In Your Language

Friday, January 24, 2014

I think we need Bill Cosby again...


 Photo Credit: deseretnews.com


     This post is a bit sentimental for me. "The Cosby Show" started the year I came to the United States as a Korean adoptee. If I believed that American family life was exactly like it was for the Huxtables, I would have had no fears for my future. I was born outside of the USA and I never learned to stereotype until I became a naturalized citizen of this great country. Perhaps that is more for the fact that I went from a collectivist country of origin to this individualist country. I figured, if all black people were like Bill Cosby, I had nothing to worry about. I wish that were the case, but that is the lie of stereotyping. I remember an acquaintance saying to me "I hate everyone equally." Well, I guess that is better than singling out certain subsets of humanity.

     I should start by saying I'm not attempting to idolize Bill Cosby. He is a fallen person like everyone else. He's made his share of mistakes. But who is to argue the impact he's made on different levels? According to Wikipedia, he had the first sitcom with a full black cast. He's made comedy his way of paving peaceable race relations. He's been married to one woman AND been a successful celebrity. He has cultivated himself artistically, academically and relationally more than most of us can boast- speaking for myself especially.

     He's shrewd enough to keep his religious beliefs fairly hush hush in favor of not alienating a plethora of his fans. Religion is the new taboo taking the stage of de-segregation. We all need some sort of outlet for our societal rage; so we turn it toward institutions rather than on ourselves. In reality, we humans have done the damage over the ages, not these theoretical models. If we should demonize anything it should be on ourselves... that is the spiritual battle.

     I am a fan of his new sitcom coming out on NBC. Bill Cosby has mastered the art of weighing his words, perhaps as a byproduct of him honing his craft of comedy.  For a time when families are crumbling, we need to see a family that will imperfectly go through the comedic ups and downs of life- together. It would be an more wholesome excuse for my family to be in the same room together. I want "wholesome" to be back on the media market as profitable.

     Like I said in my previous post on the Gosselin's "reality show", I felt disappointed that what they originally represented to me and their other viewers virtually fell apart. We decided that what we saw and perhaps wanted to emulate would not work for our lives at all. Please, Bill Cosby, can you deliver the model for living out life together in the excruciating dynamics of our 21st century life? Can you show us that vows don't need pixi dust to come to fruition; that it boils down to "just do it" like Nike says... whether or not it's glorious or glamorous in the moment... whether or not we WANT to do it or FEEL like it.

    I don't know why people don't acknowledge the fact that most of the magic in our world today is when people overcome their appetites more than anything else! We think candy, food, shopping, money, sex is irresistible- but really- "we" are irresistible to ourselves. I hope that Bill Cosby makes overcoming irresistible to American families this year... with an extra helping of humor.

#billcosby #revival #strengthinfamily #comedyaspartoffamily

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