So Bill Cosby is a rapist...(Trigger Warning)

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

So, if you've been keeping up with the news lately you've already heard: over the last few days a sizable number of women have come forward accusing Bill Cosby of having raped them. Most of them have a common MO: Cosby gets their confidence, invites them to his place, gives them some wine (that's drugged), and then sexually assaults them while they are unconscious or unable to fight back. In some cases he shows extremely aggressive behavior, like touching or kissing. In one case he forces a woman to give him a blowjob.

The thing is, almost all of the cases are decades old. Cosby can't be convicted for any of them because the statute of limitations has expired.

What this shows is that Bill Cosby, who is one of the most beloved entertainers in American history, has a history of extremely predatory sexual behavior, and that he kept this up for decades without anyone ever trying to stop him. One woman even seemed to imply that Cosby's wife was in on it.

This also points to Cosby's extreme hypocrisy. How many times has Cosby over the last few years made classist, condescending remarks and criticisms towards the black community? How many times has he blamed black America for causing their own misery, when we know damn well that it's a result of generations of systematic oppression by the American government?

Not only that, but what does this say about America in general? I think it shows pretty well that rape culture is alive and well in The Land of the 'Free'.

[Illegalitarian]

Yeah, Cosby has a,ways been, as the Panthers used to say, a "house negro" to the max, it's funny that he used to rant and scream all the time about black people saying "nigga" and wearing baggy pants while the whole time he was an actual rapist

and by funny i mean awful

[Sinister Intents]

Fuck Bill Cosby, sick pervert.

[~Spectre]

Yeah, Cosby has a,ways been, as the Panthers used to say, a "house negro" to the max

I don't like this formulation because it implies that he is some kind of traitor. Race is a construction. He represented his class interest exactly as you'd expect.

[Redistribute the Rep]

I don't like this formulation because it implies that he is some kind of traitor. Race is a construction. He represented his class interest exactly as you'd expect.

Just because we would expect it does not mean it shouldn't be criticized.

[Illegalitarian]

I don't like this formulation because it implies that he is some kind of traitor. Race is a construction. He represented his class interest exactly as you'd expect.

Class is a construct too, what's your point? Internalized racism is a very real thing and it's entirely race based. That doesn't mean he's a "race traitor" it just means that, like many other people, he isn't able to see through the dominate, white narrative of "self responsibility", that it's not a "race issue" and minorities are in their current situation of disparity because of some perceived cultural degradation.

I don't like this weird idea that class is all there is, that literally everything, all of our priors, the way we view the world etc all stems from class and class alone. That's just lazy, uncritical thinking.

[BIXX]

I don't like this weird idea that class is all there is, that literally everything, all of our priors, the way we view the world etc all stems from class and class alone. That's just lazy, uncritical thinking.

Good luck convincing the majority of folks here of that.

[The Disillusionist]

I don't like this weird idea that class is all there is, that literally everything, all of our priors, the way we view the world etc all stems from class and class alone. That's just lazy, uncritical thinking.

That's narrow-minded over-reliance on overgeneralized materialism for you.

[Illegalitarian]

I think it comes more from a misunderstanding of materialism as some deterministic force and a great misrepresentation of class politics.

[John Nada]

That's narrow-minded over-reliance on overgeneralized materialism for you.Yeah, all this chatter about race and ethnicity, I don't think Marxists have ever addressed this.:rolleyes: Or have they?
I also fear that Comrade Dzerzhinsky(Polish, Me), who went to the Caucasus to investigate the "crime" of those "nationalist-socialists", distinguished himself there by his truly Russian frame of mind (it is common knowledge that people of other nationalities who have become Russified over-do this Russian frame of mind) and that the impartiality of his whole commission was typified well enough by Orgonikidze's "manhandling". I think that no provocation or even insult can justify such Russian manhandling and that Comrade Dzerzhinsky was inexcusably guilty in adopting a light-hearted attitude towards it.Source: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1922/dec/testamnt/autonomy.htm Bold and italic mine.
I declare war to the death on dominant nation chauvinism. I shall eat it with all my healthy teeth as soon as I get rid of this accursed bad tooth.

It must be absolutely insisted that the Union Central Executive Committee should be presided overin turn by a:
Russian,
Ukrainian,
Georgian, etc.
Absolutely!

Yours,

LeninSource: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1922/oct/06.htm

On the bourgeois collaborators of oppressed people:
The landlord class and the comprador class.[1] In economically backward and semi-colonial China the landlord class and the comprador class are wholly appendages of the international bourgeoisie, depending upon imperialism for their survival ant growth. These classes represent the most backward and most reactionary relations of production in China and hinder the development of her productive forces. Their existence is utterly incompatible with the aims of the Chinese revolution. The big landlord and big comprador classes in particular always side with imperialism and constitute an extreme counterrevolutionary group. Their political representatives are the Étatistes [2] and the right-wing of the Kuomintang.
NOTES

1 A comprador, in the original sense of the word, was the Chinese manages or the senior Chinese employee in a foreign commercial establishment. The compradors served foreign economic interests and bad close connection with imperialism and foreign capital.

2 The Étatistes were a handful of shameless fascist politicians who at that time formed the Chinese Étatiste Youth League, later renamed the Chinese Youth Party. They made counter-revolutionary careers for themselves by opposing the Communist Party and the Soviet Union and received subsidies from the various groups of reactionaries in power and from the imperialists.Source: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-1/mswv1_1.htm Bold mine.

It's totally possible for people from discriminated minorities to internalize racism of society at large, and to have their own bigotry.

