Why is Obama getting a pass that Cosby didn't get?

Cypress said:
Me too. I could never understand the white fixation on what Cosby said. I guess Cons thought that Cosby was confirming some of their deeply held biases, or something.

I really didn't care about what cosby said. It really wasn't that newsworthy, to me anyway.
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Yeah. He's a good cover for some of them.
 
Socrtease said:
My only point was that Cosby said it and got lambasted for it, Obama said it and got praise. I guess my view from the outside was that Cosby could say those things inside his own community that a white man could not say or that maybe Cosby could have said them if the venue had not been quite so public and he should have evaluated how his chastising of not just deadbeat dads but of poor blacks in general would be used by people who had less than honorable motives for saying the same thing. I only know Cosby from his very public face and nothing about him from more than a TV signals distance. So for me to hear that he is arrogant and angry and that was how he came across helps me understand the difference in the reception. Because Obama was NOT arrogant nor was he angry. He was guiding.
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The problem with Cosby was the delivery, not necessarily the message.
 
Socrtease said:
My only point was that Cosby said it and got lambasted for it, Obama said it and got praise. I guess my view from the outside was that Cosby could say those things inside his own community that a white man could not say or that maybe Cosby could have said them if the venue had not been quite so public and he should have evaluated how his chastising of not just deadbeat dads but of poor blacks in general would be used by people who had less than honorable motives for saying the same thing. I only know Cosby from his very public face and nothing about him from more than a TV signals distance. So for me to hear that he is arrogant and angry and that was how he came across helps me understand the difference in the reception. Because Obama was NOT arrogant nor was he angry. He was guiding.
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I think that you have to remember too Soc that many black people are very understanding that Obama has to do certain things to calm down nervous white people. You know?
 
Socrtease said:
My only point was that Cosby said it and got lambasted for it, Obama said it and got praise. I guess my view from the outside was that Cosby could say those things inside his own community that a white man could not say or that maybe Cosby could have said them if the venue had not been quite so public and he should have evaluated how his chastising of not just deadbeat dads but of poor blacks in general would be used by people who had less than honorable motives for saying the same thing. I only know Cosby from his very public face and nothing about him from more than a TV signals distance. So for me to hear that he is arrogant and angry and that was how he came across helps me understand the difference in the reception. Because Obama was NOT arrogant nor was he angry. He was guiding.
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I still think you're comparing apples to oranges. Obama's message was just different on its face and as such the reaction was different.
 
Maybe I am misinterpreting some of the responses on this thread but is it really viewed as a "conservative" thing or some type of bias to state the importance of a young boy having a father in his life?
 
cawacko said:
Maybe I am misinterpreting some of the responses on this thread but is it really viewed as a "conservative" thing or some type of bias to state the importance of a young boy having a father in his life?
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Don't say that, use examples from TV, and be Dan Quayle...

If those things are present while you say the same thing, you will NOT be treated like Obama.
 
Yes, Bill Cosby is a conservative that contributes money the campaigns of conservative stalwarts like Jesse Jackson, Jr., Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee and Denise Majette.
 
uscitizen said:
yeah well a busted clock is right a couple of times a day ;)
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So a black Democrat that works for Fox must be wrong then about everything?

To quote Butthead, 'what are you, a dumbass?'

Edit: And he writes for NPR.
 
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Socrtease said:
My only point was that Cosby said it and got lambasted for it, Obama said it and got praise. I guess my view from the outside was that Cosby could say those things inside his own community that a white man could not say or that maybe Cosby could have said them if the venue had not been quite so public and he should have evaluated how his chastising of not just deadbeat dads but of poor blacks in general would be used by people who had less than honorable motives for saying the same thing. I only know Cosby from his very public face and nothing about him from more than a TV signals distance. So for me to hear that he is arrogant and angry and that was how he came across helps me understand the difference in the reception. Because Obama was NOT arrogant nor was he angry. He was guiding.
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The reason I don't put much stock in what the media reports about Cosby or Obama, is because the white dominated media doesn't have a freaking clue about what goes on in the black community, the hispanic community, or any disenfranchised community of any color for that matter. When's the last time Chris Mathews or Britt Hume really did anything of journalist substance to examine social issues in america's disenfranchised communities?

The media is dominated by wealthy white men, and I refuse to accept how they tell me to interpret what Cosby said about family values in the african american community, and how it pertains more broadly to social issues in working class communities. They aren't in a position to know, nor do I suspect they even have the motivation to explore the issue in any detail. A lot of Cons have used Cosby's statement to make some gross generalizations about communities of color. I ain't buying it. I suspect that, like all demographics of human society, there are many debates and facets of how family values, community activism, and social responsibility are percieved and debated in various communities. Cosby's comments, to me, were reported from a titilation perspective, but virtually meaningless towards any sort of fundamental understanding of social issues.
 
