daylight with 7 eyewitnesses and are not going to indict him.  People legit believe that he tried to kill a cop because he got caught jaywalking.  They don't believe it because it makes any sense whatsoever, they believe it because he is young, black, and automatically a criminal.  

 

 

We aren't talking about Trayvon or Mike Brown. We're talking about the idea of professionalism and integration into a white dominant society for black people, which is the lane Bill Cosby veered into many times over the years. Chappelle said it himself in only so many words that people can easily dismiss him, but you cannot dismiss the fact he too is black and came from an inner city environment in Philly. IMO, Cosby was coming from the idea that these are the harsh realities and here is what it is for black people. Hell, Cosby isn't not the only person to make these revelations or correlate how black people are being treated versus standards already in place. "Pull your pants up" may be draw an "eat shit, old man" from a lot of people, but that may save some kid's life on the south side of Chicago who hasn't exactly dealt with how crooked and racist some police are.

[muhammedboehm]

Isn't Cosby's 'pull up your pants lines' really just another way of saying 'Dress for the job you want not the job you have'?

[supremebve]

 

 

 

 

 

In all seriousness, it really was just a matter of time until someone well-known said "Hey, wait a minute this guy has been accused of rape mutliple times..." Especially if NBC were giving him a new sitcom.

 

Cosby also set himself up for it by trying to make himself a role model and telling black men how to behave. Uh, Bill, the only one who needs to pull their pants up is you. It pissed off people, like Hannibal.

 

 

Yes and no. This speaks towards the generation disconnect. It's not like there wasn't old famous black people that were talented enough to be in that position. Half of that is legacy and half that is being adopted as such. You don't think Leon Isaac Kennedy said some shit about this generation of black people (and the generation before)? Sure they aren't as old and surly as Cosby, but it can come off as condescending to someone my age or younger either way.

 

Even though I'm pretty sure Carl Jones wrote that episode of Black Dynamite strictly for humor, there was a ton of underlying truth behind it. People like Melvin Van Peebles are forgotten because they did their thing in that generation and chose to just play a background role afterwards. We do hold Cosby and Sidney Poitier in reverence outwardly, but they didn't exactly title themselves that. You will hear black actors talk about all the time how awesome it was to talk to Sidney Poitier after the Academy Awards. It can feel like this semi-torch passing thing to them. I can assure what he is passing on is more than just advice on the industry as the "magical old black sage" in Hollywood. Let's just said he did some screwed up stuff back in the sixties and seventies along with Cosby. That doesn't automatically disqualify everything that he has said.

 

The thing that disqualifies everything that he said is that the way young black dudes wear their pants says nothing about their intelligence, talent, work ethic, integrity, or anything else.  If you judge someone because of the way they wear their pants, it is probably because you were looking for a reason to judge them negatively.  They don't care about how they wear their pants, they care about who is wearing them.  Seriously, what if I told you that I won't hire someone who didn't sag their pants?  You'd think I was ridiculous, but what we are talking about is how someone chooses to wear their pants.  All of the respectability politics people can fuck all the way off. 

 

 

Probably not. If you work at Burger King, they ain't wearing the uniforms that way to express themselves. The whole dress code thing blows that up.

 

So we are going to pretend that all of these conversations are about the teenagers who work in fast food joints?    The people who are on this respectablitly politics shit are always talking about black people getting arrested, being unemployed, and getting shot because of the way they dress, talk, and carry themselves.  So your example of someone who is employed goes against the point of these people any way.  We are talking about people who said that Trayvon Martin got shot because he was wearing a hoodie in the rain, but ignore the fact that Bill Belechick wears a hoodie at all times and isn't ducking bullets.  The issue isn't that Trayvon Martin was wearing a hoodie, the issue is that when someone sees a young black kid they assume he is a criminal.  The fact that he was wearing a hoodie is completely irrelevant, the fact that someone believed he was a threat because he was young and black is the issue.  We don't tell teenagers(we are talking about teenagers for the most part) of any other race or culture that they have to behave like professional adults or risk getting shot, arrested, or get a job in the future.  Being young, black, and male is the only real issue here, and no matter how they dress, talk, or act they can't change their age, race, or sex.  If they change how they dress, talk, and act they will find some other reason to treat them like suspects.  Missouri has declared a state of emergency because a cop shot a black dude in broad daylight with 7 eyewitnesses and are not going to indict him.  People legit believe that he tried to kill a cop because he got caught jaywalking.  They don't believe it because it makes any sense whatsoever, they believe it because he is young, black, and automatically a criminal.  