God Bill Cosby fucking creepy as fuck. What is it, at least 7 women he may have drugged an raped. And he did that whole, "Blacks need to stop complaining about racism. Pull your sagging pants up and look presentable for White people." Misogynist comprador.:mad:

It's pretty sad how when many of the women went to the cops, they laughed and didn't take them seriously. I've heard of this dismissive attitude from pigs a lot, not just in cases involving bourgeois rapists. In their eyes, a rape victim is guilty till proven innocent.:(

[Creative Destruction]

Class is a construct too, what's your point? Internalized racism is a very real thing and it's entirely race based. That doesn't mean he's a "race traitor" it just means that, like many other people, he isn't able to see through the dominate, white narrative of "self responsibility", that it's not a "race issue" and minorities are in their current situation of disparity because of some perceived cultural degradation.

I don't like this weird idea that class is all there is, that literally everything, all of our priors, the way we view the world etc all stems from class and class alone. That's just lazy, uncritical thinking.

Spectre is more right than you realize. Cosby, in the past, has spoken out about white supremacy and its effects on black people. But respectability politics is something that goes way way back, to Booker T. Washington and it does have to do more with class than it does race. In fact, I think it's a little racist to assume that black conservatives formulate all of their ideas based on what white people think. There have been black conservatives who were beholden to respectability politics, but were also separatists, like some of the old guard in the Nation of Islam.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson wrote a really good book about this, which he centered around Cosby, called "Is Bill Cosby Right? (Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?)" I'd suggest you give it a read.

[Palmares]

I think this whole affair is an example of the power of social media these days. For better or for worse, it gives scores of people a scope to aim for.

And in this case, it's certainly for the good, because it's forcing Bill Cosby to face accusations that have been largely swept under the carpet after many years.

These accusations aren't new, but for various reasons, didn't really stick, however, due to Bill Cosby's recent attempt at a showbiz/prime time comeback, it's become a great opportunity to confront him again.

It seems to a large extent, this re-surfaced due to a Bill Cosby meme competition.


In the twilight of a long and celebrated career, Bill Cosby (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/bill_cosby/index.html?inline=nyt-per) was experiencing the kind of comeback few longtime performers enjoy.
A new biography described his life and accomplishments. A stand-up comedy special on Netflix (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/netflix-inc/index.html?inline=nyt-org), commemorating his 77th birthday, was set for next week. His collection of African-American art became part of an exhibition at the Smithsonian this month. And NBC (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/nbc_universal/index.html?inline=nyt-org) was exploring a project that would bring him back to prime time, where in the 1980s he became America’s pre-eminent TV star with “The Cosby Show.”

But in recent weeks, his triumphant return to the national stage has fallen apart in the face of a wave of accusations by women who say Mr. Cosby drugged and raped them decades ago. On Wednesday, NBC said it was canceling the pilot project, and the cable network TV Land quietly stopped showing repeats of “The Cosby Show.” Less than 24 hours earlier, Netflix said it was postponing the debut of the comedy special. Other scheduled appearances by Mr. Cosby — on David Letterman’s late-night show and Queen Latifah’s daytime talk show — have also been canceled.

...

The accusations against Mr. Cosby have been all the more striking because his hit TV show, his commercials for Jell-O and his best-selling books about fatherhood helped him present an image of the ideal family man.
A series of suddenly converging factors contributed to tearing that down. They included a viral video (http://bostonmagazine.magnify.net/video/Hannibal-Burress%E2%80%99s-Bill-Cosby-) of an emerging comedian, Hannibal Buress, who bluntly called Mr. Cosby a rapist in his act, and an ill-conceived effort (http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/the-bill-cosby-cosbymeme-hashtag-backfired-immediately) to solicit positive comments about Mr. Cosby on an Internet meme, which inspired a chorus of contributors to call him a rapist.

In the meantime, four women have come forward publicly in recent days to repeat the decades-old accusations of being drugged, raped or molested.
The reach of the web and the impact of social media have provided a distribution platform for these accusations, which had surfaced before but never gained widespread traction.
Martin Kaplan, the Norman Lear chair in entertainment, media and society at the University of Southern California’s journalism school, said a combination of social media and Mr. Cosby’s return to the spotlight had propelled the story to much greater prominence than when the accusations surfaced in the past.
“The fact that he was already in the public spotlight — the book, the potential deal with NBC and so on — and the fact that these charges have a much more powerful amplifier and echo chamber, it gives people the sense that this is a big story,” he said.
The current furor surrounding Mr. Cosby had its root in accusations brought in 2005 by Andrea Constand, a female staff member with the basketball team at Temple University, Mr. Cosby’s alma mater. She said she had been drugged and molested by Mr. Cosby.
The district attorney at the time in Montgomery County, outside Philadelphia, Bruce L. Castor Jr., said in an interview on Wednesday that he did not feel that he had enough evidence to pursue a criminal case at the time, “despite the fact that I thought Cosby was guilty of some improper behavior — my gut told me that.”
A subsequent lawsuit brought by Ms. Constand promised to present testimony from 13 “Jane Does” with similar accounts of sexual assault. Mr. Cosby’s lawyer called the claims false and even preposterous; the suit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2006.
One of the unnamed women in the suit, Barbara Bowman, a former actress, came forward (http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/13/bill-cosby-raped-me-why-did-it-take-30-years-for-people-to-believe-my-story/) publicly in The Washington Post last week to describe her experiences in detail, saying she was drugged and raped by Mr. Cosby in the 1980s.
But women had been describing similar episodes with Mr. Cosby in the eight years since the suit was settled. Ms. Bowman spoke about her charges to Philadelphia magazine (http://www.phillymag.com/articles/dr-huxtable-mr-hyde/) and People magazine (http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20059561,00.html) in 2006. Newsweek magazine had interviews with both Ms. Bowman (http://www.newsweek.com/barbara-bowman-speaks-about-bill-cosby-sexual-abuse-allegations-228837) and another accuser, Tamara Green (http://www.newsweek.com/tamara-green-talks-about-bill-cosby-228495), this February without setting off the whirlwind of attention that has surrounded Mr. Cosby in the last two weeks.
But Mr. Cosby’s career was not ascendant at the time.

