Cosby’s Views Still Fail to Resonate, Radical Solutions Needed
Published by admin on Tagged UncategorizedThe release of Dr. William H. Cosby’s latest book (”Come on People”) represents yet another excursion into pedantic, condescending rhetoric that will do little, if anything, to solve the social problems plaguing the African American community. This is not to say that Dr. Cosby’s observations are without merit. Rather, his viewpoints are emphatically anarchronistic, lacking the type of radical, forward-thinking gravitas needed to propel African Americans briskly and confidently into the next century.
If anything, critics can easily accuse Dr. Cosby (and his co-author, frequent collaborator Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint) of the same “blaming the victim” mentality assigned to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to when his then-ground breaking “The Negro Family: A Case for National Action” was published over 40 years ago. It is to our national shame and disgrace that few of the socio-economic indicators discussed in the colloquially-termed “Moynihan Report” have changed little between 1965 and today. Then, as now, the majority of African American families were headed by females as the sole parental figures. Four decades ago, just as today, young Black males seldom benefitted from the guidance of readily accessible fathers. These problems, similar to many others troubling the African American community, need no further analysis, they’re all too well-defined.
What Dr. Cosby and Dr. Poussaint fail to explore however, is that the decline in two-parent households and adequate parenting skills is no longer just a Black phenomenon. Tragic, high-profile events such as Columbine denote the proliferation of dysfunctional, non-Black families. Typically, these Caucasian families reside not in “crime and drug-ridden” urban centers (see Compton or Detroit) but rather in cities, such as Jefferson County, Colorado, that some consider “America’s Heartland.” On a far less serious note, we certainly can’t blame the pathetic parenting skills of Dina Lohan and Britney Spears on their African American ancestry, now can we? Here’s a friendly challenge for you, gentle readers. In your next two or three trips to a major retail outlet, say a K-Mart or Wal-Mart, take note of those families, single parent or otherwise, with small children. Then, take note of the ethnicities of those children presenting the most eggregious public behavior. I guarantee, the results of your informal surveys will surprise you.
Many of the solutions espoused by Drs. Cosby and Poussaint are shallow at best, anachronistic at worst. Increased church attendance, they tell us, can remedy the anti-social behaviors that so many African American males demonstrate. Let us put aside, at least for the moment, that for most demoninations throughout the Black community, attending a place of worship is an event that takes place once weekly, usually on a Sunday. It is probably more helpful (and realistic) to note the substantial role that many Black churches already play in supporting the societal infrastructure. Throughout this nation, scores of African American churches sponsor social service projects including food pantries, head start centers, domestic violence shelters and vocational training programs. Once you add these efforts to their ecumenical responsibilities, it becomes difficult to imagine how these faith-based organizations could do anything more to uplift the Black community.
It’s probably appropriate at this point to express my respect for both Dr. Cosby and Dr. Poussaint, individuals responsible for getting “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World” on our televisions screens during the late 80s and early 90s. Besides almost single-handedly reviving the moribund sitcom format (and catapulting NBC from first to last place in the Nielsen ratings), “The Cosby Show” was responsible for presenting an image of African American families never seen before (or since). Set in the fictictious Hillman College, “A Different World” has been widely credited for starting a resurgence in Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. It probably wasn’t easy for Dr. Cosby to get his vision of Black America aired in the nation’s living rooms. Would you believe that the executives at NBC initially bristled at the name “Heathcliff Huxtable” for Cosby’s character, saying that it sounded “too uppity.” Hmm… where have we heard that sentiment before?
Without question, we clearly owe Dr. Cosby and his collaborators a debt of thanks. However, the “Cos” who frequently “calls out” the Black community on Oprah and Meet the Press in certainly not the same congenial fellow who sold us Jello Pudding Pops in the 80s. This iteration of Bill Cosby seems angry, accusational, disdainful, and not particularly in touch with the constituency that he left behind in the Philadelphia Housing Projects almost five decades ago. Yes, as he and Dr. Poussaint accurately point out, young African American males wear baggy pants as almost a homage to their peers and relatives in prison. We get that, we really do. However, what the African American community could better benefit from right now is a contemporary, cogent and realistic plan for decreasing the number of incarerated peers that these young Black men have to emulate.
Here’s where Dr. Cosby, Dr. Poussaint and myself all agree. It all comes down to parenting. However, where we probably all differ is where the solution can be found. And in my opinion, the answer isn’t solely found in the Black church, or in government-funded mentoring programs for young African American males. This may sound shocking coming from a Libertarian such as myself, but I truly believe that government must play a substantial role in solving the lack of parenting skills among Americans of all races. The solution is simple. Make courses in parenting and child-rearing skills a compulsory component of the public educational process. All twelfth grade students should be required to complete two semesters of these classes in order to graduate. And I’m not talking about a “taking an egg home and caring for it for two weeks” type of curriculum, either. What I’m referring to is a comprehensive curriculum including family planning, strategies for pre, post and peri-natal care, early childhood education and effective discipline skills. Young people who drop-out of school before graduation should be required to complete these courses at a local church or social service organization as part of the tasking of obtaining a high school equivalency diploma. Every young person completing these courses would receive a parenting skills certificate that should (subliminally at least) re-inforce in their minds the serious obligation that parenting represents.
Granted, based upon their burgeoning educational and career demands, many Americans are becoming parents later in life. So, to ensure that parenting skills and child-rearing strategies are fresh in the minds of all prospective mothers and fathers, all parents 25 years of age and older would be required to complete a two-week “refresher” course during the mother’s first or second trimester of pregnancy. This service would be provided by a hospital or health care center and paid for by the expectant parent’s medical insurance. If the expectant parent has no medical insurance, then this cost would be absorbed by the government. This is a potentially expensive strategy to be sure, but our government has almost certainly spent a whole lot more money on failed programs lacking one-tenth the social upside as what I’m proposing.
By requiring that every American obtain some kind of certification before becoming a parent, we attach to this process the same type of importance assigned to other aspects of life. After all, in most counties, you need a license or permit to drive a car, hunt or fish don’t you?
With these types of preventive, proactive measures enacted, perhaps we can give semi-retired comedians something better to do than constantly berating us about our lack of parenting skills.
Elias Vaughn
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