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pyramider · 11-19-2014, 06:20 PM

If he did it, why are they coming out now? Did he quit paying them off and they got butt hurt? Bringing this up 30 years later makes me thinck they want something ... Why did they not press charges back then? Career death, I doubt if any of them did any acting.

Whirlaway · 11-20-2014, 07:26 AM

I think he is guilty.

Grace Preston · 11-20-2014, 08:00 AM

Another thing to take into account is the difference in the "culture of rape" between now and say, 1975. Right NOW, the statistics state only 1 out of 3 rape victims will ever come forward. The numbers were lower than that decades ago. For women in Hollywood back in the 70's and 80's.. it was a somewhat accepted part of the deal. A lot of these ladies came forward during the last ordeal in the 2000's.. and some of them FIRST came forward in the late 80's, but that was at the height of his popularity with The Cosby Show and it was silenced quickly.

Guest110416 · 11-20-2014, 08:07 AM

Other ladies are coming forward, meaning he is not just a rapist, but a serial rapist. It appears he did not force the ladies, he drugged them first, then raped them. Grace is spot on in her assessment of the definition of rape back then and now. I doubt this is just some money hungry women who and looking for a pay day. The stories are basically the same and from different women who do not know each other. In any event, the squeaky clean image of Bill Cosby has portrayed all these years is ruined beyond repair.

OldGrump · 11-20-2014, 08:07 AM

Bill should talk to the Pope about handling late accusers.

I can see why the shit storm of women would come up. They may have thought it was their fault or that they were the only one it happened to. Once they started coming out of the woodwork, they all piled on. Who knows for sure?

Because of the age of the alleged offenses, the truth may never be known. Any physical evidence would be long gone so it is a swearing match. It will be very sad if he did those things and equally sad if he did not. But with our national plague of ADD, it will fade away and be replaced by another "newsworthy" event.

discerning_guy · 11-20-2014, 08:20 AM

My opinion - Guilty. Not just from the latest fiasco..but from the original rumblings and settlements from way back.

Also, the weekend edition interview on npr just precipitated the issue that had already gone viral. The dumb meme request didnt help either.

A reasonably balanced article about this

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...st+Articles%29

Guest092216 · 11-20-2014, 09:58 AM

That's a VERY good article. Thank you for sharing. It makes me sad. I don't disagree that he is guilty but I simply can't understand the fascination in bringing up all this old stuff. Just to smear someone who got away with things they shouldn't have done. Where does that line start? Y'all wanna persecute this man who has done so much for our American culture over a period of decades and decades by focusing on his private and personal failures and dismiss all the good he had given to so many people. I'm sure he has done plenty of terrible shit in his life but I think his accomplishments far outweigh it and I am not interested in villianizing yet another "sacred cow" for the sake of selling news. Call me crazy.

Ftr, I would have gone silent on that NPR interview too. He was requested to interview about the 62 pieces of personal art he and his wife are loaning the Smithsonian for one of their art exhibits. That was hardly the time to bring up such a controversial topic. That interviewer was way out of line and I applaud Mr. Cosby for not taking the bait. He was there to discuss the importance of the arts, not 40yr old sex abuse allegations.

ElisabethWhispers · 11-20-2014, 10:05 AM

Alright. I'll play Devil's Advocate.

The person is a priest. And for decades, he would drug pretty young girls (or boys) and then have sex with them. All the while preaching the gospels.

We don't know what he is up to now. Or perhaps his cock cannot get as hard anymore and/or his passions are elsewhere?

Would you wish for that priest to be recognized for what he did? Well, we know how that story is playing out.

Cosby is an old man. And most of us on this board have been in situations where we've second guessed ourselves if this was really "rape" or not. Often, drinking is involved or whatever.

So ... it's still rape. Should this person be set up for the proverbial sainthood, regardless of the other, when he has basically been a guy who used his power and prestige to lord over others and sexually abuse them?

I don't get why you're feeling bad for the guy. How many men have done this to women, marginalized them, for their own selfish pleasures over the decades and centuries? That's one of the issues with society and the treatment of women these days.

If something happened a long time ago, well ... she should just forget it. It happened a long time ago! Forget about it. Sure. Easy breezy peesy, right?

What if one of the women that he had given them had a reaction to the drugs and someone had died?

Would that make a difference?

I'm all for good social discourse. And I'm inclined to just let things be for the most part. That's what I have done over the years in my personal life. Buried some bad shit.

However, I applaud those who go forth to head off, or deal with, some personal demons. I would imagine hearing the praises of this person for so many decades, after having to deal with him in that fashion, being passed out ... taken ... etc ... would be a horrible reality for some.

That was a very good article that was sited above, discerning guy. One of the best ones that I've read as of yet. Thanks for sharing that one!

Best,
Elisabeth

P.S. Nothing against what you've written, THN. I'm sure that you're voicing what a majority might be thinking. So ... the bottom line is that if someone has REALLY contributed to society, then they have earned the ability ... wait ... they should have the RIGHT ... to get away with rape and bodily violence.

Thanks. I get that now.

Guest092216 · 11-20-2014, 10:28 AM

I see what you are saying and its a good point. How much impact did this particular priest have on our culture over a half century? Did he pave the way for an entire group of people to rise above previously held social, economic and religious status limits? Was he a pioneer of positive change the way people see each other and interact?

