I try not to get into politics and anything that’s going to alienate folks too much on the blog.  I try to keep it fun.  But I feel really uncomfortable not addressing the big, old, disgusting elephant in the room that is Bill Cosby.

At this point, over 30 women have publicly alleged that Bill Cosby committed acts of sexual assault against them. Many of the women tell similar stories – that they believed that Cosby would help them with their careers, they were drugged, and later assaulted.

Over 30 women.

Over. 30. Women.

I’m like everyone else.  I grew up watching the Cosby show, which was so cool.  The show centered around a family, a black family, who was successful – Dad (Cosby) was a doctor, and his wife, a black woman, was a successful lawyer!  It was so cool to see!  Additionally, he ushered in the era of the Cosby sweater, Ghost Dad, Little Bill, and actively criticized black folks throughout the last decade, most famously in his Pound Cake Speech, where he criticized single-parents families among other things.

So I found myself extremely confused when these accusations came to light.

One, no.

Two, no.

Three women….

Four, five, six, ten, fifteen, twenty?

I had to look at myself.  Why was I so willing to dismiss the one or two women?  Why did it take three, more for me to turn and look at someone that I’d looked at as something of a voice of reason for black people?

And here’s what it boils down to.  

Bill Cosby did some cool things.  He did some revolutionary things.  However, that does not mean he is not/was not an alleged rapist.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  And to call these women, 30 women with consistent stories “liars,” women trying to get their 15 minutes of fame (what a joke), or “bitches,” as someone stated yesterday, is a slap in the face to not only these women, but to women who currently face or deal with sexual assault.  Cosby was in a position of power, on top of the world, and (allegedly) wielded this power over women who thought he could help their careers.  And he joked about the allegations last weekend.  I wish I could believe that he’s innocent, but it’s just impossible at this point.

At any rate, I’m disappointed in him, and I hope he understands that he let a lot of people down.