Chris, Bill Cosby was not being racist when he criticized African-Americans for the incorrect grammar they use in everyday conversation. He certainly made a valid argument, and many African-Americans are grateful to him for speaking up.

Many African-Americans, especially the younger set, would rather speak correct standard English, but must utilize street slang in order to avoid “sounding white”, which is sure to invite scorn or even physical abuse by their peers. Negative peer pressure is very powerful and pervasive in their world.

And of course, there are many more whites who have their own brand of bad English. All in all, inferior communication skills are an epidemic in our society. While it may be easy or convenient to see the people as victims, there is still no excuse for making a bad impression of oneself, or coercing someone else to do the same.

Perhaps if Mr. Cosby’s appeal were more universal we would not be so quick to heap criticism upon him, but his point is still a good one. We can go on forever trying to reach out to those who lag behind in education, but there will always be those who don’t want to be helped because they don’t personally that they need any. Appreciation of good intentions only goes so far.

Come on…as a white student, you’re expected to speak proper English, communicate effectively, etc. BUT because a student is black, they shouldn’t be held to the same standard? Sounds like you’re assuming that black students are incapable of learning standard English.

Also - Bill Cosby has earned the right to make remarks about society…he has done very well for himself, and probably has a decent blueprint for success…maybe you and others should heed the lessons he’s teaching instead of discounting them. He’s got credibility on his side.

Here’s hoping you take and engineering job instead of something in a field where your idiotic opinions can do real damage.

Bill Cosby ought to be held up as a hero for what he has said and done.

I don’t think anybody on earth would say that racism is dead, and no sane person thinks it ever will be. In the meantime, personal responsibility is the only way for people to elevate their lot in life.

And yes, that means no do-rags, ebonics, a crack use.

Your condemnation of Bill Cosby’s statements reminds me of one of the best lines from Stand & Deliver: There are two forms of racism. Singling a group of people out because they are a different race, or not singling a group of people out because they are a different.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever been to one of the inner city schools? Do you know someone who has? My aunt has taught in an inner city Chicago elementary school for 30 years and the biggest problem there is that a good number (notice I am not saying all, the majority or most, just a good number, I have not taken a poll or anything) are not at all interested in getting an education, and their families are not interested in them getting an education either.

What about the “liberal” racists? You know, the ones who vilify all black Rebulicans.

See these links for a discussion of the vile and absolutely racist Condi Rice cartoons. Is it the fact that she has not acted as a victim that leads you to give these asshats a pass on this?

http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110005788

or

http://www.democracy-project.com/archives/000763.html

Nothing new about racist cartoons by lefties:

THE BUCK-NAKED BIGOTRY OF TED RALL http://michellemalkin.com/archives/000160.htm

“Our government needs to take positive active steps (affirmative action, if you will) to undo the self-propagating effects of the current racism in society” Affirmative action needs to be abolished. Those directy affected by slavery are long gone, and now affirmative action is just another copout from having to make ones own living. It is actually furthering the gap between races, by means of reverse racism. A black person shouldn’t be banned from a school, obviously, but neither should he/she get special acceptance into the school for the color of his/her skin. If we’re talking about equality then let’s actually have equality. Your article was a waste of space on the Opinion page. Where are these ideas from? Bill Cosby is great for what he has done. There should be no shame in encouraging others to better themselves, this is all he was doing. What is wrong with telling a group that their actions are only self hurting? According to your article you agree that the “typical” black ways are causing racism, well Bill Cosby is encouraging those to give it up, and join productive society. It would be nice if someone would stand up and say the same things to the wanna-be gangster white guys out there, or would that be considered racist?

Chris, I don’t see how the following is simply excessively strong: “Either it's their own fault, or we live in a racist society.”

Indeed, we should celebrate Rosa Parks’ anniversary with “some direct action of our own.” I think we should start by adding the following to that little “Either” statement above: Forget the “racist society,” maybe THE AUTHOR is the one perpetuating those “unemployment/uneducated” facts and figures. Maybe THE AUTHOR, with his pseudo-cry for equal rights, is perpetuating racism.

What if some people just aren’t interested in things like education or work? And why might they not be interested? Maybe because they don’t need to be when they have purveyors of misinformation and ignorant authors alike screaming “Everything’s racist!” for them!

It’s poorly founded articles on racism like this that allow someone to say “Forget it. I don’t have to learn. I don’t have to work. I can’t anyhow. The system is racist!” It is the author of this article that allows these facts and figures to persist. There are thousands of lazy people that now need only cite Chris’ article so that they may do nothing.

Personally, I think anon. #1 hit the nail on the head. I’m reminded of a Chris Rock bit about there being two kinds of African-Americans…black people, and “Niggaz”. Black people are those that work for a living, seek to better themselves, and work hard so that their kids can have a brighter future than them. “Niggaz” seek to succeed at the lowest common denominator, as if something like taking care of their kid earns them special recognition. (In Rock’s words…”You’re SUPPOSED to take care of your kids! Whad’ya want, a cookie?!?”)

I am equally as impressed and inspired by a black (wo)man, a white (wo)man, a hispanic (wo)man, etc. making it in the world through hard work, perserverance, and grit. That’s EXACTLY what Bill Cosby has done. And his comments weren’t a denouncement of African-Americans, it was, as he saw it, a much-needed scolding directed at the very same “Niggaz” deplored by Rock.

I am also equally as disgusted by a white person gaining wealth and power through birth into a rich family as I am by a minority lounging through life on their welfare check. If you can’t earn your keep, the hell with ya.

