by Is Bill Cosby Right?: Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?
66 Ibid.
67 Ibid.
68 W.E.B. Du Bois and Augustus Dill, editors, Morals and Manners Among Negro Americans: A Social Study Made by Atlanta University, Under the Patronage of the Trustees of the John F. Slater Fund (Atlanta: Atlanta University Press, 1914).
69 Ibid., p. 85.
70 Ibid., p. 82.
71 Ibid., p. 83.
72 Ibid., p. 85.
73 Ibid., p. 85.
74 Ibid., p. 86.
75 Ibid., p. 87.
76 Ibid., p. 86.
77 Ibid., p. 87.
78 Ibid., p. 89.
79 Ibid., p. 86.
80 See William Julius Wilson, The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987); William Julius Wilson, When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996); Michael Katz, The Undeserving Poor: From the War on Poverty to the War on Welfare (New York: Pantheon, 1989); Michael Katz, In the Shadow of the Poorhouse: A Social History of Welfare in America (New York: Basic Books, 1996); Robin D.G. Kelley, Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (Boston: Beacon Press, 1997); Elijah Anderson, Streetwise: Race, Class and Change in an Urban Community (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992); Katherine Newman, No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999).
81 Ward Harkavy, “The Numbers Beyond the Bling,” Village Voice, January 4, 2005.
82 Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (New York: Holt, 2001); David K. Shipler, The Working Poor: Invisible in America (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004), p. ix.
83 From Michael Males, cited in Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Mushmouth Reconsidered: You Can’t Say That on TV—But Bill Cosby Can,” Village Voice, July 13, 2004.
84 Lawrence Linderman, “Playboy Interview: Bill Cosby—a Candid Conversation with the Kinetic Comedian-Actor-Singer-Entrepreneur,” Playboy, May 1969, pp. 170, 172, 175.
Chapter Five Shadow Boxing with a Scapegoat?
(or, Do White People Matter?)
1 Thomas B. Morgan, “I Am Two People, Man,” Life, April 11, 1969, p. 74.
2 Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis, Enlightened Racism: The Cosby Show, Audiences, and the Myth of the American Dream (Boulder: Westview Press, 1992), pp. 71-72.
3 Ibid.
4 Lawrence Linderman, “Playboy Interview: Bill Cosby—a Candid Conversation with the Kinetic Comedian-Actor-Singer-Entrepreneur,” Playboy, May 1969.
5 As for his dissertation, there was little doubt that most folk weren’t going to read it; thus, his impassioned indictments of racist educational institutions could be safely made without fear of reprisal from this color-blind comedian. As for his television special, it might be “excused” by those who disagreed with its viewpoint as an understandable exercise in ethnic cheerleading that, after all, all other groups, and their leading lights, might be accused of doing in one form or another.
6 After saying that Cosby didn’t speak out on racial matters, a reporter noted that even “casual acquaintances know him simply as a good-humored cigar smoker who plays pick-up basketball, wears khakis and sweaters, takes vocal pride in his beautiful wife, Camille, and two daughters, and contends with a 25-year-old Spanish-style house in Beverly Hills which leaks a little when it rains.” “Color-Blind Comic,” Newsweek, May 20, 1968, p. 92.
7 Ibid., p. 84.
8 Morgan, p. 74.
9 For King’s sermon comparing blacks and Japanese Americans forced into concentration camps, see Michael Eric Dyson, I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. (New York: The Free Press, 2000), p. 39.
10 Linderman, p. 86.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid., p. 86.
13 Ibid., p. 170.
14 Ibid., p. 175.
15 “Call to Action,” Detroit Free Press, January 17, 2005.
16 Kevin Gaines, Uplifting the Race: Black Leadership, Politics, and Culture in the Twentieth Century (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997), pp. 1-2.
17 Ibid, p. 2.
18 Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s Movement in the Black Baptist Church, 1880-1920 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1993), pp. 14-15.
19 Ibid., p. 14.
20 See Megan Taylor Shockley, “We, Too, Are Americans”: African American Women in Detroit and Richmond, 1940-54 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004), pp. 5-6.
21 Shane White and Graham White, Stylin’: African American Expressive Culture from Its Beginnings to the Zoot Suit (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998), p. 230.
22 Ibid.
23 Cited in Ibid.
24 William Ryan, Blaming the Victim [Revised, Updated Edition] (New York: Vintage, 1976).
25 Joe R. Feagin, Subordinating the Poor: Welfare and American Beliefs (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1975), p. 95.
26 Ibid.; Matthew O. Hunt, “The Individual, Society or Both? A Comparison of Black, Latino, and White Beliefs About the Causes of Poverty.” Social Forces, September 1996, p. 293.
27 Hunt.
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid., p. 8.
