Bill Cosby: Travails of famour comedian

Globally, he is known as a comedian but soon, the news spread fast that he is sexual molester.  How did this come about? Who indeed is Bill Cosby? The excerpted article below .provides a background.:

Bill Cosby, who has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting scores of women, is now facing criminal sexual assault charges involving a former Temple University employee who accused him of assaulting her in 2004. In addition to the criminal charges, Cosby is facing numerous civil lawsuits brought by his accusers.

For sometime now, America and indeed, the global entertainment community had been transfixed with the allegations against the globally known and talented comedian, Bill Cosby.

The scandal started with allegations made by unnamed women that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted them. We heard the allegations, but many immediately thought these outrageous claims from accusers who remained hidden in the shadows must be false.

Bill Cosby was “America’s Dad,” the creator of the Cosby show, a popular 80’s sitcom about a professional African-American couple raising four telegenic children in a stately New York City brownstone. The show promoted family values, education, hard work, and personal responsibility.

Cosby’s character, the charming Dr. Cliff Huxtable, parented his T.V. brood with wisdom and humor. Like many African-Americans, I admired Mr. Cosby’s ability to use his talent to teach the world that regardless of race we are all very much alike.

We work, live, love, and dream of a better world for our children.

But Cosby’s wholesome image was shattered forever when a viral video performance by a comedian, who most people had never heard of, accused him of being a rapist and derided him for his hypocrisy in presuming to lecture young African-Americans about moral and social responsibility. This incident opened a floodgate of complaints spanning decades from women who claimed Cosby sexually assaulted them.

Public sentiment turned against Cosby when it was revealed he admitted, during a deposition in a settled 2006 civil sexual assault case, that he purchased drugs in the 70s to give to young women he wanted to have sex with. This revelation focused attention on that case and resulted in the State of Pennsylvania filing criminal charges against Cosby even though the assault allegedly occurred over a decade ago.

In the latest developments, a Pennsylvania appellate court rejected Cosby’s appeal to dismiss the charges against him. This cleared the way for the trial to proceed, and jury selection is scheduled to start next week in the case of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. William Henry Cosby, Jr.

Apparently, in an attempt to influence the court of public opinion Cosby and two of his daughters have recently given interviews to media outlets where they allege racism was a factor in the sexual assault allegations against Cosby. These claims are not supported by any facts, and are wholly inconsistent with the fact that Cosby’s accusers represent a diversity of ethnicities.

As Americans, we have inherited a legacy of racism and inequality that began when African citizens were kidnapped and brought to this country in chains and sold like livestock; for African-Americans this is a painful reality we struggle with daily.

In the case of Bill Cosby, however, his claims of a racial conspiracy are not at all credible. Cosby, who came from humble beginnings, forged a path through entertainment that allowed him access to unimaginable wealth, privilege, and acceptance in white society. Cosby was so admired that for years, the allegations against him were dismissed as untrue.

 like a falling star on its final journey through space? Perhaps Cosby inadvertently orchestrated his own demise by believing he was not required to follow the same rules as other mortals and like Icarus, blinded by his own hubris, he flew too close to the sun.