 

 

We aren't talking about Trayvon or Mike Brown. We're talking about the idea of professionalism and integration into a white dominant society for black people, which is the lane Bill Cosby veered into many times over the years. Chappelle said it himself in only so many words that people can easily dismiss him, but you cannot dismiss the fact he too is black and came from an inner city environment in Philly. IMO, Cosby was coming from the idea that these are the harsh realities and here is what it is for black people. Hell, Cosby isn't not the only person to make these revelations or correlate how black people are being treated versus standards already in place. "Pull your pants up" may be draw an "eat shit, old man" from a lot of people, but that may save some kid's life on the south side of Chicago who hasn't exactly dealt with how crooked and racist some police are.

 

What you are saying is not untrue, but Bill Cosby being one of the most talented comedians of all time probably did more for him than how he wears his pants.  For the most part all of the issues that go into this are completely and totally arbitrary.  To bring this back around, saying a black person that was shot because he wears his pants is like saying a woman was raped because her pants were too tight.  The issue isn't how they were dressed, but because they ran into a murderer or a rapist.  It is blaming people for the crimes that they are victims of, not the criminals for committing the crimes.

[MADCAP]

People were outraged by the "pull your pants up" thing because that was basically  some code-word shit for the stuff we're not supposed to talk about publicly regarding black culture.  That's where the backlash came from.

[Elsalvajeloco]

What you are saying is not untrue, but Bill Cosby being one of the most talented comedians of all time probably did more for him than how he wears his pants.  For the most part all of the issues that go into this are completely and totally arbitrary.  To bring this back around, saying a black person that was shot because he wears his pants is like saying a woman was raped because her pants were too tight.  The issue isn't how they were dressed, but because they ran into a murderer or a rapist.  It is blaming people for the crimes that they are victims of, not the criminals for committing the crimes.

 

 

This is my whole damn point. I am saying this. Bill Cosby is saying it. The fact that he is a dirty rapist does not make that false. Charles Barkley said some stuff recently in the same vain. Not sure what exactly was, but black people on Twitter went ham on him. And that's the inherent problem with the baby-out-with-the-bath water mentality with black people. Barkley ain't exactly a saint himself. However, just because he still has a cushy job at TNT does mean I need to take his word over Cosby or vice versa. It also does not mean that everything he said is invalid because he once said he was looking for strange late at night on the highway. People like Barkley say those things because they've been in a world that most black people cannot imagine and seen it for several years. So yeah, it's not exactly going to be in a nice, little package for black people.

 

If Barkley said that the black-on-black violence crime rate is too high, people would shit on him. However, if Beyonce said it after doing a song about fucking someone in a bathtub and shaking her ass for a good 90 minutes in concert, people wouldn't know how to deal with it. Why? Because it's not likely to happen. Black people are not going to be like, "You know that Beyonce is always on the ball with these issues. She's so proactive. #Beyhive." Not fucking likely. The source matters. When you say something divisive with black issues, many people of any color go into automatic defense, three-point stance mode. However, I can't turn around and say "Beyonce is so fucking negative. White people blah blah blah". Dismissing everything she said doesn't change the reasons as to why people call Chicago "Chiraq" and the fact we're killing each other at an absurd rate all over the country. Bathroom Kama Sutra or not.