30 Cited in Archie Epps, ed., The Speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard [New York: Morrow, 1968], p. 171.
31 Robert V. Robinson and Wendell Bell, “Equality, Success, and Social Justice in England and the United States.” American Sociological Review 43:125-143. Cited in Hunt.
32 Herbert H. Hyman and Charles R. Wright, Education’s Lasting Influence on Values (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979). Cited in Hunt.
33 Hunt, p. 7.
34 Ibid., p. 11.
35 Ibid.
36 Ibid., p. 12.
37 Ibid.
38 Ibid.
39 Bishop T. D. Jakes, part of forum, “Bill Cosby Can’t Say That, Can He?” Dallas Morning News, June 3, 2004.
40 Robin D. G. Kelley, Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America (Boston: Beacon Press, 1997), p. 96.
41 Dorothy Day wanted a world where it was easier for all of us to behave decently. The quote was cited by Studs Terkel. See “An Hour with Legendary Broadcaster and Author Studs Terkel,” an interview on Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now, hosted by Amy Goodman, November 4, 2003.
42 Cited in Walter Higgins, “The State of Black America, Part Five: Our Empathy Deficit,” BlackAmericaWeb.com, January 19, 2005. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/stateof/empathy118
43 Jonah Goldberg, “The Cos Takes on Benign Neglect,” National Review Online, July 12, 2004, www.nationalreview.com.
44 Cited in “Ranting and Raving; Personal Responsibility Talk Shouldn’t End with Cosby,” in The Houston Chronicle, May 26, 2004, p. 28.
45 The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News Network, January 14, 2005; Hannity & Colmes, Fox News Network, January 14, 2005.
46 Leonard Pitts, “Perfection Fatigue: Cosby’s tired and frustrated to boot,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 10, 2004, p. 15A.
47 Henry Louis Gates, Jr., “Breaking the Silence,” New York Times, August 1, 2004, Section 4, p. 11.
48 Camille Cosby, “America Taught My Son’s Killer to Hate Blacks,” USA Today, July 9, 1998, p. 15A.
49 “Camille Cosby Responds Back … ,” afrikan.net, August 26, 1998.
50 Cameron Jackson, “Cosby Encourages Black Youths,” New University Newspaper, January 10, 2005.
51 Star Parker, “Cosby Must Not Back Off,” The Cincinnati Post, July 12, 2004, p. A10.
52 “Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World: Preamble,” in Manning Marable and Leith Mullings, Editors, Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal: An African American Anthology (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000), p. 261.
53 “An Appeal to the Conscience of the Black Race to See Itself,” Ibid., p. 265.
54 W.E.B. Du Bois, “Separation and Self-Respect,” W.E.B. Du Bois: A Reader, edited by
David Levering Lewis (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995), p. 560.
55 Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness,” in James Melvin Washington, Editor, A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1986), p. 148.
56 Ibid., p. 149.
57 Ibid., p. 150.
58 Ibid., p. 149.
59 Cited in Robert McClory, “Rev. Jesse Jackson’s ‘Push’ to ‘Excel’” Illinois Issues, May 1978.
60 Jesse Jackson, Speech before National Press Club Luncheon, February 17, 1994.
61 “Jesse Jackson: The Mother Jones Interview,” by Douglas Foster, Mother Jones, March/April 2000.
62 Cited in Walter Higgins, “The State of Black America, Part Five: Our Empathy Deficit,” BlackAmericaWeb.com, January 19, 2005. http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/stateof/empathy118.
63 Luke 12:48.
64 W.E.B. Du Bois, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, [1896] 1996), pp. 392-393.
Afterword “Niggas Come in All Colors”
1 “The Congressional Black Caucus—Ossie Davis & Bill Cosby.” B455L Black Forum. A sound recording, 1972
Index
Accidental blackness strategy
of Cosby
description/examples
“Acting white,”
Adams, Charles
Adams, Yolanda
African Grove
Afristocracy. See Black elite
AIDS and black males
Aldridge, Ira
Amos ’n’ Andy
Amsterdam News
Anderson, Elijah
Anti-intellectualism
“acting white” and
blacks vs. whites
overview
studies on
through history
Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (Hofstadter)
Antitype stage of black identity
benefits of
black views of
Cosby and
description/examples
hip-hop culture and
Archetype stage of black identity
Cosby and
description/examples
hip-hop culture and
as positive
Baggy pants
Baker, Ella
Baldwin, James
on Black English
Gayz and
as Ghettocentrist
Barbershop
Barnes, Leroy “Nicky,”
Barro, Robert J.
Baum, Robert M.
