The path from victims to victors - Meet the Press, online at MSNBC - MSNBC.com

what do you think

it seems might be an interesting read.

yet to decide if worth a read

ps... the link contains excerpts plus chapter one which asks the question
whats going on with black men?

Although I assume that Bill Cosby is only trying to help, his message still disturbs me.

For one thing, these kinds of messages never reach the RIGHT PEOPLE THAT NEED TO HEAR THEM. Little AA kids in the ghetto are not sitting around listening to the 'Black Agenda' on television or reading Bill Cosby's latest book. The only people who read such stuff are normally the middle class and wealthy who get the message to associate Blackness with poverty and failure.

So in my opinion such books DON'T HELP. The wrong people are reading them. Bill O'reilly is reading such stuff. Actually going down to the ghetto and sitting down and talking to impoverished AA families one on one. Yeah I think that gets through more than anything. But of course its so much simpler to email your editor ideas about all that's wrong with the Black community than actually getting up and spending time with some of those "ignorant" people.......

^
i agree with most of what Bill Cosby wrote sometimes we need tough love in order to get the message across no p$$$y footing around say it how it really is..but i do agree with you the message would rarely get to the intended however not sure if Bill Cosby would come out alive if he went into the hood with the same verocity of words

This book is a non-event. There are many problems in the black community, but Bill Cosby doesn't know any of them and his book doesn't address or help any of those problems.

This is a self-hating screed masquerading as serious self-examination. All he basically says is, black males are irredeemable louses and black women would be better off if they stopped having black babies altogeher, What kind of message is that? That's not tough love, or even constructive criticism. Do you thikn cosby would have gotten a whole HOUR on Meet the Press last week if he had written a book called, "What's Wrong with White America: How White Socio-Economic Hegemony Has Halted the Progress of the Black Race.?"

Bill cosby is being used as a stalking horse, a pathetic front man for whites who are terrified to come out and say the crap he says because they know it's racist and wrong, so they get this poor fool, who's obiouvsly going through the outer stages of dementia, and let him spew their lies for them, because it gives them an opening to amen his every word, and even get in a lie or two of their own. He's a useful idiot, nothing more.
When Howard Dean said white people needed to start talking amongst themselves about race I notice d the media ignored that bombshell observation altogether, but I'll bet most white people didn't. I'm still convinced that statement is largely to blame for blowing his shot at the Democratic Presidential nomination.
Bill Cosby is the equivalent of white people mastubating in public. They put him out there so they can do something indecent in public and not worry about being called out directly for it. He's a smokescreen. And while it's true black America has many problems Bill Cosby sure as hell isn't the solution. He's part of the problem.

Don't believe he's a tool set up and propped up by white interests to give them cover while they spew their racsit filth? Okay, explain this to me then.
Normally when someone ANYONE comes on Meet the Press Tim Russert brings up any old article, quote or statement they've said in the past that he thinks might trip them up, or he'll bring up any adverse quote by someone ideolgically aligned with them that he thinks may knock them off balanace. But with Cosby he never did that. NOT EVEN ONCE!
Bill Cosby is trying to present himself as some sort of moral paragon. Well, if he's going to lecture blacks about the impotrance of black men treating black women with respect, then I hope he'll take a moment to explain to us all what he was doing with those white women he was having sexual affairs with during the 90's. If he wants us to listen to him, then he's not going to pull the old "Do as I say, not as I do," routine. Either you live your morals or you're a hypocrite.

