Hey Lovers, 

I’ve been trying to stay away from this whole Bill Cosby rape thing. I wish Ms. Phylicia would’ve done the same thing because last week she made the whole #ByePhylicia thing relevant; again. If you haven’t heard about what happened check out the story here. Basically, Ms. Phylicia was quoted as saying  something to the effect of forget the women, someone is trying to destroy the Cosby legacy. Later she told NBC that the “forget these women” part was a misquote.

What I need to know is why did she even comment on this? Were you sitting at home like, I wonder what Phylicia Rashad has to say about Bill Cosby’s rape allegations? I know I wasn’t. 

What I don’t understand about the whole Cosby “debate” is well, all of it. The main arguments in defense of Bill Cosby are basically, if he really raped/attempted to rape these women why did some continue to be in contact in with him and why didn’t they report it?

Did you know I have a degree in Criminal Justice. . .well I do. As a result of this I know that most crime goes unreported. The most commonly reported crimes are property crimes, car thefts and home break ins. That is because insurance companies require police reports in order to pay claims. Welcome to America.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 34.8% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported in 2013. If you don’t believe me, check the stats here: 

Click to access cv13.pdf

 

I know Americans, on average, aren’t the smartest but I’m wondering why we can’t be better. Why can’t we have complicated thoughts? I know people who have been accused of things I did not want to believe. Why can’t we say, we don’t know? It’s 2015. Why can’t we say we like the things Bill Cosby created but we don’t know if he is a rapist? After all, it is possible to create wonderful art and still be a criminal; the worst kind of criminal. 
Famous men have done plenty things most decent people would find abhorrent. We know Woody Allen married the adopted daughter of his ex wife. Roman Polanski moved to Europe after being charged with the rape of a 13 year old girl. Phil Spector was known for pulling guns on people; specifically women. Let us not forget R. Kelly who married Aaliyah when he was 28 and she was 14. Then, a sex tape surfaced that purported to show him urinating on an underaged girl after engaging in various sexual acts. I’m sure we haven’t forgotten that Chris Brown beat the stew chicken out of Rihanna.

We talked about how Lil Kim told us that once you get the money, then you get the power. Bill Cosby has had money since the 60’s. Why is it hard to believe that he has been able to cover up dirt since then?

Why is rape viewed as a such a special crime? If someone had been using drugs a la Whitney Houston, beating their spouse or boosting (read shoplifting) for years would we refuse to believe it?

Even if the crime wasn’t rape, why can’t we just say, we weren’t there and we don’t know? In my advancing age I’m getting to the point where I would prefer that celebrities don’t talk. I only want them to do whatever they’re famous for and nothing else. 

In the eyes of anyone who has sense, which are the only eyes relevant to me, we can still admit that The Cosby Show is an important piece of Black culture and history but it is possible that Bill Cosby had or maybe still has some demons. I know Phylicia Rashad is was still eating off the reruns but rape is way too big of a deal to play this way. 

What did you think of her comments? Were you thinking #ByePhylicia or did you think she had a point? Comment below and let me know!