The Smackdown: Russell Simmons to Bill Cosby: Lay Off The Kids

[Kim Crouch]

In a recent open letter, written on his Global Grind website, Russell Simmons asked Bill Cosby to stop criticizing youth and focus more on the social ills that create their behavior. In the open letter which critiques Cosby and his new CD, "State of Emergency", Simmons wrote:

“There are a lot of great entertainers who do great things. Bill Cosby is one of them. He has always used his voice to right what he thought was wrong. However, I believe that too often Mr. Cosby has wrongly placed the blame.
Bill Cosby is an example of someone from the older generation who has consistently blamed the poets and asked suffering community members to bear the full burden of guilt for the struggles that they endure. It is certainly not that he and the rest of the elders don’t care, because they do. In fact, their intentions are pure and good. All the things they say are actually true. What they don’t understand is that the young people who they criticize did not create their own realities. They did not create the crumbling education system that we school them in. They did not create the drug epidemic and drug wars that have resulted in a dysfunctional family structure. They did not create the health care crisis that does not treat them. They did not create the culture of violence that they fall victim to.
While it is true that each one of us can make a change at any moment, it is equally true that at every minute we are all doing the best we can. If you knew better, you would do better. Therefore, those who care and have resources could/should work to create the kind of support systems that could inspire change.”

In closing, Simmons said it was time for a man-to-man discussion about the issues. Now, far be it for me to take sides, and I won’t because I do believe that Cosby is right in that youth and parents have to take personal responsibility. But I also believe we have to recognize that the ills that plague our community and the youth behavior don’t exist in a vacuum.

However, what I’m most grateful for about this letter is that it can serve as the start of a dialogue between two powerful men in the black community who may be able to generate some real change. It’s also a great example of black men leading the way and trying to make a difference. And I hope both Simmons and Cosby are smart enough not to let the media make this into a battle between the two of them as it seems to be doing in the stories I’ve read. Imagine what could be accomplished if these two powerful forces united.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that it would be a step in the right direction if these two could come together and help advance the cause of youth in the community?

[Nappykat]

I agree with Russel Sims and I thank him for setting Bill Cos right, but that's the only thing I see it as - setting him right. I really don't think either of these two has much pull in the community they are talking about, beside those who watched and remember The Cosby Show and the Phat Farm label; so I don't see them as that powerful. What they are saying everyone has already heard - both sides. I think many of getting tired of playing spectator to overwrought dialogue on race and respnonsibility and blame.