And there's no way we can achieve any sort of forward progress with whites as part of our efforts. Any effort we mount will be torn apart by our internal contradictions. We can't teach black children that reading, and standardized language isn't "white" if we give them white textbooks written by whites who want to indoctrinate our children with the idea that black history started from slavery, and that before that blacks had been tree-swining, spear-chukcing primitves living in mud huts from time immemorial. But when black kids read these white textbooks that's what they're taught. Movies ALWAYS show blacks as slaves/servants and whites as landowners and their UK counterparts love a phrase they created, which was an utter lie, "These people didn't have the wheel!" Blacks invented the wheel, along with language. That's not Afrocentric self-aggrandizement folks, that's a hard, archaelogically established FACT! But are black kids, or any kids for that matter, taught this? Of course not. Whites have created a narrative and they'll be damned if anyone is going to challenge or dispove it as long as they control the printing presses and electronic media. A media that we've allowed to be the only teaching tools our children are exposed to.
While whites were scrawling retarded little drawings on the cave walls at Lascaux blacks were buillding the pyramids and chiseling engavings of their kings on the walls of elaborate temples.
How may blacks even know that white philospohers from Greece, like Socrates, came to Egypt to learn philosophy at the knees of black men? The Greeks had to take their "oracles" --oracles of Dodona-- from blacksin Egypt because they needed a legitimate base for their own religious ceremonies? The Greeks were a bunch of backward primitives who borrowed as much from Egypt as they could and their close proximity to the black world placed them in a privileged position to learn from the world's first sophisitcated culture. But, in typical white fashion, the Grerks predictably and inevitably turned on their teachers, took their land, and then claimed that THEY, the GREEKS, built all the greatness of Egypt.
There's a lesson in that about white people. The times may change but these people don't.

And after black kids get this steady diet of white lies for ten or fifteen years they believe what the carefully constructed propaganda has taught them: Blacks never created ANY languages in all of their history, which is why the only language blacks know is the one they learned from whites. Therefore, reading, proper language is white.
Well, Duh! What else can it be...if you believe the narrative crafted by whites.
On the other hand, if you believe blacks should do their own research, find out for themselvse what blacks did or did not create, you'll find out very quickly that blacks had ALL these things; languages, culture, philosophy, religion, history, and a heritage. You want to teach a black child that he's not denying his black identity by learning standardized laguange? You start by teaching him how blacks pioneered reading and writing, and had their own languages. That it wasn't some gift of the paleskins. That blacks had written documents and their own printed traditions for thousands of years. Teach them the truth --that it's a denial of your black identity to NOT learn to read, because blacks had been doing all these things for thousands of years, and that's how blacks came to rule as kings while whites were still wandering aimlessly around Asia like the primitives they were, and the primitives they still act like.
Teach black children that blacks made Africa into a breadbasket of unprecedented bounty, and that this is what brought the whites, who had NO herding tradition or farming traditino. Whites were dying out in the wilderness of Asia, while blacks were living the good life of plenty in Ethipoia, Nubia, and Egypt, among many many others. Teach them that whites attacked Africa in ancient times and blacks chronicled these wars and broke the backs of the white invaders time and again. Teach them whites eventually were BROUGHT INTO Egypt as the first SLAVES and spread around to the various construction sites under the reign of Ramses the Great --that THIS is how whites first came into Africa, as slaves. Their numbers grew and before long the blacks realized they had let their enemies live among them they faced insurrection from whites within Africa, and invasion from the whites from without.
When blacks rediscover the past that's been erased, and when the continutity of society we'd established is put back in place then we'll find things changing.
When we stop listening to self-hating tools like Cosby, and start choosing leaders who put placing blacks into leadership postitions a priority, we'll see changes.
When we take our past seriously, and understand who we were and still are, we'll see change.
But Cosby's book was written so he can go to the white cocktail parties he so loves (you know of course that he associates with almost NO blacks, with the exception of the palces he goes to cuss and rant!) and tell his white buddies, "Hey, I'm just like you. I hate blacks too. See, I'm the GOOD black!"
Sad to see this senile old fool being used by whites, but there's a lesson in how he's being treated by whites that should be illuminating for blacks. He gets ALL the airtime he could possibly want, he's treated with deference and preference, nobody challenges him, in fact they praise and laud him. Now compare the treatment Cosby gets to what Professor Cornell West, or Al Shaprton gets, or Michael Eric Dyson, or anyone who says the biggest obstacles blacks face is the entrenched white racism of the societies we live in. The narrative whites want to create is that Cosby and anyone like him are giving tough love to the uncivilized blacks but that these are unpleasant truths blacks don't want to hear and that's why there seems to be some controversy. And like that the point is made --we treat "responsible" people with repect, and have a civilized conversation with them. It's the irresponsible people who we simply must argue with, their scurrilous and filthy lies must be contested. This IS a respectable show, after all.
Meanwihle the Shaprton's, Dyson's and West's are attacked, maligned, vilified, and interrupted whenever they try to answer. The interviewee is clearly more interested in arguing than in anything the person they're talking to has to say. And the point gets across clearly --these guys are a bunch of irresponsible black supremecists, speading lies at best, and at worst, depserately hoping to rewrite history in order to boost their hollow egos. Their people haven't built anything , or contributed anything to the world, so they hope that by appropriating the history of whites this will give them some sense of worth. Well, we as the virtuous American WHITE media, shall not let these black lies stand. We're going to shoot them down!