Whole story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/business/media/bill-cosby-fallout-rape-accusations.html?_r=0

I thought best not to post the memes in this thread, however, if you wish to see some of the memes that helped elevate this situation, take a look at this link:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/the-bill-cosby-cosbymeme-hashtag-backfired-immediately

[Atsumari]

Now what will it take to bring down the careers of R.Kelly, Mike Tyson, and Woody Allen?

[Raquin]

Is there any relationship between Cosby's criticism of the use of the word "nigger" and so on, and his alleged(I haven't read much about it, but the allegations seem very credible) status as a violent rapist? If not, why is that being mentioned?

[Creative Destruction]

Is there any relationship between Cosby's criticism on the use of the word "nigger" and so on, and his alleged(I haven't read much about it, but the allegations seem very credible) status as a violent rapist? If not, why is that being mentioned?

It's not the relationship between his criticism of that specifically, but the relationship between his promotion of respectability politics generally, and along with that his image as a perfect family man, and his status as a violent rapist. It's pointing out the disconnect and hypocrisy. Imagine the Republicans who cry loudly about gay marriage destroying American values and then get caught soliciting from other men.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

Is there any relationship between Cosby's criticism of the use of the word "nigger" and so on, and his alleged(I haven't read much about it, but the allegations seem very credible) status as a violent rapist? If not, why is that being mentioned?

How are you using the term "violent rapist"? Are you differentiating between using physical coercion as the common meaning of violence, and drugs? Because it's clear he used drugs on actresses he was grooming. Or, if using drugs counts as violent rape since it is still an act of violence, isn't all rape an act of violence and therefore the term "violent rape" is redundant?

I think the bigger issue is that the multiple allegations indicate that he is a serial rapist, in other words his position and respect from most Americans as a virtuous patriarch let him get away with repeatedly sexually abusing women. "I'm not a sweet old dad, I just play one on TV"

[Illegalitarian]

Spectre is more right than you realize. Cosby, in the past, has spoken out about white supremacy and its effects on black people. But respectability politics is something that goes way way back, to Booker T. Washington and it does have to do more with class than it does race. In fact, I think it's a little racist to assume that black conservatives formulate all of their ideas based on what white people think. There have been black conservatives who were beholden to respectability politics, but were also separatists, like some of the old guard in the Nation of Islam.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson wrote a really good book about this, which he centered around Cosby, called "Is Bill Cosby Right? (Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?)" I'd suggest you give it a read.

It's not that it's "what white people think", it's just that white people make up the majority of American society, and thus the narrative on these issues have largely been formed on the basis of white privilege, which makes it absolutely race based and of course means that minorities can easily internalize these narratives just as easily as anyone else.

It doesn't seem to have much to do with class at all and none of this makes the case for why it does.

[consuming negativity]

It's not that it's "what white people think", it's just that white people make up the majority of American society, and thus the narrative on these issues have largely been formed on the basis of white privilege, which makes it absolutely race based and of course means that minorities can easily internalize these narratives just as easily as anyone else.

It doesn't seem to have much to do with class at all and none of this makes the case for why it does.

you're right, but the tie-in to class is the same way as to how anybody who is poor and then "makes it" into the middle class will then turn around and go "well i did it so why can't you?" and be a shithead conservative who blames everybody for their problems

[~Spectre]

Just because we would expect it does not mean it shouldn't be criticized.


The basis of your criticism fundamentally accepts the logic of "race". That somehow Cosby owes allegiance or has common interest with, the the bulk of black people. That's false, and is certainly not a socialist outlook.

You might as well bemoan why a rich American doesn't care for a poor American. It's basically the same criticism. Only phrased this way, you realize how detached from reality it sounds.

[~Spectre]

Class is a construct too, what's your point?

Not in the same way. A person placed in a time machine and sent back X amount of decades can switch from "white" to "non-white". A person sent back to the same wage job would still be a worker regardless. Their relationship to the means of production remains unchanged, and it is from that which stems the ideological constructions.


Internalized racism is a very real thing and it's entirely race based. Racism is a very real thing. Race is not. Thus racism is not based on race, because race is not real. It's like saying that women were burned at the stake based their having committed witchcraft. You fundamentally accept the myths of the executioner when you fail to see this distinction.

This is not a small quibble, as this distinction slipping your thinking leads to very liberal and racialist conclusions, like this idea that Cosby somehow acted against his own interests here, or that he is just "unable to get it".

[Creative Destruction]

It doesn't seem to have much to do with class at all and none of this makes the case for why it does.

It does make the case. Though, I'm sorry that you're more prone to verbal diarrhea, rather than actually addressing any of the points I've made.

[∞]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10696365_372979689531577_4858913191377034992_n.png ?oh=08a6d77911b156d57f522fba3bad6273&oe=54DCD4CF&__gda__=1428118903_dc19278e5d4b1904bece87b71f0b4ff c

[Lord Testicles]

Thot?

