JIMI IZRAEL COMMENTARY -- What It Iz: Does America's Father Know Best?

Commentary (Africana.com)

Mr. Izrael says Cos was out of pocket with his now infamous comments. He says Bill Cosby is being hypocritical given his 1970s comedy records and movies which liberally used jive-talk and his own "baby-mama" drama a few years back. Mr. Izrael asserts that the best role models are flawed role models, who rise above their own human frailty, and Cos's generation disses young folks while ignoring the broken legacy that his generation left behind.

Mr. Izrael is correct that stern admonition without positive reinforcement often backfires. Yet how about looking at the unfortunate truth behind most of Cos's comments? Mr. Cosby doesn't just talk but has been deep in the trenches raising funds for black folks' education, for at least two decades now. We'd also argue that Cos is a flawed role model, and thus can and does impart knowledge about what young folks can avoid in their own lives.