Before we settle the case on Cosby without an investigation or trial, we would do well to remember the centuries-old stereotype of the black rapist. It was an invention of the slavery system, gaining iconic stature in the Jim Crow South, and was accepted as fact through the first half of the 20th century NATIONWIDE. Northern media through the Depression also bought into and promulgated this image. And it continues decades later... How many people in the early 1990s wrote off OJ Simpson as a guilty black savage before his trial had even begun? Dont mistake this as giving Cosby a free pass. This is simply a reminder that even he is not immune to the ravages of a guilty until proven innocent racism that is still with us. The women deserve to be heard and taken seriously, and the process of investigating and prosecuting rape should be made less violating to the victims; however, we shouldnt convict the man based on media hype and speculation, especially considering the accused is black in a nation that still unfairly prosecutes, convicts, and executes black men.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 19:57:07 +0000
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