Author Topic: Bill Cosby on the need to speak 'English' (Read 2789 times)

Otto · « **on:** May 21, 2004, 03:14:07 PM »

A fellow 'Temple' grad make a lot of sense...

The Washington Post

May 21, 2004

Bill Cosby was anything but politically correct in his remarks at a Constitution Hall bash in Washington commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. To everyone's astonishment, laughter and applause, Cosby mocked everything from urban fashion to black spending and speaking habits.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal," he said Monday night. "These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids - $500 sneakers for what?

"And they won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.' ...

"They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English," he said. "I can't even talk the way these people talk: 'Why you ain't.' 'Where you is.' ... And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. And then I heard the father talk. ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. ... You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth!"

When Cosby finally concluded, Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and NAACP legal defense fund head Theodore Shaw came to the podium looking stone-faced. Shaw told the crowd that most people on welfare are not African-American, and many of the problems his organization has addressed in the black community were not self-inflicted.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

SunTracker · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2004, 03:19:22 PM »

Its more of a Rich vs Poor situation than racial anymore. Cosby is just tired of people being so ignorant of basic education.

VOR · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2004, 03:29:58 PM »

Whoa. That's pretty intense. Strong words from a man who has come a long, long way since his childhood.

Interesting reaction from the other leaders as well.

This one is sure to have some consequences, but what exactly I have no idea.

Mickey1992 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 21, 2004, 03:41:17 PM »

"These people marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around," he said Monday evening at an NAACP gala commemorating the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision 50 years earlier.

"Take the neighborhood back," Cosby said, chiding parents who do not take an active role in caring for their children.

Please note that the Washington Post left out the above quote.

Smart man. I would love to see a transcript of the whole speech.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #4 on:** May 21, 2004, 04:24:58 PM »

I allways liked cosby...."dad is great...gave us a chocolate cake"

I remember watching him as a kid and he had the coolest marker or pen and he'd draw on a paper backround with it. Anyone remember the name of the show or the marker.

Saurdaukar · « **Reply #5 on:** May 21, 2004, 04:46:04 PM »

Cant remember the name of that show for the life of me... gonna be bugging me all day now... thanks *******.

SOB · « **Reply #6 on:** May 21, 2004, 04:49:50 PM »

Picture Pages! I don't remember the name of the marker, though.

Theme song!

Gunslinger · « **Reply #7 on:** May 21, 2004, 09:07:18 PM »

"PICTURE PAGES ITS PICTURE PAGES ITS LOTS FUN W/ CRAYONS AND A PENCILE"

WOW.....that And nickoldean's "pinwheel", and Fragile rock were my favorite shows growing up.

Maverick · « **Reply #8 on:** May 21, 2004, 09:52:54 PM »

Frankly, the argument that being poor prevents getting an education or speaking gramatically is false.

I also don't buy into the argument that it's a cultural thing either. Those are just excuses to justify laziness and unwillingness to work for what you want out of life.

eskimo2 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 21, 2004, 09:53:48 PM »

Cosby is right.

Imagine teaching these kids how to use a period at the end of a sentence when their parents don’t speak in sentences. They have no natural instincts as to how proper English should sound. While their middle class peers are learning to write, they are just beginning the basics of speech.

eskimo

Gunslinger · « **Reply #10 on:** May 21, 2004, 10:30:56 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Maverick
Frankly, the argument that being poor prevents getting an education or speaking gramatically is false.

I also don't buy into the argument that it's a cultural thing either. Those are just excuses to justify laziness and unwillingness to work for what you want out of life.

Yes this has nothing to do w/ being poor this has to do w/ a man speaking out at the way his culture is progressing in society.

I would never hire a kid who sat befor me and said "Yo man I really want dis job YO! I needs me a paycheck!"

I'd be like next. I know that's probably an extreme example......slang is fine if you know the regular language.

My wife speaks fluent German but she speaks lower German. For the longest time I had a hard time understanding that she had a really hard time understanding somone speaking Higher German.

This is kind of an example though I guess its just the slang/dialect is different unless somone from Germany has anything different to enlighten me with.

rpm · « **Reply #11 on:** May 22, 2004, 12:22:53 AM »

Cosby is right. Ghetto phabulous is just that....ghetto and there's nothing phabulous about that. To say he forgot where he came from is dead wrong. I'm quite sure he remembers every single day he spent doing his homework, busting his prettythang to get good grades or his parents would have whipped him like there was no tommorrow.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #12 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:07:07 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by rpm371
Cosby is right. Ghetto phabulous is just that....ghetto and there's nothing phabulous about that. To say he forgot where he came from is dead wrong. I'm quite sure he remembers every single day he spent doing his homework, busting his prettythang to get good grades or his parents would have whipped him like there was no tommorrow.

DING DING DING DING

May the heavens open up and rain apon me his word. Somthing that RPM says that I agree with.

Sorry for being dramatic.

To be specific.....I think too many blacks in the US today are confused. They have this hip hop culture telling them one thing and another culture telling them another. I not at all saying that all black people are this nore am I being racist. I just see, since the 80s their culture just not heading for the better.

There was a guy on O'reily tonite who endorsed a boycott of rebock for sponsering .50 cent. A rapper who is a convicted drug dealer that raps about disrespect towards woman and hate.

This guys said this is not the role models we want for young black kids....he just gives them a bad idea about life. My thaughts exactly.

Nash · « **Reply #13 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:20:50 AM »

You start by saying "too many black kids in the US today are confused".

You end by saying "[rappers like 50 cent] just gives them a bad idea about life."

So then.... The confused kids grow up to be the confusing rappers spawning a whole new generation of confused kids that grow up to be confusing rappers.

But if only it were that simple...

Yeah... it's all rap's fault.

"DING DING DING" my arse.

AKcurly · « **Reply #14 on:** May 22, 2004, 01:35:01 AM »

You guys are talking about many generations that were completely disenfranchised. Sure, some guys are strong enough to fight their way through it and then miracle of miracles, stay in the neighborhood to raise their families.

But, if you can't see a way out and you have no peers or parents to point you in the right direction, the majority will get sucked right back in.

Tough problem and one entirely of our own (white society) creation.

curly