So I don’t want to go over the specifics you all must know them, or make this an argument about whether he is guilty or not. He’s convicted that is moot. But rather ask a different question. Is it ok to still enjoy the man’s work despite knowing all of this? I’ve talked many times about The Cosby Show. I adored it and was a fan from the day it premiered. I also loved Bill Cosby….Himself, the precursor to the show sort of, and it’s still some of the funniest stuff I’ve ever seen a million times. And it makes me laugh as hard now as it did 34 years ago. Cosby was not only a comedic legend but he cared about kids, and did tons to advance education in children. In all races or income levels. So, does all of this get wiped away now?
A couple years ago I read an article where the reporter basically said that the truth was that Bill Cosby and Heathcliff Huxtable are not the same person. And that’s hard to accept. I think when people refer to Cosby as “America’s favorite father” it’s really Huxtable they mean. Cliff Huxtable was a fun character. He was upbeat, positive, knew how to goof off but could also be dead serious with things. This is why we loved that show and kept going back to it. I obviously don’t know Cosby but I think it’s safe to say he was not that character in real life. Even before all of these allegations came to light it was no secret he could be a hard person to deal with at times. He likes things his way and I’ve heard people who worked on that show and said it was really difficult to fit in.
Of course Cosby’s portrayal is part of that character, and it’s hard not see the actor’s face behind the character especially now. But I think that if you can forget about the actor, there’s no reason you can’t still watch the show. There are other things to remember. Like the fact that he wasn’t the only person on the show. There were other actors, directors, producers, and writers all of whom deserve to be recognized for the good work they did. Some will act like we should pretend that show never happened, but the truth is that show did so much good not just for NBC or for television but in society that it’s not right to shrug it off. A lot of people use the expression “you killed my childhood” when something they loved as a child is tainted or redone. I hate that expression, what we loved as kids will always be part of us even if time is not as kind to some things as it is others. And I have to many good memories of that show to dismiss them all.
Oh there have been people who have tried to make it all go away. Cable stations will no longer play the Cosby Show. All kinds of honorary degrees and even legitimate awards have been taken away including the Kennedy Center Honors and Mark Twin Prize. And people even tried to push to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame removed (something they never, ever do). Great take if all away. What does all that accomplish anyway? You can take away all the awards and honorary degrees you want, you can’t change the fact that people loved Cosby as Cliff Huxtable, Fat Albert, and whatever else. There has to be a way to separate the two, and I think people still enjoy his stuff even if there is a tinge of guilt for doing so. And I know some people will insist that it is just plain impossible to watch anything he did the same way. They will refuse to watch anything he has done, and that is there right.
True story, a few months ago I found myself in the dentist office. I quipped to the hygienist that I couldn’t help but be reminded of that classic dentist bit that Cosby did. She chuckled at the reference to the joke, while also acknowledging how sad it was what has become of Cosby since then. And I will always find that bit funny as hell, no matter what the truth behind the man may be. Course there are other like that. We still watch Woody Allen movies despite his sorted history. We still take AROD seriously as an analyst even though he was banned from Baseball for a year. David Letterman is still doing well despite his affairs. Rob Lowe’s sex scandal is a distant memory. And this past weekend we all celebrated Tiger Woods winning another championship, anyone remember when word broke about his affairs?
And NO I am not defending anyone here, all I am saying is that because these celebrities turned out to be flawed doesn’t mean we throw there work away, before or after. All of these celebrities suffered punishment of some kind, legal or otherwise, just as Cosby will now serve his punishment. I also know what Bill Cosby did tops all of these. Let me clear, if all of these accusations are true what he was reprehensible and he deserves his punishment. I was surprised at the sentence but if this stuff is true, then yeah it’s deserved. And I’d be lying if I said I still see the man the same, you may have noticed i haven’t done a true Cosby article in quite awhile. But the fact that Cosby was not who he appeared should not erase the good work he has done. Or the memories we have of his work. And while I feel sorrow for the victims, I will still enjoy that show, stand up comedy, or silly Jello-O commercials when I come across them.
I hate talking about this stuff, I’ll be back with more fun next time. For now feel free to comment and share your thoughts about this.
I think it's okay. It sucks to find out the head of the show was such a horrible person. Still, he wasn't the only thing about the show I liked. There was Claire, the kids (except Vanessa, I never liked the character), the other supporting characters, the music (when it was around), and the humor. Also, we wouldn't have gotten A Different World without the show.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing about this is that Cosby's crimes only reminded me of how much I disliked Cliff Huxtable.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he might be a beloved character by some people. But I could never really warm up to him, and I now detest him. He was so smug and self-righteous, and he always had to be right. Except for with his bitchy wife and his mean parents, who could be awful as well (and I know that you don't like Claire or Cliff's dad either, so I guess that we're on the same page there).
Just take how Cliff and Claire treated Theo already in the pilot episode. Yes, I kind of understand that a doctor and a lawyer expect their kids to do well in school. But it was simply disgusting to hear them call their fourteen-year-old son "lazy", when he couldn't get straight A's like them and wanted to get a blue collar job in the future. Of course, they had no idea that Theo had undiagnosed dyslexia at the time. But it was still awful of them to laugh and joke about their young son's short-comings. Okay, they were at least merciful enough to not do it right in front of him. But I hated it all the same, especially as Bill Cosby had treated his now deceased only son (on whom the character of Theo was kind of based, and he also had dyslexia) the same way that Cliff treated his only son.
And it was kind of the theme, that I saw running through all the eight seasons: both Cliff and Claire could be almost abusive towards their kids, as soon as they had done the smallest thing to upset them. Vanessa seemed to be the most likely to feel their wrath, but they could be bad with the others too. They cheered when the summer break was over, because it seemed like they were tired of spending time with the kids. And I also hated how they threw Theo out of their house into the rain in one episode. Why? Because they found out that he had moved into his girlfriend's apartment! Yeah, this might be because I'm European and can't see why Americans would find that so terrible. But it was 1989, and I guess that people lived together before marriage even in the US by that point. But it was impossible for Cliff and Claire to join the 20th century on that issue...
Yeah, to sum it up: I don't really care for Cliff and Claire. But I mostly liked their kids (except for maybe Sondra, who could be too much like her mother to be that likable). And I also liked Cousin Pam and her friend Charmaine, even if many other viewers didn't. So those are the characters, whom I wanted to see on the show. But I came to detest both of the supposedly awesome parents. And when I found about Cosby being a dirty rapist, and that Phylicia Rashad had told people to "forget about those women... well, then I just realized that they were simply playing themselves on the show. They were such awful jerks in real life as well, and Cosby even was a criminal!
Ugh yeah... So I probably won't watch the show again for a long time, if ever. And I do know that Cosby and Ms Rashad weren't the only people involved, but they are enough to ruin the whole show for me now. But if you still can stand them, you go ahead and watch it. But I can't join you on your trip down your nostalgia lane...