Darla said:
I think that you have to remember too Soc that many black people are very understanding that Obama has to do certain things to calm down nervous white people. You know?
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Right on point sister.

Everyone recognizes that he can't even appear to be the black president.

We know what the speech was about and who it was intended for.
 
Cypress said:
The reason I don't put much stock in what the media reports about Cosby or Obama, is because the white dominated media doesn't have a freaking clue about what goes on in the black community, the hispanic community, or any disenfranchised community of any color for that matter. When's the last time Chris Mathews or Britt Hume really did anything of journalist substance to examine social issues in america's disenfranchised communities?

The media is dominated by wealthy white men, and I refuse to accept how they tell me to interpret what Cosby said about family values in the african american community, and how it pertains more broadly to social issues in working class communities. They aren't in a position to know, nor do I suspect they even have the motivation to explore the issue in any detail. A lot of Cons have used Cosby's statement to make some gross generalizations about communities of color. I ain't buying it. I suspect that, like all demographics of human society, there are many debates and facets of how family values, community activism, and social responsibility are percieved and debated in various communities. Cosby's comments, to me, were reported from a titilation perspective, but virtually meaningless towards any sort of fundamental understanding of social issues.
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Good points.
 
Cypress said:
The reason I don't put much stock in what the media reports about Cosby or Obama, is because the white dominated media doesn't have a freaking clue about what goes on in the black community, the hispanic community, or any disenfranchised community of any color for that matter. When's the last time Chris Mathews or Britt Hume really did anything of journalist substance to examine social issues in america's disenfranchised communities?

The media is dominated by wealthy white men, and I refuse to accept how they tell me to interpret what Cosby said about family values in the african american community, and how it pertains more broadly to social issues in working class communities. They aren't in a position to know, nor do I suspect they even have the motivation to explore the issue in any detail. A lot of Cons have used Cosby's statement to make some gross generalizations about communities of color. I ain't buying it. I suspect that, like all demographics of human society, there are many debates and facets of how family values, community activism, and social responsibility are percieved and debated in various communities. Cosby's comments, to me, were reported from a titilation perspective, but virtually meaningless towards any sort of fundamental understanding of social issues.
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Your comments about all issues that pertain to disenfranchised people is right on. I heard Obama or one of his spokespeople talk a couple of weeks ago about changing Affirmative Action so that it pertains more to the underclass in general. He thinks that college admissions should be more generous to all people in the lower socio-economic strata. Not a bad idea politically, it would sure as hell quench the fire that conservatives fan about AA as it exists now and would be in line with the speech he gave on race after the entire Wright thing blew up.
 
Socrtease said:
Your comments about all issues that pertain to disenfranchised people is right on. I heard Obama or one of his spokespeople talk a couple of weeks ago about changing Affirmative Action so that it pertains more to the underclass in general. He thinks that college admissions should be more generous to all people in the lower socio-economic strata. Not a bad idea politically, it would sure as hell quench the fire that conservatives fan about AA as it exists now and would be in line with the speech he gave on race after the entire Wright thing blew up.
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That only changes the perception, but not the reality. AA already benefits white women more than it benefits blacks, and AA is also very beneficial to the handicapped and disabled.
 
I want to repost this here ...

The tragedy of fatherhood in America is that it isn't respected .. not just missing fathers, but fatherhood overall is not respected in this country.

If divorce happens, mothehood becomes more important than childhood.

As a father who has raised two daughters without their mothers I would often hear people say to me, "Oh how wonderful you are raising your child by yourself. You are to be commended" .. to which I would reply, no commendation or applause is necessary, and I'm not doing anything that a great many fathers wouldn't be doing if they had the opportunity. There ain't nothing special about me, but there is something seriously wrong with a society that sees fathers as not much more than a walking paycheck.

There is something seriously wrong with a society that does not value fatherhood equally with motherhood. There is something seriously wrong with a society that does not allow fathers equal access and rights to their children. The courts are undeniably biased against fathers in child support and custody.

It's no mystery why there's such rancor within the black community about fathers and the role of men while at the same time celebration of people like Alice Walker, great role model for women? .. but who abandoned her own child and compares motherhood to slavery.

I could go on for pages on this issue.

... and by the way, statistics show that women aren't any better at absentee parenting than men are, in fact, they're worse when in comes to being involved in that childs life .. and custodial fathers recieve far less child support, if any at all.

My point is not to denigrate motherhood, but to illustrate that America is not having honest conversations about children and parenting.
 
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