[Prof. Oblivion]

Well shit :(

[Lord Testicles]

Well shit :(


http://www.revleft.com/vb/name-change-requests-t186605.html

[Redistribute the Rep]

The basis of your criticism fundamentally accepts the logic of "race". That somehow Cosby owes allegiance or has common interest with, the the bulk of black people. That's false, and is certainly not a socialist outlook.

You might as well bemoan why a rich American doesn't care for a poor American. It's basically the same criticism. Only phrased this way, you realize how detached from reality it sounds.

Nice strawman, but nowhere did I say Cosby owes allegiance to blacks, actually if you read my post that you quoted you would see that I said the exact opposite. I simply said his comments should be criticized, much like how we criticize rich people when they say stupid shit about how poor people are parasites. Just because we expect them to hold this opinion, does not mean we let it go unchallenged. This is literally exactly what I said in my post, maybe you should try reading it instead of attacking the argument that you made up in your head and bizarrely assigned to me. The only thing I know realize is detached from reality now is... you.

[Illegalitarian]

It does make the case. Though, I'm sorry that you're more prone to verbal diarrhea, rather than actually addressing any of the points I've made.

Saying "it does make the case" and ignoring the rest of my post just so you can act like a twat doesn't make you right, sorry.


Not in the same way. A person placed in a time machine and sent back X amount of decades can switch from "white" to "non-white". A person sent back to the same wage job would still be a worker regardless. Their relationship to the means of production remains unchanged, and it is from that which stems the ideological constructions.


There was still certainly racial discrimination decades ago depending on where you were.



Racism is a very real thing. Race is not. Thus racism is not based on race, because race is not real. It's like saying that women were burned at the stake based their having committed witchcraft. You fundamentally accept the myths of the executioner when you fail to see this distinction.


Racism is based on the perceived concept of race so this is a meaningless statement. Racism is absolutely based on what most people refer to as "race", it matters not whether it's actually real or not in this regard.



This is not a small quibble, as this distinction slipping your thinking leads to very liberal and racialist conclusions, like this idea that Cosby somehow acted against his own interests here, or that he is just "unable to get it".


This marxoid bubble of class being the only answer for actions or interests, on the contrary, leads to the idea that people aren't capable of acting against their own interests and that people are always, in one subtle way or the other, acting because of their class or class interests. That just isn't the case here. If that were true it would be a popular narrative among all exploiting class minorities, and it just isn't.

[Creative Destruction]

Saying "it does make the case" and ignoring the rest of my post just so you can act like a twat doesn't make you right, sorry.

There was nothing in your post to address. You were just restating an argument that I had already addressed, you jackass.

[Illegalitarian]

Yeah you're right I didn't directly address what you said. It's ok, reading comprehension is tough bless your little socks


Nice strawman, but nowhere did I say Cosby owes allegiance to blacks, actually if you read my post that you quoted you would see that I said the exact opposite. I simply said his comments should be criticized, much like how we criticize rich people when they say stupid shit about how poor people are parasites. Just because we expect them to hold this opinion, does not mean we let it go unchallenged. This is literally exactly what I said in my post, maybe you should try reading it instead of attacking the argument that you made up in your head and bizarrely assigned to me. The only thing I know realize is detached from reality now is... you.


Yeah but you see there is no such thing as internalized racism that actually has anything to do with the concept of race because class

[Sabot Cat]

Well shit :(

I'm afraid it's time to put the pudding pops back in the freezer...

[Creative Destruction]

Yeah you're right I didn't directly address what you said. It's ok, reading comprehension is tough bless your little socks

It's good, I suppose, that you've mastered the art of doubling down without actually presenting an argument or rebuttal. You'd make an amazing bourgeois politician.

[Rad]

Is there proof for this? Or only accusations made after decades?

Without proof, doesn't this amount to character assassination?

[Creative Destruction]

Is there proof for this? Or only accusations made after decades?

Without proof, doesn't this amount to character assassination?

There were accusations decades before, but they were ignored and crushed by Cosby's PR team, but there are many accusations from many different women -- who are credible -- and who don't know each other. A pattern has emerged. It can't get him convicted in court (especially since the statutes of limitation have run out on these accusations), but it's believable at this point.

[Illegalitarian]

It's good, I suppose, that you've mastered the art of doubling down without actually presenting an argument or rebuttal. You'd make an amazing bourgeois politician.

And you would make an excellent member of the clergy, pretending not see things that are there half the time and the other half pretending to see things that aren't there.

We could tag team this earth my friend, let's join forces!

[Illegalitarian]

There were accusations decades before, but they were ignored and crushed by Cosby's PR team, but there are many accusations from many different women -- who are credible -- and who don't know each other. A pattern has emerged. It can't get him convicted in court (especially since the statutes of limitation have run out on these accusations), but it's believable at this point.

Yeah but uh uh innocent until proven guilty and uh uh we can't give into mob justice, or something


Which in unsurprisingly the reactionary response I've been seeing a lot lately :rolleyes:

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

I'm afraid it's time to put the pudding pops back in the freezer...

But we're still keeping the chocolate cake, right?

[BIXX]

Is there proof for this? Or only accusations made after decades?

Without proof, doesn't this amount to character assassination?
Fuck off dude.

The number of false rape reports is incredibly low- acting like its character assassination after many women have come out saying he's raped them is bullshit and calling these victims liars.

[~Spectre]

Nice strawman, but nowhere did I say Cosby owes allegiance to blacks, actually if you read my post that you quoted you would see that I said the exact opposite. I simply said his comments should be criticized, much like how we criticize rich people when they say stupid shit about how poor people are parasites. Just because we expect them to hold this opinion, does not mean we let it go unchallenged. This is literally exactly what I said in my post, maybe you should try reading it instead of attacking the argument that you made up in your head and bizarrely assigned to me. The only thing I know realize is detached from reality now is... you.


