BILL COSBY SPEAKS OUT TO BRING ISSUES TO THE FOREFRONT

I read this a couple weeks ago, but I guess this is still getting press. Though I strongly leans towards the notion of personal responsibility, but societal and cultural pressures can create an unfair advantage for many African American youth. More education and awareness is needed in many underprivileged communities, whether black, white, latino, or asian. Emphasis on a child's educational success is definitely key:

"These people marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around," Cosby said at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund observance.

"I can't even talk the way these people talk, 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... and I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk," Cosby said, according to published reports. "And then I heard the father talk ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth."

He also turned his attention to the population of black prison inmates, saying "These people are not political prisoners. ... People getting shot in the head over a piece of poundcake. ... We're outraged (saying) 'The cops shouldn't have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the poundcake in his hand?"

Among blacks, reaction has been a mixed bag of praise and criticism for the entertainer. (full article)