-William Northend

good gosh. First of all, your use of statistics really proves nothing. They are based upon the assumption that minorities are in that specific position because of past racism (an assumption with which I agree, but to be discussed later), but what you fail to prove, and what I have yet to seen proven by anyone else, is that minorities are in this disadvantaged position because of current racism. Here are the facts: Since the Civil Rights Movement socio-economic conditions for minorities have improved…you cannot dispute this. So why are minorities still struggling? —-Because of past racism. Don’t take me wrong, racism is still alive and well today, but not at all to the extent it was 40 years ago. It takes more than one generation for a social group to improve their status (re: the Irish, Indians, Russians, Japanese), but groups in the past in the US have overcome these obstacles. So it's true, that the US can be a very hard place for a minority group to succeed, but it is not by any means impossible. So…why do some minorities still have problems even after many generations? Well, slavery, Jim Crow and the like have had a very huge impact unlike others who didn't have the same history. (It is easy to see why the Irish had it easier than someone with African decent), and that impact lasted, and to an extent, still does. But does that mean that the failure of blacks and others is not their own fault and that their hardship has everything to do with everyone else? Of course not. it is true that they and other struggling minorities start off life with “a leg cut off”, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn’t at least walk with their other foot, or try their best to find a good wheel chair.
If you look at other past struggling minorities to bring themselves and their children to higher status. Re: Indian immigrants…many of them started their lives in the US working cabs, gas stations, basically crap hourly wage jobs and successfully provided a bright future for their children by hard work…and most importantly…looking out for their own. Now that concept might look unpleasing because in a capitalist society, the most qualified should succeed, but in just a few generations, the Indian Community in the US is becoming very powerful. The same story works for the Irish, Polish, Russians, …etc…

So clearly, this model isn’t impossible, because even if you claim skin color, the argument doesn’t hold up; re Indian, Middle Eastern, Greek, Asian. There is a further social condition that seems to be the problem. Cosby brings up this point; how do you expect anyone to succeed when they do not use proper language, or are ridiculed by their peers for trying to make something of themselves when they are labeled “white”. When a specific culture undermines the values that are necessary for someone to succeed, there is not a bright future for this culture.

Now you can invent programs such as affirmative action (a program in which I feel had very good motives, and at the time, seemed very convincing), but if the culture of the social group that it is intended to aide itself, fails to pick up their end of the bargain, it is doomed to fail.

So why do the failing social groups fail? Not because of people who do not want to succeed in that group, but because they fail to follow the model of past underprivileged social groups in the past. When a black or Latino or any other struggling social minority succeeds, it is very uncommon that they help others follow in their footstep. You don’t see their leaders pull up others, rather you hear them say “the others aren’t in a position like myself because the system is racist…I'm just lucky.”

What we are talking about is a lack of leadership. If you don’t expect the best, you don’t get the best. If you blame others without blaming yourself, you give no motivation to not be blame-worthy. The black and Latino (and others) leaders have failed their followers. The greatest driving force in America for personal success it the idea that there is no limit to what one can achieve. The dream has been stripped of those who need it most. Why would anyone who has spent their life hear that they cannot reach their goals because of the “system” ever even try to reach them.

Personal responsibility isn't just a catch phrase that those on the right use to ignore the plight of the underprivileged, it is a notion that many past social groups have subscribed to and in tern, have become successful. I am not trying to say that past history has nothing to do with the current situation…..it has made the situation more difficult, but that is no reason not to expect the best out of people.

As a reader of this post, you are probably wondering what my social background is. It would be easy for my critics to dismiss me if I was of WASP decent, since in the US, they have not experienced this plight. If I was to say I was Jewish, would that make a difference? Probably not to my critics, but they would fail to recognize the success model I have presented. What about Irish? Polish? Indian? Latino? Black? The fact alone that my potential critics need to know my social background to gauge their opinion of my words says that they aren’t a part of MLK’s vision of a colorblind society. So I will not tell you my background, I would like to be judge by what is in my head rather than what my skin is. We can discus other factors; they do indeed play apart of the issue such as economics, educations, crime, etc…but it seems to me that those are just contributing factors.

So I stress to those taking the the time to read this to think critically rather than emotionally about my comments. And especially to those of these underprivileged groups—you are already on your way to a promising future, do not fail to look where you came from, so help those who want to be where you are now (presumably attending a great public university) and bring your culture to where it belongs in American society.

I welcome all comments and discussion at [email protected]

You HAVE to get this idea that ALL white people hate and want to crush and humiliate ALL black people in America out of your paranoid confrontational minds.

Despite the ‘Look What Im Doing Everyone’ feeling youre probably getting from expressing your guilty thoughts, stating all these dreamt-up statistics and half-truths often turns good intelligent white people against your philosophies.

When a parent continually accuses a child of doing something he didnt do,he could end up doing it just out of protest,like its what is expected of him. This is what youre doing to us. But then again,you type of people love it when a tiny minority of white people do something to ‘hurt’ black people, because you love to point the finger at the entire white population,especially the poor,who have NO-ONE to stand up for them atall. You think your criticisms will win favour with the black population, like you want them to like you at the expense of other white people

to commentor

why would the author fabricate the information?..why is it predominately minorities who are affected?..not saying what it is..not callin it racism either..its ignorance building upon ignorance..its not racism..its just not wanting or knowing to do better.

The above author should consider the fact that he is able to condemn peopl from his lofty position standing on the backs of slaves who put him and his race where they are now. How can white people call anyone lazy after they have systematically kidnapped, and klled a whole continent of people to work for free for them for hundreds of years? No other race on the planet is guilty of that but them.

Someone needs to admit the fact that blame needs to be placed on both the system and the victims. You can’t just blame one or the other. That’s equally unfair to both sides.