bill cosby rapist

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Phylicia Rashad says she was “misquoted”

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Today’s Side Eye once again goes to Phylicia Rashad, whose ignorance was on full display this week when she defended Bill Cosby by saying “forget those women” and claiming that there’s some organized effort to “dismantle” Bill’s legacy. Most of us were shocked that she could be so willfully ignorant, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. After all, Phylicia claims she was misquoted. Unfortunately, her explanations don’t make her look any better. Here’s what she told ABC News: “I am a woman. I would never say such a thing. I would never think such a thing,” she said. “My message is, what happens to a nation in which people knowingly and willfully disavow the tenets that describe the nation? … This is not about the women. This is about something else. This is about the obliteration of a legacy.” Rashad would not speak about the women who have accused Cosby of rape, nor would she say discuss the things they said happened to them. But she did open up about the “kind” and “generous” man with whom she remains friendly. “Speaking to the character of the man that I know, this has not been easy. This has not been easy at all but he’s not a coward,” she said. “I don’t know what he will do in that way but I know that he won’t be hiding. … He likes being around people too much and he respects people.” I mean, look – like I said yesterday, I’m sympathetic to the fact that it must be incredibly difficult to believe that someone you have known for years would be capable of something so awful. But your inability to come to terms with it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, lady. And you DID say “forget those women”. Maybe it was without thinking – clearly it was without thinking – but obviously you’re more concerned with preserving your idea of Bill Cosby than you are about right and wrong. That being said, I do agree with her about the innocent until proven guilty thing. I 150% think Bill Cosby is a serial rapist and sexual abuser of women, but I also couldn’t put him in jail for it without concrete evidence in a court of law. The problem here is that no one is going to try him, so basically he just “gets away with it”. Video below, if you’re interested: Follow us on Twitter | Facebook

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Bill Cosby doesn’t want to talk about those rape allegations

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Until recently, most people weren’t aware of the fact that Bill Cosby had several allegations of rape and sexual assault against him. The number of women claiming that they were abused by Cosby is at about 20 now – all different women from different places, of different ages and who encountered him at different times – and it took a joke from a recent Hannibal Burress stand-up routine to get anyone talking about it again. One person who doesn’t want to talk about it, unfortunately, is Cosby himself. During an interview on NPR last week about an unrelated project, host Simon Scott asked Cosby for his response to the allegations brought against him. His response? Sit and stare silently while shaking his head. Seriously. According to host Scott Simon, Cosby shook his head and didn’t say a word. Cosby and his wife Camille had been discussing their collection of African art on NPR’s Weekend Edition. Simon prodded: “There are people who love you who might like to hear from you about this. I want to give you the chance.” But Cosby stayed quiet. (via HP) Wow. Of course, people wanted to know why, if Cosby was an innocent man who 20 random women just decided to lie about because they had nothing better to do with their days, he didn’t defend himself. Well, he’s got a lawyer to do that for him, now (via TMZ): Cosby’s lawyer says, “Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced. The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true.” The lawyer adds, “Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment. He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work.” Uh, in what world does this dude live? I mean, I know Cosby is paying him to say nice shit and basically try and defend his honour, but “he’s doing his best work”???? Yeah, okay. It’s a shame that people are so reticent to believe something so blatant, simply because Cosby was a beloved TV and family figure from our pasts. Jimmy Saville was one of the most charitable and well-known performers in England, and it only came to light after his death just how vile and disgusting he was and how many children and teenage girls had their lives ruined by his predatory sexual abuse. Sorry, Cosby is no longer a national hero – and it’s clear as these allegations come out that he never was. Just because we don’t want to believe it doesn’t mean it’s not true. Too bad he’ll probably kick the bucket before he has to pay for any of his crimes. I understand that we live in an “innocent until proven guilty” country, and that’s fine – maybe there’s a tiny sliver of a chance that ALL of these women made up random stories about being abused by Cosby just for fun and because they’re sad and pathetic. The fact that many of their narratives are shockingly similar – despite not knowing one another and never having met – is a total coincidence! Cosby is innocent! But sorry, I just don’t think so. He had the access and the status to take advantage of women and he did it, and that makes him disgusting. Follow us on Twitter | Facebook