Bill Cosby: Blacks can't speak English
 

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Bill Cosby: Blacks can't speak English
NAACP leaders stunned by remarks of prominent comedian
Posted: May 20, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

In the presence of NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and other African-American leaders, comedian Bill Cosby took aim at blacks who don't take responsibility for their economic status, blame police for incarcerations and teach their kids poor speaking habits.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images2/cosby.jpg
Bill Cosby

Cosby made his remarks at a Constitution Hall event in Washington Monday night commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision that paved the way for integrated schools, reported Richard Leiby in his Reliable Source column for the Washington Post.

Leiby said Cosby's remarks were met with "astonishment, laughter and applause."

When Cosby finally concluded, Leiby said, Mfume, Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert and NAACP legal defense fund head Theodore Shaw came to the podium looking "stone-faced."

Shaw told the crowd most people on welfare are not African American. He insisted many of the problems his organization addresses among blacks are not self-inflicted.

Cosby said, according to Leiby: "Ladies and gentlemen, the lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids – $500 sneakers for what? And won't spend $200 for 'Hooked on Phonics.'

He added: "They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English. 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!"

The Post said Cosby also targeted imprisoned blacks.

"These are not political criminals," he said. "These are people going around stealing Coca-Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake and then we run out and we are outraged, [saying] 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?"
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wow. those are some pretty charged statements. i have heard in the past though that Bill Cosby is a rather conservative person, so his remarks don't suprise me that much. but to say that stuff at a NAACP event is pretty tactless.

I disagree. He was in the right place and talking to the people who mattered the most.

All I have to say is.....RIGHT FUCKIN' ON BILL!! I'm tired of people, of any color, bitching about being "kept down by the man" or some such bullshit, then going home and getting stoned instead of getting a job or an education.

Mr. Cosby is dead on. I also subscribe the the same philosophies as Larry Elder.

to quote LARRY ELDER the Sage from South Central:

http://www.larryelder.com/photos/ima...ronkite%20.jpg

http://www.larryelder.com

Personal Pledge 32
by Larry Elder

1. There is no excuse for lack of effort.
2. Although I may be unhappy with my circumstances, and although racism and sexism and other "isms" exist, I know that things are better now than ever, and the future is even brighter.
3. While I may be unhappy with my circumstances, I have the power to change and improve my life. I refuse to be a victim.
4. Others may have been blessed with more money, better connections, a better home environment, and even better looks, but I can succeed through hard work, perseverance, and education.
5. I may be a product of a single- or no-parent household, but I will not hold anyone responsible for my present, or allow anyone to interfere with my future. Others succeed under conditions far worse than mine.
6. Some schools and teachers are better than others, but my level of effort, dedication, curiosity, and willingness to grow determine what I learn.
7. Ambition is the key to growth.
8. I will set apart some time each day to think about where I want to go, and how I intend to get there. A goal without a plan is just a wish.
9. "Luck" is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
10. If suitable role models are not nearby, I will seek them out.
11. A role model is someone who, through hard work and a positive outlook, has achieved.
12. A role model may be a parent, relative, friend, church member, judge, doctor, attorney, businessperson, or someone I've read about in the newspaper or seen on the local news.
13. I will contact role models and seek their advice, guidance, and counsel. People remember when they were my age and are eager to help.
14. I will seek out recommended magazines, articles, books, biographies, videos, and motivational and how-to books, and use them for education and motivation.
15. The light is always green. You cannot go full speed with one foot on the brake.
16. I am always "in school," and I will not waste my summer by failing to read about and speak to people who can inspire me.
17. I will avoid friendship with people who do not share my goals and commitments. Nonsupportive relationships waste time and energy.
18. I will not seek immediate results, as I understand life is a journey and not a destination.
19. I will read a newspaper each day.
20. I will entertain myself in ways that challenge and expand my mind. As someone said, a mind once expanded never returns to its original size.
21. I will pay attention to my diet and overall fitness, as they are the keys to a healthy and productive body and an enthusiastic mind.
22. Drugs are stupid. People who believe in drugs don't believe in themselves.
23. I understand that jobs of the future require more preparation and training than ever, and I am determined to obtain the necessary background.
24. A well-rounded, competent student studies math and science.
25. People are not born "deficient in mathematical ability." Through hard work and dedication, the subject can be mastered.
26. It is essential that I learn to speak and write standard English. This is not "acting white," but acting smart.
27. A strong vocabulary is the key to communication, and I will read books on vocabulary enrichment.
28. I expect sometimes to be teased, even ridiculed. This will not stop me; it will only make me stronger and more determined.
29. I control my body and will not create a child until I am spiritually, psychologically, educationally, and financially capable of assuming this awesome responsibility.
30. Life is difficult. I expect setbacks and will learn from them. Struggle creates strength.
31. Every day is precious, and one without growth is squandered.
32. There is only one me, and I'm it!

Heh. Cynthetiq actually posted something I don't disagree with.

Or any other excuse. We all make choices. If you choose to be stupid, then you will succeed.

we agree with more often than you think :)

Nice quote. That's bumper sticker material right there! :thumbsup:

Consider that line stolen. Fucking brillent.

made me look up the history of ebonics...

http://www.campusprogram.com/referen...b/ebonics.html

quite interesting, I did not know that it was written about as far back as the 70s

speaking english well will get you far.

at least you didn't say good :)

yeah, they should learn english if they want to get a job or anything but ebonics is their own languge so they have the right to speak it.