Bell Curve, The (Smith and Murray)
Beloved (Morrison)
Berry, Faith
criticism of Cosby
on I Spy
on The Bill Cosby Show
Bertrand, Marianne
Bethune, Mary McCleod
Bill Cosby Show, The
Black English and
critics on
description
race and
Birth of a Nation
Black authenticity
authenticity anxiety
black youth fashion
complexity of
Cosby’s comments on
styles of black identity and
The Cosby Show and
tribalism and
what is real
Black consumerism
Chin’s study/findings on
Cosby and materialism
Cosby’s criticism of
defense of
Black elite
Du Bois on
irresponsibility and
“policing” of poor blacks
responsibility to help the poor
Black English
Cosby’s use of
description
function of
James Baldwin on
origins of See also Ebonics
Black fashion
baggy pants
black elite/black poor
blacks showing deference and
of black youth
Cosby’s criticism of
early black musicians and
early white criticism of
“ghetto chic”/“ghetto couture,”
Great Migration and
hip-hop and
history of
identity and
as performance art
of poor
rap music and
sympathy dress and
war against urban black poor and
whites and (in 1800s)
Black female religious circles
Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed
Black identity
complexity of
Du Bois on
genres of
as positive or negative
stages of
status of
strategies of
styles of See also Black authenticity
Black inferiority myth
Black names/naming
African names/nicknames
“African survivals,”
after slavery
behavior problems and
black pride and
brand names and
Cosby’s criticism of
criticism of
discrimination and
by Gullahs
popular personalities with unique names
Sambo
slave naming
slavery and
socioeconomic status and
unique names
unique names/gender
unique names studies
Black parenting
comments on (early 1900s)
Cosby’s criticism of
Body modifications
Africa and
of blacks
body painting
Cosby’s criticism of
criticism of
early cultures and
piercings
scarification
tattooing
Body painting
Bonds of Atlanta
Bonvicini, Joan
Boykin, Keith
Brokaw, David
Brown, Sterling
Brown v. Board of Education
goal of See also Cosby’s speech at Brown v. Board of Education celebration
Bruce, Lenny
Butts, Calvin
California Suite
Cosby on
critics on
description
Calloway, Cab
Cambridge, Godfrey
Camden, New Jersey schools
Canady, Michael
Carmichael, Stokely (Kwame Toure)
“Cellblocks or Classrooms? The Funding of Higher Education and Corrections and Its Impact on African American Men” (JPI)
Charles, Ray
Chicago public schools
Chin, Elizabeth
Christon, Lawrence
Chuck D.
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Civil Rights Act (1968/Fair Housing Act)
Clark, Kenneth
Cleaver, Eldridge
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Cobb, William Jelani
Cocker, Joe
Cole, Nat King
Combs, Sean “P. Diddy,”
Comics of color
intentional blackness strategy and
professional persona vs. private citizen
as racial representatives
See also specific individuals
Conservatives
attacks on Camille Cosby
personal responsibility/blacks
Constand, Andrea
Constand, Andy/Gianna
Cook, Philip J.
Cos
Cosby, Bill
changing black identity strategies
dissertation of
educational background of
Martha Stewart and
naming his children
on racial politics
as “TV’s Jackie Robinson,”
Cosby, Camille
children’s support system
Cosby’s affair
op-ed on son’s murder
Cosby, Ennis
Cosby, Erinn
alleged assault by Tyson
background
Cosby’s comments on
Cosby’s tough love approach to
family therapy and
on father
problems of
Cosby’s avoiding race
benefits of
in career
as citizen
Cosby’s views on
“race as crutch,”
Cosby’s career
avoiding race in
comic style of
commercials of
difficulties in avoiding race
E.F. Hutton commercials
film
I Spy
as original comedian
overview/summary See also specific television shows
Cosby’s criticism of poor blacks anti-intellectualism
black community views on
black names/naming
blacks’ knowledge of ancestry
blaming poor for their problems
body modifications
class divide and
Cosby as Elijah
Cosby as King Lear
Cosby as Moses
Cosby’s abilities on
criticism (summary) of Cosby
effects of
effects on conservatives
embarrassment over black behavior and
empathy and
generational divide and
intentional blackness strategy and
interview on
irresponsibility toward the poor
public capital use with
racial uplift and
support for See also Cosby’s speech at Brown v. Board of Education celebration
Cosby’s criticism of racism/whites
Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed
black poverty
concentration camp comparison
in dissertation
educational inequalities
European immigrants vs. blacks
ghetto life
myth of black inferiority
myth of white superiority
Playboy interview
violence/racial war
Cosby Show, The
antitype and
black authenticity and
Cosby’s early thoughts on
Cosby’s likability and
critics on
description
Gates on
Jhally/Lewis study on
race and
racial inequality and
Cosby’s moral standing
Autumn Jackson and
Constand’s allegations
Covington’s allegations