But I don't really expect better from the white media. And considering that Cosby is slowly losing his mind. I no longer expect any better from him.
Ignore Cosby's book, and him. There's point in minding either one.

whats with the essays lol

anyway i understand what he is saying but one thing people have not picked up on, is that HE ADDRESSES THE MIDDLE CLASSES for their lack of unity and helping their own. i understand what he says when he says that the black middle classes need to do more. plus facts cannot be escaped.

what has happened to the black family? does anyone care
other things he says i may not agree with but some are worth taking note of

A honest observation I stumbled across

I've never found fault with anything he has said. He is just repeating actual conversations I’ve heard growing up concerning us and criminal, anti-social behavior. Prior to 1970 the black community was anchored by the presence of two parent working class families. I only knew of one family where there wasn’t a father in the house, and that was because he was killed in Vietnam. After 1970 the “Fair Housing Act” allowed black families who have the means to move from the inner cites to the suburbs, where we all took advantage of the “American Dream” of a home with a picket fence. Unfortunately, this destabilized the community leaving those who where financially unable or criminally active behind. As a result the unfettered presence of criminal elements, plus the economic downturn of the 70’s combined with the absence of a stabilizing middle class, the community imploded. In 1985 I went with my bride to visit the house in which my family and I lived until 1970. I was shocked, the neighborhood was so bad and the house so torn up that we just drove by without stopping. Now 12 years later, it is the most crime ridden section of Baltimore if not the nation.

Now I look at my son’s friends, none of whom have two parents at home. He is the rare Black kid with a two parent family. We have found that to fit in he is mimicking the behavior of those kids to the detriment of his academic success. The socialist government of California did not make the situation any easier, as they spend millions of dollars to placate the local “Poverty Pimps”. The schools never advised us of his progress because they assumed we didn’t care. Parent teacher night at his school was a joke. We finally moved to Texas, which is not Utopia by any means, to seek a place where the stability of the family truly matters. But again I take note of what is occurring in California and I fear the situation created in Baltimore is now being recreated on the state level. And with California politicians ruling the government, it won’t be long until the situation explodes nationally. We already have that very thing replicating itself in Dallas and most of the urban areas around the country.

We tried to make things better in California, but we found ourselves in a two prong battle. The state and local government unwillingness to truly address the issues; and the community’s inability to own up to their own responsibilities made for a very dire situation. We had to leave, as we were not going to sacrifice our children any longer to that situation. Now that I’ve removed my children out of the “Ghetto”, I’m now working on removing the “Ghetto Mindset” out of my children.

Cosby: 'I'm trying to stop the bloodshed'



Entertainer and activist Bill Cosby stood to defend his new book against one listener's strong objections during an appearance Monday at the University of Massachusetts.

Cosby came to UMass to talk about "Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors," a book he wrote with Alvin F. Poussaint, a civil rights veteran and professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. The book draws attention to long-standing problems plaguing black America, such as high rates of incarceration, dropping out of high school and homicide.

