Certainly, your criminal conviction is the sad ending to a tragic tale. This piece does not defend nor attack you. It is, instead, a simple heartfelt thank you, Mr. Cosby.
I wasted most of my pre-teen years dodging school bullies and hateful neighbors. Friends were few, while thugs were many. The family TV became my escape and my best friend.
So what, right?
Rising above the sewage of weekend-morning cartoons was something so unique and fresh that I became an instant fan. It was the “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” show. It featured a handful of goofy misfits learning important life lessons while growing up in urban Philadelphia. I learned that it was OK to be different, to not fit in, and to be liked for exactly who I was. What I took from the show was to do the best I could within the life God gave me.
About this time, I found a stack of your comedy albums in a dusty moving box near the family record player. From them, I learned to laugh and tell jokes. I memorized every word, every tonal inflection, and timing. Instead of being bullied, I soon became popular because my sense of humor helped make others laugh.
Sure, none of the life’s blisters went away — everything seemed a little easier to deal with. Thank you, Mr. Cosby.
Admittedly, I didn’t get into watching the Cosby Show of the 80s because I couldn’t relate to the smarmy-family setting nor the weekly problems that were easily resolved within the thirty-minute show’s format.
You taught me how to tell jokes without cursing. Two latch-key kids listening to a late-night radio program, “Chicken Heart”; misfits banging away on junkyard musical instruments; a wild soap-box derby; and so many, many more hilarious & happy moments — these are the memories that I choose to keep of you, Mr. Cosby.
Your contributions to society, in my mind, far outweigh the sack of grifters and ambulance chasers banding together to ruin your remaining years on this planet. During a time when country morale was low, you were a real role model.
Again, I don’t condone crimes you admit to committing. Your first day in prison must have been humiliating. They mocked you with jello and pudding — Your ground-breaking, 50+-year career was an amazing run — and it all gets crushed by the weight of your crimes.
Tears came to my eyes while reading of your imprisonment. In that moment, I remembered how it felt to be alone, humiliated, and very, very afraid. I never wanted you to experience such feelings, especially in the final years of your life. I wish I could save you, as you did me, Mr. Cosby. I’ll pray for you and your victims. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t think even Fat Albert nor Cliff Huxtable can fix this mess.
-R.J. Pawlick
-R.J. Pawlick
Wow! I know you're not a pansy in a way shape or form (grining here), but this is amazing! The courage to say this when others are abashedly thinking it but don't want to stray out of their path of "the norm" or "societal expectations" warms my heart. Thank you for your words. It is saddening to experience the fall of many people we admired because of those skeletons, but I appreciate your reminding us that one demise doesn't mean all is for naught.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting. Even those on pedestals are flawed. It’s ok to remember that we all make mistakes. Mr. Cosby’s were sick and extreme. During this over-the-top media frenzy, it seemed right to thank Mr. Cosby for what he did do right.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thank you for your comment and kind words.
Have a nice day.
R.J.