Perhaps you should try reading. The "criticism" I was responding to was:


Yeah, Cosby has a,ways been, as the Panthers used to say, a "house negro" to the max

A house negro was a victim serving his master under threat of violence. They were a slave. Their condition would only be improved by ending slavery.

Cosby is none of this. On the scale of social power, he was a master. He benefits from the system, and it is against his interests for the system to change. He's not operating under coercion. He was the one doing the coercion.

The only connection Cosby could possibly have to the term "house negro", is that he's black. That's ridiculous.

Never did I say he shouldn't be criticized. Our criticisms should at least make a little bit of sense though. And it's here that you jumped into the conservation without (ironically) reading what was said. Perhaps that's why you're so belligerent.

[~Spectre]

This marxoid bubble of class being the only answer for actions or interests, on the contrary, leads to the idea that people aren't capable of acting against their own interests

People are perfectly capable of acting against their own interests. That's not the case here though. Unless you're arguing that Bill Cosby was acting against his own interests by reinforcing the divide and conquer tactics of the class that he -as a millionaore- was a part of?

Seems to me this was perfectly within his interest, and a perfectly rational thing for him to do, even if only for careerist reasons.

[Rad]

Fuck off dude.

The number of false rape reports is incredibly low- acting like its character assassination after many women have come out saying he's raped them is bullshit and calling these victims liars.

What kind of an answer is this? A leftist is supposed to be rational, not believe in mob justice, or simply believe what people say without sufficient proof. So tomorrow if people accuse you, does that mean you too are guilty? Accusation itself is proof?

Let's be logical here.

[Rad]

There were accusations decades before, but they were ignored and crushed by Cosby's PR team, but there are many accusations from many different women -- who are credible -- and who don't know each other. A pattern has emerged. It can't get him convicted in court (especially since the statutes of limitation have run out on these accusations), but it's believable at this point.

Is it possible that money is involved?

[PhoenixAsh]

Here is the timeline:

http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/timeline-of-the-abuse-charges-against-cosby.html

And for another timeline:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/283538671.html


So make up your own mind about it. What I do want to add is that it is extremely hard to prove things that happened in private without witnesses several years ago. A fact which is one of the reasons that nobody ever actually filed suit against Cosby. And while it is perhaps possible that the charges or some of the charges are not factual...the immediate response that this might be the case is troubling. Just because he seems nice does not mean he isn't a rapist.





November 2002
Andrea Constand, director of operations for Temple University’s women’s basketball team, allegedly met with Bill Cosby. Constand claims that Cosby, who had been a member of Temple’s track and field and football teams, assumed a role as her mentor.

January 2004
According to Constand, she visited Cosby at his Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, home to discuss career advice, and after allegedly (according to a civil lawsuit she would later file) giving her "herbal" pills to ease her anxiety, Cosby “touched her breasts and vaginal area, rubbed his penis against her hand, and digitally penetrated” her.

January 13, 2005
Constand, who had since moved near Toronto to study massage therapy, accuses Cosby of "inappropriate touching" — groping her breasts and placing her hand on his genitals — to Canadian authorities. Cosby’s lawyer calls her allegation "utterly preposterous" and "plainly bizarre.”

January 27, 2005
ABC News reports that the interaction between Constand and Cosby — who is at this point cooperating with the investigation — might have been consensual.

February 10, 2005
Tamara Green, a California lawyer, appears on the Today show and alleges that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1970s. Green tells Matt Lauer that Cosby, who had given her pills to combat a fever, drove her to her apartment and began “… groping me and kissing me and touching me and handling me and … taking off my clothes.” According to Green, Cosby left two $100 bills on her coffee table afterwards. Cosby’s lawyer issues a statement: “Miss Green’s allegations are absolutely false. Mr. Cosby does not know the name Tamara Green or Tamara Lucier [her maiden name], and the incident she describes did not happen. The fact that she may have repeated this story to others is not corroboration.”

February 17, 2005
Citing a lack of evidence, the investigating district attorney in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, announces he will not act on Constand’s accusation and bring criminal charges against Cosby.

March 8, 2005
Constand files a civil complaint against Cosby. The five-count lawsuit charges Cosby with battery and assault, and asks for at least $150,000 in damages. Thirteen women who allege similar experiences as Constand and Green are mentioned in court papers as Jane Doe witnesses.

May 2005
In Constand’s civil lawsuit, she alleges the comedian gave her three blue pills, which he said was herbal medication. Cosby’s lawyers, however, issue a court filing and attempt to clarify that the comedian merely gave Constand one and a half tablets of Benadryl.

June 2005
Jane Doe 5 goes public. Beth Ferrier claims she was in a relationship with Cosby in the mid-1980s, one that ended when he allegedly drugged her coffee and Ferrier woke in a car. “My clothes were a mess. My bra was undone. My top was untucked. And I'm sitting there going, 'Oh my God. Where am I?' What's going on? I was so out of it. It was just awful."

February 2006
While in the midst of her civil suit, Constand sues one of Cosby’s lawyers — and the National Enquirer — for defamation. Cosby had spoken to the tabloid the year before, and Constand claimed the interview defamed her as it “[intended] to or knowing it would injure” her.

June 2006*
Philadelphia magazine interviews another witness in Constand’s lawsuit, Barbara Bowman. “Cosby threw me on the bed and braced his forearm against my neck and attempted to disrobe me and himself,” she said. “I can still remember him messing with his belt. And I was screaming and crying and yelling and begging him to stop.”