[supremebve]

The entire issue isn't who is saying it, it is what they are saying.  What they are saying is reinforcing the disdain for all things young and black.  We spend who knows how much time telling the youth of this country to "stay true to themselves and follow your dreams," but then turn around and single out black kids and say "act like someone else, and hope someone gives you an opportunity."  Treating them like there is something wrong with them being themselves is the issue.  Charles Barkley said people accused him of talking white, which I don't believe ever happened, and is ignoring the fact that he is where he is because he was a hall of fame athlete.  How he wore his pants, or how he speaks, which is clearly not white, had no consequence to where he is in his life.  It had everything to do with his talent and accomplishments.  Black people don't like to hear what he has to say, because he is saying something that clearly is not true.  Black people want to be judged on their talent, and hard work like everyone, including Charles Barkley and Bill Cosby.  I guarantee that this is the issue that people have with Russel Wilson.  Marshawn Lynch, who is at least as important if not more important to the Seahawks offense as Wilson, has never even attempted to act like anyone but Marshawn Lynch.  He sees Russel Wilson, the clean cut, smiling guy, buddying up with management, and it bothers because he sees the difference with how they are treated.  It isn't that he isn't black enough it is that he seems to have conformed to fit into a box that makes everyone else comfortable.  A lot of black people, myself included, have little or no respect for other black people who think that the way to get ahead in life is to essentially not "act black," when the problem isn't how we act, but who is doing the acting.

[Elsalvajeloco]

The entire issue isn't who is saying it, it is what they are saying.  What they are saying is reinforcing the disdain for all things young and black.  We spend who knows how much time telling the youth of this country to "stay true to themselves and follow your dreams," but then turn around and single out black kids and say "act like someone else, and hope someone gives you an opportunity."  Treating them like there is something wrong with them being themselves is the issue.  Charles Barkley said people accused him of talking white, which I don't believe ever happened, and is ignoring the fact that he is where he is because he was a hall of fame athlete.  How he wore his pants, or how he speaks, which is clearly not white, had no consequence to where he is in his life.  It had everything to do with his talent and accomplishments.  Black people don't like to hear what he has to say, because he is saying something that clearly is not true.  Black people want to be judged on their talent, and hard work like everyone, including Charles Barkley and Bill Cosby.  I guarantee that this is the issue that people have with Russel Wilson.  Marshawn Lynch, who is at least as important if not more important to the Seahawks offense as Wilson, has never even attempted to act like anyone but Marshawn Lynch.  He sees Russel Wilson, the clean cut, smiling guy, buddying up with management, and it bothers because he sees the difference with how they are treated.  It isn't that he isn't black enough it is that he seems to have conformed to fit into a box that makes everyone else comfortable.  A lot of black people, myself included, have little or no respect for other black people who think that the way to get ahead in life is to essentially not "act black," when the problem isn't how we act, but who is doing the acting.

 

They really aren't reinforcing anything. Young and black is much more than what's being defined in the context of sagging pants. People in the corporate world aren't sagging their pants. That doesn't automatically prohibit black youth from the corporate environment. It's just the reality of the situation. I can't change the fact that I am black when I go on a job interview. However, it only takes 10 seconds to readjust my pants and remove the earring in my ear. I've seen it where employers ask people to do stuff like that or pull them aside to tell them something. It is very common. Many times, it's not a black white issue. If I have a black boss, I can't play that card. I instantly have the "he/she is just showing out for white people" route open though. Then again, you can't play that card in a black owned business. There are establishments where that shit is not allowed (customer or employee). The fact that you dislike the tone is irrelevant because it's still very much harsh fucking reality.

[supremebve]

 

The entire issue isn't who is saying it, it is what they are saying.  What they are saying is reinforcing the disdain for all things young and black.  We spend who knows how much time telling the youth of this country to "stay true to themselves and follow your dreams," but then turn around and single out black kids and say "act like someone else, and hope someone gives you an opportunity."  Treating them like there is something wrong with them being themselves is the issue.  Charles Barkley said people accused him of talking white, which I don't believe ever happened, and is ignoring the fact that he is where he is because he was a hall of fame athlete.  How he wore his pants, or how he speaks, which is clearly not white, had no consequence to where he is in his life.  It had everything to do with his talent and accomplishments.  Black people don't like to hear what he has to say, because he is saying something that clearly is not true.  Black people want to be judged on their talent, and hard work like everyone, including Charles Barkley and Bill Cosby.  I guarantee that this is the issue that people have with Russel Wilson.  Marshawn Lynch, who is at least as important if not more important to the Seahawks offense as Wilson, has never even attempted to act like anyone but Marshawn Lynch.  He sees Russel Wilson, the clean cut, smiling guy, buddying up with management, and it bothers because he sees the difference with how they are treated.  It isn't that he isn't black enough it is that he seems to have conformed to fit into a box that makes everyone else comfortable.  A lot of black people, myself included, have little or no respect for other black people who think that the way to get ahead in life is to essentially not "act black," when the problem isn't how we act, but who is doing the acting.