If so then I would say protect the image and legacy of the priest and forgive the transgressions. Of course his image will always be tarnished but the good he did through his work should still be respected and revered. I'm really tired of losing all the good icons to senseless controversy just for the sake of selling papers.

Now if it had happened to me, I wouldn't feel the same. But I would probably blame myself more than anything and definitely wouldn't want the headache and drama that comes with putting yourself out there that much with this type of issue. I couldn't even stand being out there too much in this environment so I would definitely not put myself out there on a public platform. Maybe they are super strong in that regard bc getting publicly shamed takes a lot out of you when you are coming from a place of sincerity. I guess if it were me, I would stay silent and shut off the TV whenever he came on or was being hailed as "America's Father". Ya it would piss me off and disgust me but we have to deal with things like that anyway in life regardless of whether we were raped by Bill Cosby four decades ago or not. Who doesn't deal with being disgusted by someone you know is a POS behind the scenes and seemingly adored out in the open. It could be at work or school or even in your own family. We all deal with that question to some degree. These women coming forward now is not really that much of an impact on rape victims overall. Their plight is pretty self-serving in my opinion. The dignified thing would have been to move on when it ended ten years ago. Someone still wanted their platform thoug . And they eventually got it.

Guest110416 · 11-20-2014, 10:35 AM

Great post, EW! Bill Cosby has done fabulous works, his comedy had my laughing my ass off and I loved the Fat Albert shows, which also had some life lessons in them back when I was a kid. But, regardless of what he has done in the past and all the accolades he has received, even though the situations happened long ago, the first thing Bill Cosby will be known for is that he is a serial rapist that seemingly got away with it. I would bet that any benefits, shows or anything else he was to be a part of in the public are all cancelled, and the fallout he receives is just.

In today's world, the tolerance of this type of activity is lower than in the past and the victims are speaking out more. If coming out, even this late, helps just one female who more recently may have been raped by a highly regarded public figure to come out of hiding for fear of reprisal and name him, it is all well worth it.

Guest092216 · 11-20-2014, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElisabethWhispers

P.S. Nothing against what you've written, THN. I'm sure that you're voicing what a majority might be thinking. So ... the bottom line is that if someone has REALLY contributed to society, then they have earned the ability ... wait ... they should have the RIGHT ... to get away with rape and bodily violence.

Thanks. I get that now.

Not always, but in this instance I think so. The women were interested in getting something from him by way of his fame and connections. Like Grace pointed out, it was a much different time then and being groped, fondled, asked for sexual favors came with the territory. Does anyone remember Roman Pulanski? I mean that guy wasn't half as valuable to American Entertainment and he got a pass for drugging and raping a 14yr old girl in Jack Nickleson's hot tub. The press was VERY sympahtic to his story when he was going to be extradited to the US a few years back. How is Cosby more of a predator or more deserved of public humiliation than Pulanski? The media told America, in effect, to let that one go. Why not Cosby? He has done way more for society than Pulanski could even imagine just in charity alone. His victims were all legal adults and just as much if not more time has passed.

Non one has the right to harm someone else. But there is way too much grey in the Cosby issue to sacrifice the greater good he has done. I just think it is a very sad day. America lost another one of her cultural pioneers to rehashed controversy and mudslinging. Just doesn't sit well.

Alastair · 11-20-2014, 01:40 PM

THN: I'm going to say the Polanski thing was different. Polanski was definitely guilty of having sex with a 13-year old girl, but she wasn't passed out and woke up raped, and it's an argument whether it was even consensual or not. I'm not defending Polanski, but it's only rape by virtue of age (depending on who you believe.) In Cosby's case he drugged them (allegedly) and they woke up having been violated (allegedly) - and it's been happening since 1969 to multiple women (allegedly).

The comedian that "broke the news" claims he said the stuff about Cosby because he was sick of the deification of Cosby. I don't know if that's really it or not. I think rape is pretty damn bad though, even if they were a pillar in the community otherwise. You can't deny the good things Bill Cosby has done in his lifetime - it would be wrong to do that just like in the Joe Paterno case. But you can't ignore the bad either, if this proves to be true.

The media isn't known for being too balanced though - they either cream all over a celebrity or bury them in the mud. Cosby, well, he probably should have seen this coming a long time ago.

Trill Jackson · 11-20-2014, 01:46 PM

"We don't answer that" and "there's no response" are powerful and convincing rebuttals to offer when you're accused of being a serial rapist.

Just kidding, anybody who didn't rape people would vehemently deny such terrible things.

These postings show why most women don't come forward about these things, most people don't believe them, will try to redefine rape or the most popular method of "blaming the victim."

16 women have come forward and the media swept it under a rug, then one man came forward and people gave this the attention it deserves. That's pretty telling about our society.

Bill Cosby is the biggest hypocrite in the world.

threepeckeredbillygoat · 11-20-2014, 02:29 PM

I don't think 1 person has said they don't believe the women Trill. Or tried to blame the women if it did happen.

discerning_guy · 11-20-2014, 02:43 PM

I am not minimizing the contributions of Cosby. I dont think anyone is. But the question asked was pretty simple...do we think he is a Serial Rapist.

I havent had a chance to timeline the incidents with his career. So - without that knowledge..this is purely hypothetical - what if his early shenanigans were caught/exposed when it happened? He wouldn't have accomplished what he did. Does anyone think he would have gotten the honors, accolades and success he did?