Is Bill Cosby Right? (Paperback)

The well-regarded social critic Michael Eric Dyson takes on the iconic entertainer Bill Cosby for comments in public forums in which Cosby critiqued the clothing styles, speech patterns, and behavior of black youth. Those comments, which made newspaper headlines, were seen by some as overly harsh and unfair, while others welcomed them, praising Cosby`s directness. Dyson acknowledges Cosby`s achievements and contributions, and indeed specifically cites a famous 1969 Playboy interview in which Cosby forthrightly addressed race; but, in Dyson`s view, Cosby has changed, and has joined what he calls the "Afristocracy," African-American achievers who, in the spirit of W.E.B. DuBois, see their mission as one of uplifting the community. Dyson questions their middle-class value system, and their efforts to impose it on the "ghettocracy." He asks the question in his title, and offers research to refute Cosby`s assertions. Going further, he questions Cosby`s status as a role model, citing a troubled personal life. As a critic, Dyson is trained to tease meaning out of every speech act. Is Michael Eric Dyson right? Or is he attacking the man, not the message?

Author:

Dyson, Michael Eric

ISBN:

9780465017201

Format:

Paperback

Pages:

288

Publish Date:

01/23/2006

Publisher:

Basic Civitas Books

Portions copyright 2005 Muze Inc. All rights reserved.