 

They really aren't reinforcing anything. Young and black is much more than what's being defined in the context of sagging pants. People in the corporate aren't sagging their pants. That doesn't automatically prohibit black youth from the corporate environment. It's just the reality of the situation. I can't change the fact that I am black when I go on a job interview. However, it only takes 10 seconds to readjust my pants and remove the earring in my ear. I've seen it where employers ask people to do stuff like that or pull them aside to tell them something. It is very common. Many times, it's not a black white issue. If I have a black boss, I can't play that card. I instantly have the "he/she is just showing out for white people" route open though. Then again, you can't play that card in a black owned business. There are establishments where that shit is not allowed (customer or employee). The fact that you dislike the tone is irrelevant because it's still very much harsh fucking reality.

 

Not what I'm saying, behaving professionally is much different than what they are saying.  Behaving like you're at work when you are at work is not too much to ask for anyone.  That is clearly not the point any of these people are making, and it doesn't speak to the issues that most people have with what they say.  The issue is that people who "made it out" telling people how to act when that is clearly not how they made it out.  Bill Cosby may still be in the Philadelphia projects if he wasn't a supremely talented comedian, Charles Barkley could have been another big country boy in Alabama if he wasn't a generational talent at basketball, all the bullshit they're talking has nothing to do with reality.  I've essentially had a full time job since I was 17, and I've worked with and interviewed people from just about every walk of life.  I can't think of anyone who worked anywhere with even the slightest dress code come to work or their interview with their pants sagging.  People, black, white, and otherwise generally act appropriately when it comes to their livelihood.  Bill Cosby, Charles Barkley, and the other people who trade in respectability politics are not talking about working professionals when they are at work.  They are talking about the people they see at the mall, or walking the streets.  They are using the same broad generalities that are used by everyone with a problem with young black people.  They don't know any of these people or their character as a human being, they are judging them purely on how they are dressed and how they behave when they see them, which most likely is not at their jobs.  They claim they are doing it to help black people, when it is hurting black people by reinforcing the stereotypes that black people don't know how to act. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

Again, they are not reinforcing anything. The whole "misunderstood black youth" speech will not work in corporate America, It has been shown time after time. Because we aren't speaking towards something of religious reasons. We're even stepping outside of racial boundaries. Everything that comes out of Bill Cosby's mouth (or anyone of that ilk) doesn't have to be profound and/or be constructive criticism about society. They may say some ignorant shit or something really out-of-touch, but there can be truth within that whole message. That is what black people sometimes miss out on because the witchhunt can start in seconds in the social media age. Instead of analyzing or researching something to find anything substantial, we conform to what everyone else similar to us is saying. MediaTakeOut and Bossip don't exist because we just needed black gossip websites. They exist because that's what black people flood to and intepret sometimes as real, legitimate news. That's not a stereotype. That is demographics and understanding how to cater to easily misguided people.

[Elsalvajeloco]

Sorry, we've commandeered your thread. You can go back to talking about FOX screwing up Luther whenever you feel like.

[Matt D]

We're good. Carry on. God damn FOX.

[Reed]

Fox has been a disaster this season.

 

This is what they get for cancelling Almost Human.

[Kuetsar]

Fox has been a disaster this season.

 

This is what they get for cancelling Almost Human.

And shipping American Dad to TBS. . . 

[Johnny Sorrow]

It's funny, since the Cos tells young ladies to pull their pants down.

[Elsalvajeloco]

It's funny, since the Cos tells young ladies to pull their pants down.

 

 

.....Well, they all can't be winners. C- for effort.

[Reed]

The amount of sex offenders in the industry (Savile, Gary Glitter, Cosby, Elmo guy, Harris, Barney the Dinosaur etc) has to be way higher than normal and raises the question: Are these men just taking advantage of their position or did they intentionally become famous as a way to get away with these acts?