During a question-and-answer period following Cosby's and Poussaint's book talk, Carlos McBride, a UMass graduate student and Greenfield Community College educator, decried what he termed the book's narrow focus on dilemmas. He said it overlooks positive developments in minority urban communities.

Cosby, who at one point rose from his chair and spoke in a high-pitched tone, vigorously defended his book, saying that if people don't talk about problems, solutions will never come.

"This nation has abandoned this color," said the Shelburne resident, pointing to himself. "You can't fix things unless you wake people up.

"Kids are killing each other and I'm trying to stop it," Cosby said. "Yes, there are positive things going on, but that's not what the book is about."

In one year, 385 black people were slain in Philadelphia, Cosby told an audience of about 500 people at the Student Union. In Newark, N.J., in one year, 147 black people were killed.

"I'm trying to stop the bloodshed," he said.

In a 10-minute discussion peppered with sarcasm on both sides of the microphone, McBride accused Cosby of proposing easy answers to complicated problems.

"We are not the root cause of the violence in the community," McBride said.

Cosby's answer to problems in the black community - problems that include a 50-percent high school dropout rate among youths, black-on-black crime and black people making up 45 to 50 percent of prison inmates - is a solid family and emphasis on education.

McBride described himself as sharing a past with the people Cosby is trying to help. He said talking with teenagers and children about the importance of education is not effective in resolving larger social problems. McBride said people often hide behind easy answers and gloomy statistics, instead of solving deeper issues and recognizing good changes.

"You can't put your finger in someone's face and say, Do good in school,'" McBride said.

"There is nothing anyone could have told me that would have made me want to do this," said McBride, describing his teenage demeanor. "I'm tired of feeling like it's an easy solution."

"I'm not trying to challenge you or your book," he said to Cosby. "I'm just sharing that folks need to understand good things are going on."


Book's approach

Cosby, who received a doctorate in education from UMass in 1977, said social problems are felt by all races and creeds, but he chose to focus on how these issues affect black people. Although black Americans make up 13 to 14 percent of the nation's population, they're "No. 1 in so many categories," he said.

"The book and why Alvin and I put this together was really to say, Come on, stop this, all this foolishness,'" Cosby said during remarks before the Q&A. "The family is very important in the success of our people.

"If you're in your 40s, there is no way a 14-year-old kid should be able to out-argue you on anything," Cosby said. "Parents have got to speak up to the children and explain the value of education."

And parents have to speak loud enough to have their voices heard over messages of violence, the pursuit of money through dishonest means and the exploitation of women featured in mainstream hip-hop music and the media, Cosby said.

"Hip-hop uses profanity," said Cosby. "The music is plainly angry and this is instead of it lifting up and saying in hip-hop, education, let's get it.'"

Cosby punctuated his address with humorous stories about societal problems. At the cornerstone of these dilemmas are apathy brought on by feelings of low self-esteem, abandonment, anger, fearfulness, sadness and feelings of being used and undefended, he said.

Too many people accept the way things are and don't seek change, he said. They are "stuck and stopped" in a life they don't realize can be advanced.

"I know, but ...' in this world, to me, that is the worst thing to say," said Cosby. "It's like when you say to someone, how can you eat that, it's got all that bad stuff in it. Eat that and it will kill you in 20 years.

"And then they say, I know, but it tastes good,'" Cosby said, to laughter. "Yeah, you could say that about death, put that on your tombstone, It tastes good.'"

Cosby said he hopes his book, published by Thomas Nelson and retailing for $25.99, can help people overcome their "stuck" feelings and turn from victims to victors.

"People have got to wake up," Cosby said. "Children are taking their education and throwing it away. We need to address these problems that exist."

Amherst Bulletin | Cosby: 'I'm trying to stop the bloodshed'

Spportsability..Good post revealing the usual dynamics of white power..Not sure about Prof Cornell West though once thought he was a radical but been involved in some dubious shit which forces me to review his invitation or membership...

Good post...