November 2006
Cosby settles with Constand. Terms are not disclosed, and none of the 13 other women testify.

December 2006
The following month, People magazine publishes Bowman's account of several assaults: "It was in a hotel in Reno, claims Bowman, that Cosby assaulted her one night in 1986. 'He took my hand and his hand over it, and he masturbated with his hand over my hand,' says Bowman, who, although terrified, kept quiet about the incident and continued as Cosby's protégé because, she says, 'Who's gonna believe this? He was a powerful man. He was like the president.' Before long she was alone with Cosby again in his Manhattan townhouse; she was given a glass of red wine, and "the next thing I know, I'm sick and I'm nauseous and I'm delusional and I'm limp and ... I can't think straight.... And I just came to, and I'm wearing a [men's] T-shirt that wasn't mine, and he was in a white robe.'"
That same People article reports that three of the Jane Does from the March 2005 case accepted cash from Cosby for years, and two others began consensual sexual relationships with Cosby.

February 2014
Katie Baker of Newsweek — Whitaker’s former employer — interviews both Green and Bowman about the alleged assaults. Bowman tells Baker she was disappointed in the settlement, and Green recounts running into and accosting Cosby in Las Vegas, yelling, “Rapist! Liar! Asshole!” While Cosby doesn’t issue a statement regarding Bowman’s claims, his publicist responds to Green, “This is a 10-year-old, discredited accusation that proved to be nothing at the time, and is still nothing.”

October 16, 2014
Comedian Hannibal Buress does an extended bit about the rape charges in Cosby's home town of Philadelphia. "Bill Cosby has the fucking smuggest old black man public persona that I hate," Buress says. "Pull your pants up, black people. I was on TV in the ’80s. I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom. Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby. So, brings you down a couple notches." A clip of the set goes viral after being posted in Philadelphia magazine.

November 10,2014
To battle the bad press, Cosby's PR team launches an online meme generator. Twitter is immediately inundated with references to the rape claims.

November 13, 2014
Inspired by the reactions to Buress's bit, Bowman pens an op-ed in the Washington Post, titled "Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?" She notes that "only after a man ... called Bill Cosby a rapist in a comedy act last month did the public outcry begin in earnest."

November 15, 2014
Cosby is asked about the various charges on NPR's "Weekend Edition" but stays silent. His lawyer later posts a statement saying Cosby "won't dignify these allegations with any response."

November 16, 2014
A new accuser, Joan Tarshis, alleges that Cosby drugged and assaulted her on two occasions in 1969. "As more and more of his rape victims have come forward, all telling similar stories," Tarshis says, "the time is right to join them."

November 17, 2014
Linda Joy Traitz, a former waitress at Cosby's Café Figaro, writes a lengthy Facebook post accusing the actor of trying to drug her in the early '70s. She says the incident occurred when Cosby drove her home one night: "He drove out to the beach and opened a briefcase filled with assorted drugs and kept offering me pills 'to relax,' which I declined. He began to get sexually aggressive and wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer. I freaked out and demanded to be taken home."

November 18, 2014
On Entertainment Tonight, supermodel Janice Dickinson becomes the latest woman to accuse Cosby of sexual abuse, saying the comedian drugged and raped her in 1982. She recalls Cosby giving her wine and a pill, which he told her were for menstrual cramps: "Before I woke up in the morning, the last thing I remember was Bill Cosby in a patchwork robe, dropping his robe and getting on top of me. And I remember a lot of pain. The next morning I remember waking up with my pajamas off and there was semen in between my legs." Dickinson alluded to the event in her 2002 memoir, and later told Howard Stern she was asked to change the text to show Cosby in a better light.

[Hrafn]

So make up your own mind about it. What I do want to add is that it is extremely hard to prove things that happened in private without witnesses several years ago. A fact which is one of the reasons that nobody ever actually filed suit against Cosby. And while it is perhaps possible that the charges or some of the charges are not factual...the immediate response that this might be the case is troubling. Just because he seems nice does not mean he isn't a rapist.

I don't know about the statistics in the USA, but here the Swedish ones are. Number of rapes, number of reported rapes, number of convictions, number of false accusations or withdrawn charges. Per hundred cases.

http://ladydahmer.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/f%C3%A4llande-dom1.jpg

[Os Cangaceiros]

What does the red and black indicate?

[Hrafn]

I told you, in order of appearance. They all represent rapes. Dark grey is reported. Black is conviction. Red is withdrawn or proven false. The point is that false rape accusations are an excruciatingly minor factor in society. I have no doubt Cosby is guilty.

[BIXX]

What kind of an answer is this? A leftist is supposed to be rational, not believe in mob justice, or simply believe what people say without sufficient proof. So tomorrow if people accuse you, does that mean you too are guilty? Accusation itself is proof?

Let's be logical here.
The probability that someone would accuse me of rape is incredibly low, as I have never raped anyone. If you look at the chart above, you will see that for the most part rapes that are reported are true (and not just the most part, but nearly all of them). So when several people come out to say they've been raped by a single individual are we seriously to believe they all fall into that liar demographic? Again, fuck off you piece of shit.

[Rad]

The probability that someone would accuse me of rape is incredibly low, as I have never raped anyone. If you look at the chart above, you will see that for the most part rapes that are reported are true (and not just the most part, but nearly all of them). So when several people come out to say they've been raped by a single individual are we seriously to believe they all fall into that liar demographic? Again, fuck off you piece of shit.

No need to be nasty. We are discussing.

Let's look at this logically.

Several women are accusing. Granted.

But the man they're accusing is a celebrity (so money could be an issue, yes?)

