'Public Moralist' Cosby's Iconic Fall
Now we know that those documents included a deposition in which Cosby admitted under oath to buying prescriptions of the sedative Quaaludes to give to young women in order to have sex.
As for the question, "Did you ever give any of those young women the Quaaludes without their knowledge?" Before Cosby could respond, the deposition shows, his lawyer interrupted with an objection.
After that, Cosby's team clammed up even more. He has not been charged with a crime, and the statute of limitations has run out on most of the accusations. But he is still vulnerable to civil suits, which could explain his refusal to talk about any of the allegations.
Worse, the court of public opinion has turned against his iconic image, ironically in the same week as South Carolina's historic removal of the Confederate battle flag from public grounds. Cherished icons fall hard, even when they outlive their heroic narratives.
Old Cosby reruns have been taken off the air. Disney has removed his statue from its Hollywood theme park in Orlando. He has been dropped by his talent agency and a rising campaign wants to revoke his Presidential Medal of Freedom.
I get no joy out of Cosby's downfall. I feel even worse for his wife, Camille. She deserves far better than this humiliation.
After Cosby's "Pound Cake" speech, I appreciated how he turned the controversy into a national dialogue with town hall meetings and local black community leaders across the country. It was important that we African-Americans, in particular, remind ourselves that we always have had important self-help resources that we too often take for granted.
Cosby put a badly needed spotlight on neighborhood organizers and grassroots self-help programs that don't make much news, even when their programs do a lot of good to reduce crime, educate kids and strengthen families. Whatever else happens to his reputation, it is up to the rest of us to keep alive the hopes that he raised.
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(E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com.)
(c) 2015 CLARENCE PAGE DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