The other black leaders who were "stone faced" didn't have the balls to speak the truth. I'm glad Mr. Cosby, through his bluntness, said this.

Hey Hey Hey, Bill is all right.

"Hey, Hey, Hey!"

“Well-ba, Bill's-ba got-ba a-ba point-ba."

http://www.bugkid.com/fatalbert/pictures/004.jpg

He is right and he said it in the right place and time. Those of the blacks and any other race or culture who blame someone else for their problems but don't make an effort to change their problems bring down their whole race and culture and hold back the struggle against racism. Racism is wrong but using it as an excuse for continued racial stereotypical behavior is completely irresponsible.

ebonics is not a language, it's a perversion of English. People have the right to speak any way they want, but that's not really the point Bill Cosby was trying to get across.

I would just like it if people in english speaking countries, no matter what their color, could learn the english language properly - not because they see learning it as some kind of uncool and painful but necessary chore; but because deep down they recognized and LOVED it for the incredibly powerful communication tool that it is.

Man, what a impact a few thousand INSPIRING english teachers would have on society.

exactly....buried in my long entry...

26. It is essential that I learn to speak and write standard English. This is not "acting white," but acting smart.

Language is truly the key to all communication.
Communication is the path to understanding.
Understanding is the first step to unity.
Unity is the only way to peace.
Peace is the Goal.

Precisely right.

Why is it that Hispanics have been so successful integrating into the culture and eroding barriers? They stopped harping on differences and instead contribute strength.

An "African American", or any hyphonated American for that matter, is only partially American.

Mr.Cosby just got 5 stars in my book on top of the many he allready had.

And for every one elses post besides the very first one, right on. :thumbsup:

there are segments that are too proud to do that here in the Latin communities, Puerto Ricans come to mind here in NYC.

But that is some truth, IMHO the Hispanic community also has used the trail that the Blacks blazed with the whole Civil Rights movement, as have the Asians.

So, the answer to all the world's ills is that we should learn to talk like Bill Cosby???


Ooooooo... Kaaaaaaaay.

There is ONE english language and there is ONE correct way to speak it whether one be black, white or orange.

Spend some time in the Midlands region of the United Kingdom. I needed a translator. I am pretty certain they were speaking English, but it wasn't an English I understood.

For that matter, even the deep south in the US.

I'd disagree with the statement that there's one English, not with all the regional dialects that are out there. :D

J, E, L-L, O...it's alive!

Bill Cosby should be commended for bringing up such strong points at an important event.

Uh have you been outside the US much?

Regional dialects and accents are one thing however I'm fairly certain that grammatcial rules of correct usage are universal for southerners as well as english speaking foreigners alike.

This has been a pet peeve of mine for sooo long. I think He spoke only the truth, and those people at the meeting needed to hear it. Now if something can be done about it, let me axe you dis...

Heh, i like the Australia edition spell checker on my various word programs; otherwise all my colour's and such get changed to American english. eep! :p

I respectfully disagree with you. With colloquialisms and slang there's more than one version of English. I have always spoken English, but when I spent a semester in France, the first class they had us take was slang, cussing, and regionalisms just so we could survive, because in any language, very few folks use perfect grammar all the time.

Maybe I've grown accustomed to the dialect and method of speaking in the South over the years, but as I recall, from the very first encounter with an individual speaking the so-called "southern draw," I found it easier to understand than any of the other accents in the United States. In the end, what you are condemning is an accent and not an entire restructuring of the English language. One can speak fluent proper English with a Southern accent and still get a point across. In fact, and again, we may be debating different perceptions of the same thing, the common language of antebellum south, circa 1864, dwarfs our present vocabulary in comparison and contrasts with our present accepted staccato, business-style sentence structure. What I've read in letters and novels of the era is more akin to modern poetry than our "modernized" discourse.

What Bill Cosby is talking about is (as previously mentioned) a "perversion of the English language" that exists as a complete restructuring of accepted grammatical customs. "Where you is" is not a correctly structured English statement or question.

Chicago, Turabian and MLA Manuals of Style are in effect every bit as much in the South as they are anywhere else in the world. The point to which you are responding addresses what "correct English" should be, not the level at which people of a region live up to the maxims set forth in the aforementioned tomes. The rules for properly spoken and written English remain universal, with small, almost trivial, deviations. Though it may be true that the words of our language change in meaning and frequency of usage from one region or nation to another, the application does not.

What is being debated here is the degradation of proper English, and not the informal speech that you point out. Colloquialisms, as you mention, differ from one location to another, but they have little to no role in formal, proper English. That is the point Bill Cosby is trying to make.

edited for grammar :P

Amen.

LOL

If I remember correctly, Bill has a doctorate in English.

WTG BC!

He is a wonderful man. His thoughts and opinions were never swayed even after his son Ennis was killed while changing a tire on the side of the freeway, because he was black not because he was Bill Cosby's son.

Education:
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; B.A.; Radio/TV/Film
University of Massachusetts--Amherst; M.A.; Education, 1972; Ph.D; Education, 1977

I agree with Bill's comments. I am saddened that today's generation of blacks (not all of them were from africa) have destroyed everything the civil rights movement worked so hard for.
Bill Cosby's mom actually lives in my town. I haven't seen him around, but my friends have seen him visiting his mom.

-Robert