After so many years.

No concrete evidence.
--------------------------------

So based on the above, what would you do in a court of law, if you were the judge or jury?

[MEGAMANTROTSKY]

Fuck off dude.

The number of false rape reports is incredibly low- acting like its character assassination after many women have come out saying he's raped them is bullshit and calling these victims liars.
It doesn't mean that the accusations leveled against Cosby are automatically true, either.

[Creative Destruction]

Is it possible that money is involved?

considering many of the women are well-off in their own right, probably not. but even so, this kind of thinking leads to being automatically suspicious of a victim just because she isn't wealthy and is accusing a wealthy, powerful man of doing horrible things...even though wealthy, powerful men do a lot of horrible things. their claims to being rich/poor are completely irrelevant here. that's a tactic used to disempower rape victims.

[Quail]

Rad, you're verging on rape apologism, which I'm going to take the opportunity to remind you is against RevLeft's rules.

[synthesis]

What kind of an answer is this? A leftist is supposed to be rational, not believe in mob justice, or simply believe what people say without sufficient proof. So tomorrow if people accuse you, does that mean you too are guilty? Accusation itself is proof?

Let's be logical here.

Piers Morgan is kind of a douche, but I think he put it pretty well when he said that this is "a classic case of he said/she she she she she she she she she she she she she she said."

[The Feral Underclass]

Several women are accusing. Granted.


It's not several women, it's almost 20.


Let's look at this logically.

Whose logic exactly? The victims or perpetrators?

[The Feral Underclass]

Here Are All The Women Who Have Accused Bill Cosby Of Sexual Assault (http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/here-are-all-the-women-who-have-accused-bill-cosby-of-sexual)

Are we to believe, "logically", that all of these women just want Bill Cosby's money?

[consuming negativity]

over three decades of accusations and yet nothing was done

god fucking damn

[Illegalitarian]

A house negro was a victim serving his master under threat of violence. They were a slave. Their condition would only be improved by ending slavery.

Cosby is none of this. On the scale of social power, he was a master. He benefits from the system, and it is against his interests for the system to change. He's not operating under coercion. He was the one doing the coercion.

The only connection Cosby could possibly have to the term "house negro", is that he's black. That's ridiculous.

Never did I say he shouldn't be criticized. Our criticisms should at least make a little bit of sense though. And it's here that you jumped into the conservation without (ironically) reading what was said. Perhaps that's why you're so belligerent.

This is only true if we abandon privilege theory entirely and accept the blatantly false notion that class transcends "race", as if wealthy minorities aren't still treated differently from their white contemporaries.

This is basically the same logic of "how could I have privilege if I'm just as poor as most minorities"... because even though there are poor white people too, poor minorities are still far more disadvantaged and given far less opportunities, scrutinized more heavily etc becausethey're minorities.

House Negro was a term coined by Malcolm X and used later by the BPP to describe black people who are not only complacent with the system because the system serves their interest, but also display cruel and even racist attitudes towards other minorities. This is of course based in class, but to deny that there's also an element of race that needs to be looked at is ridiculous.

Ironically enough I never said that you said he shouldn't be criticized so maybe it's you who need to catch up.



People are perfectly capable of acting against their own interests. That's not the case here though. Unless you're arguing that Bill Cosby was acting against his own interests by reinforcing the divide and conquer tactics of the class that he -as a millionaore- was a part of?

Seems to me this was perfectly within his interest, and a perfectly rational thing for him to do, even if only for careerist reasons.


He's acting against his interests as an African American man by perpetuating the idea the African American's are culturally bankrupt and are at fault for the situation they're in right now in the US.

The same attitudes he is perpetuating are attitudes held against all minorities, even the wealthy ones. If Cosby was bashing the poor in general you might have a point, but he specifically targets the black community, which he is a part of, keeping in line with the ideas that black people are somehow inherently morally decadent.. which isn't just an attitude people hold against poor black people.

Again, your over emphasis on class as the only existing power dynamic is keeping you from seeing a big piece of the picture.

[Red Son]

Piers Morgan is kind of a douche, but I think he put it pretty well when he said that this is "a classic case of he said/she she she she she she she she she she she she she she said."

Feels icky to quote Piers Morgan *shudders* but a good point is raised there, can't dismiss the number of accusers and their stories. Hard not to make assumptions despite the importance of the idea of 'innocent until..' but in this scenario I would be more wary of dismissing the accusers because the Yewtree investigations in the UK have shown that 'elder statemen' entertainers have a bad track record in this area and if they are falsely accused and aquitted, the damage is minimal in the sense that they can spin it and go on the View, write a book or whatever (sure, they are people too and no doubt if innocent the accusation would hurt but someone like Cosby would bounce back, I think).
If even one potential victim is ignored, dismissed or punished for finally working up the courage to speak out, it would be a greater tragedy than a famous man with plenty of wealth and support having his reputation tarnished temporarily.
My 2 for what it's worth.

[Red Commissar]

The first lawsuit against Cosby has been filed

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/03/us-people-cosby-idUSKCN0JH04K20141203


(Reuters) - Bill Cosby was sued on Tuesday by a woman alleging he molested her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when she was 15, in what is believed to be the first court case arising from a recent wave of sexual misconduct accusations against the comedian.

The five-page complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, charged that Cosby sexually abused plaintiff Judy Huth by putting his hand down her pants, and then "taking her hand in his hand and performing a sex act on himself without her consent."

[Ravn]

The basis of your criticism fundamentally accepts the logic of "race". That somehow Cosby owes allegiance or has common interest with, the the bulk of black people. That's false, and is certainly not a socialist outlook.

