Essay Four

Chris Rock once observed that old black men are the most racist people in the world—“a brother in his sixties hates everybody.”

This may explain Bill Cosby’s recent ranting and raving.

It’s unfortunate that such a beloved icon is now generating unnecessary and unproductive controversy. It’s even more unfortunate that his remarks are probably building greater racial divides between Americans, which ultimately makes it more difficult to constructively address matters. And it’s most unfortunate that Cosby apparently doesn’t realize his true potential in solving the real issues.

If Cosby would calm down for a moment, he might begin to see that this isn’t a black problem. It’s an American problem. Like it or not, Americans will have to work collectively to initiate change and create progress.

Cosby could be an unstoppable force in the efforts. After all, he holds such rare status in America with his tremendous crossover appeal. There are only a handful of individuals possessing the ability to bring people together by dissolving racial differences: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, Will Smith and Oprah Winfrey are among the list (and most of these folks have opted not to publicly engage in political issues). Cosby should consider his influential strengths and use them to rally all Americans for the cause.

Imagine Cosby appearing before Congress. No politician would dare to dispute or ignore him. If President Bush needs the ultimate photo op, assemble Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Bill Cosby into the Oval Office. Cosby injected politics into these issues from the start, making his comments at NAACP and Rainbow/PUSH events. He now needs to take his show to a broader audience and larger political arena.

Cosby also has nearly unlimited power in the media, particularly with network television. He needs to exert pressure for more positive coverage of the black community.

Right now, the entire affair appears relegated (or segregated) to the black sector of society. It’s interesting that mostly black columnists are discussing the issues. Are non-black columnists afraid to even touch it, as politically-correct landmines abound? Or are they simply disinterested, figuring it’s just a black thing? Whatever the reasons, the end result can only be incomplete if the topic remains confined to isolated events and individuals.

And Cosby runs the risk of becoming nothing more than an annoying sound bite—a rambling, angry, old black man.