Bill Cosby and Russell Simmons (Getty/AP Images)
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons claims that he received some interesting up close and personal treatment from the great Bill Cosby
recently when the two met back stage at a show in honor of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
According to Simmons, he approached Cosby to apologize for an open letter he'd written
criticizing Cosby's attacks on black youth. In response, Cosby allegedly told
Simmons to "Get the f**k out of" his face. If only Cosby had used this language
during those Jello Pudding Pop commercials; I would have bought a whole lot more
of them.
Cosby's allegedly bold, yet tasteless interaction with Simmons is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it signifies that Bill Cosby truly believes what he says and that he's not into the BS of it all. Most public figures are incredibly passive-aggressive, smiling in your face and stabbing you in the back -- all at the same time. Personally, it irritates me, and is part of a game that I never want to learn how to play. In that regard, I respect Cosby's candor: If you don't like someone, there's no need in pretending that you do.
On the other hand, Cosby's reaction to Simmons didn't have to be so egregious and confrontational. Bill Cosby disrespects both himself and Russell Simmons with his alleged remark, and the public has come to expect a degree of class from Cosby that he doesn't seem to feel inclined to deliver. He gets a pass because of his age however, for none of us knows what might be going on inside the mind of this elderly man as he hits his twilight years. We also can't deny the impact that his son's tragic murder has had on Cosby's tolerance for the effects of hip-hop culture.
With regard to the issue at hand, both Simmons and Cosby are correct and incorrect in their respective positions. Cosby's critique on the black community was somewhat accurate, but ultimately incomplete. The same courage with which he attacked single black mothers and jobless youth for their behavior should have been replicated in challenging the powers that be to modify their creation of the conditions to which young black people are responding. As Cosby spoke heartily about kids pulling their pants up and marrying their baby's mamas, he should have spoken just as readily about mass incarceration, failed educational systems in the inner city and our nation's lack of interest in unprecedented levels of black unemployment.
Russell Simmons is right to stand up for black youth in the face of Cosby's inter-generational assault, for there were few powerful men willing to take a position opposite that of Bill Cosby. But Simmons must also be careful not to come off as the doting parent who excuses every ridiculous thing his child does. Keeping his bank account full by releasing hip-hop albums that promote both derogatory language and dysfunctional concepts is hardly the way for a black man to make an honest living. In order for Simmons to show true advocacy and love for the urban youth he represents, there is a time where he must trade in profitability for accountability. It's one thing to rap about the terrible conditions under which you were born, and another thing to mass promote a destructive lifestyle that threatens the very existence of the entire black community.
When it's all said and done, both Cosby and Simmons are powerful men with strong opinions. I personally favor Russell's decency in handling the dispute, for Cosby doesn't need to curse anyone out. But when it comes to making our community better, we've all got to push ourselves to appreciate other points of view and even admit when the other guy has a good point. Neither Cosby nor Simmons has all the answers and I hope they both understand that.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com.
Cosby's allegedly bold, yet tasteless interaction with Simmons is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it signifies that Bill Cosby truly believes what he says and that he's not into the BS of it all. Most public figures are incredibly passive-aggressive, smiling in your face and stabbing you in the back -- all at the same time. Personally, it irritates me, and is part of a game that I never want to learn how to play. In that regard, I respect Cosby's candor: If you don't like someone, there's no need in pretending that you do.
On the other hand, Cosby's reaction to Simmons didn't have to be so egregious and confrontational. Bill Cosby disrespects both himself and Russell Simmons with his alleged remark, and the public has come to expect a degree of class from Cosby that he doesn't seem to feel inclined to deliver. He gets a pass because of his age however, for none of us knows what might be going on inside the mind of this elderly man as he hits his twilight years. We also can't deny the impact that his son's tragic murder has had on Cosby's tolerance for the effects of hip-hop culture.
With regard to the issue at hand, both Simmons and Cosby are correct and incorrect in their respective positions. Cosby's critique on the black community was somewhat accurate, but ultimately incomplete. The same courage with which he attacked single black mothers and jobless youth for their behavior should have been replicated in challenging the powers that be to modify their creation of the conditions to which young black people are responding. As Cosby spoke heartily about kids pulling their pants up and marrying their baby's mamas, he should have spoken just as readily about mass incarceration, failed educational systems in the inner city and our nation's lack of interest in unprecedented levels of black unemployment.
Russell Simmons is right to stand up for black youth in the face of Cosby's inter-generational assault, for there were few powerful men willing to take a position opposite that of Bill Cosby. But Simmons must also be careful not to come off as the doting parent who excuses every ridiculous thing his child does. Keeping his bank account full by releasing hip-hop albums that promote both derogatory language and dysfunctional concepts is hardly the way for a black man to make an honest living. In order for Simmons to show true advocacy and love for the urban youth he represents, there is a time where he must trade in profitability for accountability. It's one thing to rap about the terrible conditions under which you were born, and another thing to mass promote a destructive lifestyle that threatens the very existence of the entire black community.
When it's all said and done, both Cosby and Simmons are powerful men with strong opinions. I personally favor Russell's decency in handling the dispute, for Cosby doesn't need to curse anyone out. But when it comes to making our community better, we've all got to push ourselves to appreciate other points of view and even admit when the other guy has a good point. Neither Cosby nor Simmons has all the answers and I hope they both understand that.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com.
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