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Why I Still Find Bill Cosby’s Early Comedy Innocent
Disclaimer: The intent of this article is NOT to belittle or negate the emotional burden of anyone who has been assaulted, nor how such an attack affected the victim’s family, friends, or community. Rape is a vile, disgusting crime that deserves the harshest punishment available.
I’m still shaking my head. It’s a damned shame one of the best storytellers of our time chose to take such an immoral, repulsive path.
As a little boy, I listened to vinyl albums of Bill Cosby’s comedy routines so often that I internalized the words, timing, inflection, and sound effects of many stories. My first three were The Chicken Heart, Tonsils, and Go-Carts. Brilliant, hilarious storytelling!
Fast-forward about 40 years to 2014 when, according to a BBC timeline, dozens of women came forward to publicly accuse him of sexual assault. In 2018, NPR reported that he was convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
In his early recordings, Cosby told amusing tales of his young life. They brought joy and laughter. Now there was pain and horror.
I was conflicted. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only Cosby fan struggling with this dilemma. Like a go-cart that suddenly lost a…
