Bill Cosby's Reputation

Bill Cosby was framed, because he was planning to buy one of the nations biggest television networks. Bill Cosby is a black icon who was about to make big moves, and this is the reason why I feel this whole case is a scandal. Opposionist will argue that there is enough evidence provided against Bill Cosby to see that he is guilty, but I disagree.With his acting reputation, along with his fan base, Bill Cosby would've brought the NBC network back to the top of charts. With NBC being partially his, Dr.Bill Cosby’s net worth would've been increasing along with the networks ratings. Another fact that supports my position is that, one of the first actions to happen following the incident, was most of Bill Cosby's shows were took off air in numerous

areas. Website article titles like “TV Land pulls ‘Cosby’ reruns; fallout continues” on USAtoday.com tells that story. While actor Charlie Sheen, on the other hand admitted to sleeping with numerous women, while knowing he is HIV positive. His shows still are on television, so maybe it’s bigger than Bill maybe you jus’t can’t be black and great in America.
Who was Bill?
“William Henry “Bill” Cosby, Jr is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and author” (Donal.1) this simple description originates from wikipedia, but does’nt tell us about Bill’s legacy. First things first he was better known as Dr.Bill Cosby, because he has a PhD in education. Not only that Dr.Bill Cosby overcame a list of difficulties while he was growing up. From living in a poor neighborhood, to learning to grow up without a father, because his old man had been serving the NAVY Seals most of Bill’s childhood life. “Cosby's father joined the navy and was away from home for months at a time. Cosby, as the oldest son, helped his mother pay the bills by doing odd jobs such as delivering groceries and shining shoes.” (notablebiographiescom.2)
How is he and icon ?
To the black community he is much more than just an actor, Bill Cosby is an inspiration for black actors in particular. I say this because of the affect “The Cosby Show” had on how African-Americans would be portrayed on television and by the media forever. The show almost completely destroyed stereotypical images of African-Americans. What Cosby did was, finally got a show on television to represent African Americans in an acceptable wayt. During these times African Americans would usually play the role of a violent or poor character in almost every show. A student of the howard journal wrote that “Perceptions have consistently shown that negative exposure to African American portrayals in the media significantly influences the evaluations of African Americans in general.” What he means is that through mass media blacks were always portrayed as the “thug” or the “bad guy” of the show/movie, this usually made viewers believe this is how we really lived/acted. When I look at shows like ‘The Wire’ it proves the howard students point that stereotypes still rule television. Along with the fact that the creator of ‘The Wire’ David Simon is white, show that blacks were, and still are being portrayed in unfavorable positions. Dr.Bill Cosby had finally put an end, or at least a hold on this trend, Cosby basically kicked the door open for blacks on television. Not that he was the first African-American actor, but he was the first to play a role opposite than the typical roles blacks had played on television. His first spotlight role in “I Spy” could’ve easily been played by a white actor, I say this because it was’nt a servant or thug. Not only was he the first “regular guy” black character on television, he was actually liked and the numbers proved it when “ The Bill Cosby Show” was first aired on to television. “The Cosby Show” showed more upscale succesful blacks, this being the reason why it has had an a positive influence on the image of the black society. Now the media plans to destroy one of the only shows that gives the world a positive perception of African-Americans. Following “I Spy” Bill would be the first African American to ever receive an Emmy for the “Best Actor” award. This wouldn’t be the only thing he was the first African American accomplish, he was also the first to publish his own television series. As I said before it was the first show to portray a middle classed black family, where Bill was a lawyer; something almost impossible to imagine on television in the 1970’s. Dr.Bill Cosby is a legend to the black community because of his attempt to break all stereotypes of African-Americans. He showed the world that an African American family could be successful using a television series. Making the father of the show a doctor and the mom being a lawyer, this is a situation that at the time had never televised, and Bill opened the entire worlds eyes.