You might as well bemoan why a rich American doesn't care for a poor American. It's basically the same criticism. Only phrased this way, you realize how detached from reality it sounds.

Cosby has made racist attacks against the black proletariat & expressed disapproval of the black masses in a racist way. He evidently supports white supremacy to further his own class interests being part of the black bourgeoisie. Why bother calling him a "race traitor" when racist will do?

[The Disillusionist]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30343324

Cosby is playing this legal game like a pro. He stayed silent until enough allegations had come in that a few of them were disprovable, then he jumped on those specific examples as quickly and as loudly as possible. To the average media watcher, Cosby just introduced enough doubt to save his reputation, while ignoring the vast majority of accusations. God bless the goddamned American media.

[GaggedNoMore]

The first lawsuit against Cosby has been filed

And that seems to all that can be done at this point, considering the statute of limitations on convicting him in criminal court. Civil suit is the only chance. (Though I'm sure that's not saying a whole lot either.)

Even if it were possible to charge him with a crime at this point, I think it unlikely that a conviction would stick, given his celebrity status, the kind of legal counsel he could afford AND...the reality of rape culture and the inseparability of it with the bourgeois and patriarchal power structure which upholds it. Any women who came forward to testify would probably face re-victimization and traumatization, being grilled up and down about her sexual history, her drinking habits, poor choices, and good old fashioned slut-shaming. :( :mad:

[RevUK]

I told you, in order of appearance. They all represent rapes. Dark grey is reported. Black is conviction. Red is withdrawn or proven false. The point is that false rape accusations are an excruciatingly minor factor in society. I have no doubt Cosby is guilty.

An unreported rape or rape that does not meet the criminal standard of rape in a reasonable court of law should not be counted as rape on a chart.

[Redistribute the Rep]

An unreported rape is a rape, why would it not be included in a rape chart? A chart seeking to most accurately represent the crime of rape would necessarily need to take into account the underreporting of rape and court bias, otherwise it's useless

[RevUK]

I don't know about the statistics in the USA, but here the Swedish ones are. Number of rapes, number of reported rapes, number of convictions, number of false accusations or withdrawn charges. Per hundred cases.

http://ladydahmer.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/f%C3%A4llande-dom1.jpg


An unreported rape is a rape, why would it not be included in a rape chart?

Because there's no evidence for it.


A chart seeking to most accurately represent the crime of rape would necessarily need to take into account the underreporting of rape and court bias, otherwise it's useless

You're trying to have it both ways. Rape accusations that do not result in a conviction are implied to be genuine rapes on the chart. However, when someone makes a fake rape accusation, it only goes on the chart if that accusation is PROVEN to be false. The alleged victims do not have to prove anything to be listed as victims.

An MRA could reverse mirror this standard and make most of the chart red because only a tiny minority of rape accusers can prove they were raped.

The only fair way to make a chart like this is to list the rapes that resulted in a conviction and the number of false accusers who were convicted. That way, the standard is the same for both sides, rather than the heavily biased way they're listed now.

[Hrafn]

RevUK, I hope you die a horrible death. :)

[RevUK]

RevUK, I hope you die a horrible death. :)

I can't tell if you're a man-hating woman or a self-hating man.

[The Feral Underclass]

I can't tell if you're a man-hating woman or a self-hating man.

I can, however, tell that you are a troll.

Ban this fucker.

[RevUK]

I can, however, tell that you are a troll.

Ban this fucker.

Shut up, you're a rapist.

You raped me.

I was literally raped by you.

Edit the chart immediately to add this unprovable rape into the statistics.

[PhoenixAsh]

Banned for rape apologism

If anybody objects or feels this was unfair you know where to make threads about it...

[jullia]

I don't know about the statistics in the USA, but here the Swedish ones are. Number of rapes, number of reported rapes, number of convictions, number of false accusations or withdrawn charges. Per hundred cases.

http://ladydahmer.nu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/f%C3%A4llande-dom1.jpg
It's pretty scary to see this. We have a long road to make to change th things.

[#FF0000]

I feel like every chart like the one in this thread has to come with a basic primer on statistics so pudding-brain idiots like RevUK don't come in here with these dumb statements about "BUT HOW DO THEY KNOW ABOUT THE THINGS THAT AREN'T REPORTED????"

[Redistribute the Rep]

For some reason I think revUKs type would find something exceptionally dumb to say even if there was a detailed explanation of statistics. We're not the problem here

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

(Bringing this thread back from the dead)

It appears that Cosby himself admitted to drugging some of his victims back in 2005. (http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/07/us/bill-cosby-quaaludes-sexual-assault-allegations/)

The current number of accusers currently stands at 48.

[mushroompizza]

I dont get what RevUK's point is? Rape is tricky dont believe people?

[Rudolf]

(Bringing this thread back from the dead)

It appears that Cosby himself admitted to drugging some of his victims back in 2005. (http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/07/us/bill-cosby-quaaludes-sexual-assault-allegations/)

The current number of accusers currently stands at 48.


Is he still claiming to be innocent?



I dont get what RevUK's point is? Rape is tricky dont believe people?


I think it's closer to 'unless there's video evidence and/or a signed confession then you should consider it a false allegation'

[Comrade Jacob]

(Bringing this thread back from the dead)

It appears that Cosby himself admitted to drugging some of his victims back in 2005. (http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/07/us/bill-cosby-quaaludes-sexual-assault-allegations/)

The current number of accusers currently stands at 48.

Fuck. It takes one brave woman to stand up and then more will follow. More will come probably. I hope this guy dies in jail.