Bill Cosby made it in this Blog a few posts ago, when a friend of ours gave us some insight as to how he operates when they had an opportunity to deal with him. He's in news now, spouting off about the woes of the black youth in this country. He's not just getting angry at 'the establishment' though, his comments are directed toward the black youth he's speaking about, and their parents.

I would like to discuss the audience he's trying to reach. There is a specific audience, but his remarks are generic. Consider these remarks...

"Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other n------ as they're walking up and down the street," Cosby said during an appearance at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund's annual conference.

"They think they're hip," the entertainer said. "They can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."

This describes ANY American kid!! Ok, not every kid, I would say any American kid from 6th grade through high school. Hmmmmm, I would guess maybe 30%. Where do I come up with this figure? It's purely a guess, but a guess based on my experiences with driving a school bus for the local district. His comments describe many of the kids that boarded my bus every day, and not just black or impoverished kids either. Yes, even grade school kids!!

I know a lot of people would deny this. It's not an idea that's very appealing. In fact, most parents would deny that their kid, or kids, have the kind of character that would lead them to be described as Mr. Bill has. The fact is, when they get around their own kind, youth I mean, they have to fit in, and most kids in school are weak when it comes to dealing with peer pressure, real or imagined. So they tend to 'change'. Don't believe it? Dig into the memory banks back to the middle and high school days. I for one remember cussing up a storm when I was around others at school, but could turn it off at home. I catch the boys all the time when they think nobody at home is listening, the expletives come out like it's second nature. When I bring it up, they try to deny it, but point out that I was in school once and I know how I was in school, and that I know it's no different now.

The problem, I believe, stems from the homes that don't get policed. There are lots of kids freely admit that they find it ok to speak as they do in public, because it's ok at home. This in turn induces other kids to be more lavish with the foul language, and school staff have all but given up trying to police it in school. They don't!! I've seen it first hand, when the kids coming flowing out of school everyone's demeanor is less than desirable for public display, and there are simply too many incidences to police, so they do nothing.

Ok, I've lost my train of thought. I could go on and on about it, but suffice it to say that Cosby's critique of black youth could apply to youth all around America, not just blacks.

Then there's the fact that he's actually saying it. Think of the stir it would cause if he did in fact address all youth, not just blacks. Oh boy, the shit would hit the fan then!! The problem is, that's what is needed, for adult Americans to tell it like it is. That would be unheard of though, we can't be too harsh with the children, we wouldn't want to hurt the little psyche now.