What is he being accused of ?
Bill Cosby now is being accused of sexually assaulting along with drugging a numerous amount of women on a number of different occasions. To be exact there is around fifty to fifty-five women who have absolutely came out of the blue with these claims against Dr.Bill Cosby. We would be here all day if I was to list each and every charge against Bill, so I’ll just list a few I found on www.starcasm.net. One of the women on this lists story goes as “Barbara Bowman claims that Cosby pursued a relationship as her mentor while Bowman was a teenager, and that, as an aspiring model at the age of 17, Cosby drugged and assaulted her several times” (JOHN.8). This caucasian women is claiming that while she was seventeen years young, Bill drugged and sexually assaulted her. In my eyes at the age of seventeen the first thing a young women would do is tell her parents or anyone she know that’s around prior to being raped especially if its at her “workplace”. To add on why come about with this story almost fourty full years after it has happened. Most of these females stories are basically the same, claiming that Bill either was forcefully kissing or grabbing them along with giving them pills to knock them out cold then perform sexualy on them. Like this one here claims she was in the Playboy Mansion but didn’t want to have sexual altercations. Its says “Charlotte Fox was an aspiring actress who met Cosby on the set of Uptown Saturday Nightin 1974. She claims he took her to the Playboy Mansion, drugged her, and assaulted her: “The next thing I remember was that I was sort of awake, in a bed, with no clothes on and there was Mr Cosby, in a robe, crawling from the bottom of the bed. I was incapacitated and couldn’t say no. He engaged in sexual activity with me. It was not consensual. I was afraid to call out.” (JOHN.21) The “iffy” part about this claim is that she says he took her to the Playboy Mansion. I mean I’m sure if she really didn’t want to go she didn’t have to, but she ended up there anyway meaning Bill didn’t force her to come. If we are on our way to the “Playboy Mansion” a few things come to mind as to what the plans are once you say “Playboy Mansion” so Charlotte’s story doesn’t add up to me. One claim caught my eye when it read, “Charlotte Laws has not accused Cosby of any wrongdoing to her person. But she does say that, in 1981, Cosby fed her friend Sandy two pills, which knocked her unconscious. Cosby then had sex with Sandy. Laws says that Sandy does not consider the matter rape, since the two were already in a consensual relationship, but that Laws (and the lawyers to which she’s spoken) do consider it rape, since Sandy was physically unable to give consent.” (JOHN.29). I feel that this case is a set up is because how does that charge stick, if the person it had actually happened to says it wasn’t rape why is there any other reason the claim is even one of the charges against him. It clearly says “Sandy does not consider the matter rape, since the two were already in a consensual relationship.” after this point was made I feel these particular charges should’ve been dropped prior to that statement being released. Other charges as I said are essentially the same, some accusinng him of spiking drinks like cappucinos or even alcolholic beverages.

Problems people had with him trying to nbc
The main reason I feel that this case was a plan to destroy the legacy of bill is because they seen how much power Bill had.” A black man with any kind of real power is not cool in America”, tweeted Ronald Bardell. On the website www.thedailybeast.com former wife of Bill (in the show), Phylicia Rashad made some statements that I strongly agree with. She says “Cosby’s recent contract for a Netflix special and a new NBC show that was in the works have been canceled or at least suspended, but Rashad believes that someone wants to “erase” him. “Someone is determined to keep Bill Cosby off TV,” she continued. “And it’s worked. All his contracts have been cancelled,”(Williams.9). She is saying that Cosby was about to make his appearance back on television so the media destroyed him before he could make his return. With Bill’s shows being back on television along with NetFlix his wealth would’ve have only gone up, and the media out an end to what he had planned. Bill Cosby would have eventually made another offer to buy the NBC network, and it would’ve been one they couldn’t turn down. According to deadline.com “NBC has fallen down to fifth place in TV ratings since 2013 and has only declined since being acquired by ComCast. ” A guy with a reputation, fanbase and shows as good as Bill Cosby’s would have only buing NBC back to the top. Along with bringing NBC to the top his pockets would’ve been on the rise also.
According to www.npr.org “A former Temple University employee says Cosby drugged and assaulted her in January 2004.” The media in one shot, shattered all of Bills plans, using women something that Bill has never had a good reputation since claims against him back in 2004.

Knowing that he has avoided a case back in the days, the media knew the world wouldn’t be behind Bill again especially if fifty-five women come out saying the same thing. Phylicia Rashad also says “And now you’re seeing it being destroyed,” she said. “Why? This show represented America to the outside world. This was the American family."

(Williams.10)

When she says it she is referring to “The Cosby Show”, and she says that this was the show outsiders watched to see what it an American family was like, the actors were black and that’s why they destroyed it. NBC would have gave Bill the power to show the entire world what blacks were really like in America , because it is one of the largest television networks in the world. Even though NBC kept declining year after year the owners never wanted to let Bill buy it, they knew the type of power this network would give him and the black community.
Now Bill Cosby is defending himself with his team of lawyers and counter suits against many of the women who he say’s have made false accusations.

Sources say “The once-beloved comedian today says that Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis, and Angela Leslie cost him his comeback. In a court documents Monday, the widely accused Bill Cosby asserts he “neither drugged nor sexually assaulted” the seven women. In fact, Cosby now is suing them back in federal court in Massachusetts for a wide range of damages and injunctions — including publicly “retracting and correcting” their accusations of sexual assault. And he is convinced it was their words and actions that cost him high-profile gigs on NBC and Netflix”(Patten.3). Cosby is claiming that these women not only slandered his name to the public, but they did it in hot pursuit of him losing his contracts with Netflix and NBC. Cosby also claims that he never sexually assaulted or drugged any of these seven women listed here and seeks punitive damages for the troubles he’s faced since these women have made their claims. The women not only assassinated Bill’s character, but did it in an attempt to increase their networth and relevance. Bill still fights a list of charges, and we still await on the Courts order, but hopefully justice will be served and the real crooks behind this will be exposed and punished for such a horrible plan to ruin another African-Americans name and

legacy.