CONTROVERSY
Cosby's caustic, but he's on target
BY ROBERT STEINBACK, The Miami Herald, July 11, 2004

Bravo, Bill Cosby.

Bravo for getting angry about black underachievement. Bravo for turning the spotlight of responsibility where it belongs -- on African Americans ourselves. Bravo for not backing down as the howls of protest from offended members of the ethnic family rose to a din.

It is long past time for today's black Americans to stop rehashing the tired mantra of white guilt and get down to the business of doing what every prior generation of black Americans has done: Taken whatever droplets and crumbs of opportunity they could seize and turned them into more opportunity.

The address Cosby delivered at Howard University in May, criticizing black Americans for not doing enough to further their own progress, was neither groundbreaking nor radical. Prominent figures from Martin Luther King Jr. to Malcolm X, from Marcus Garvey to Jesse Jackson, have touched on aspects of the message. But Cosby's blunt assessment struck a sore nerve with some black Americans -- and that makes his comments timely and welcome.

Cosby minced no words in berating parents who raise children to dress ''like pimps,'' or blame police when a kid who has stolen something gets arrested or shot. And he had a few comments on black vernacular.

The young black individual today ''doesn't even want to speak English,'' Cosby said. 'I can't even talk the way these people talk. `Why you ain't. . . ? Where you is?' I don't know who these people are.

``And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't land a plane with, `Why you ain't. . . ?' You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.''

Is Cosby leaving out the finer analytical points? Of course he is. He could have cushioned his remarks by referring to the destructive cycles of poverty and racism that handicapped vast segments of black America. He could have spoken of police excesses or of the roots of black dialect that can be traced back to African languages. He could have acknowledged the struggles of black parents who are genuinely trying to climb up even as they slide further downhill.

But why? An appreciation of fine points hasn't helped enough of our young people stay out of prison, or stay in school, or stay childless, or acquire the necessary tools for success in a capitalist society. The situation calls for a rhetorical hammer upside the head. That someone of Cosby's stature is willing to swing it only enhances its power.

Black America since the 1960s has been paralyzed by a fear of letting white America off the guilt hook. It's understandable, up to a point: We know many hard-fought victories could vanish with, say, one unfavorable Supreme Court ruling.

But enough is enough. At some point, we must trust ourselves to rise to our capabilities, with sincere help if offered, on our own if not. The civil-rights movement wasn't intended to get white people to embrace us and escort us by the hand to prosperity. All our parents in the movement ever asked of white people was, ''Just get out of our way. Stop blocking us. We'll take care of the rest.''

Cosby's conclusion is that black folks haven't taken care of the rest. We're standing by, passively watching our kids self-destruct.

Somewhere along the way, the black community got its signals crossed. Too many confused ''being black'' with ''not being white.'' For many young people, anything remotely associated with ''white'' became something to be shunned, lest their ''blackness'' be compromised: White people talk properly, so I won't. White people study, so I won't. White people dress neatly, so I won't. White people run businesses and own things, so I won't. White people enforce the law, so I'll defy it.

In fact, good diction, studiousness, neatness, politeness, industriousness and respect for the law are not ''white'' qualities. They are essential human qualities. By acting as if white people have a patent on them, too many black youth are utterly unprepared for a competitive world. And too many of their parents, wittingly or not, are allowing it to happen.

Will some white Americans use Cosby's words as an excuse to forgo their role in building a racially just society? Yes -- but who cares? They wouldn't have helped in any case.

Black Americans should boldly accept, not fear, full responsibility for our children's success. Let Cosby's words serve as a clarion call.