Like a lot of people in my generation all over the world, the Cosby Show was a favourite fixture on my television. I grew up laughing, admiring and learning about healthy family values, fashion and how to try and get away with all sorts of foolish childish antics from the Cosby family. The show created by renowned comedian Bill Cosby has been lauded for its cultural impact specifically in its positive and wholesome portrayal of the African American family situation. Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable played by Mr. Cosby was faithful, gracious, funny, loving to his family as well as the perfect father, husband and son. His portrayal of Dr. Huxtable is part of the reason so many of us are unwilling to believe that Bill Cosby is guilty of the sexual assault allegations leveraged against him by a number of women over a thirty year time span.
The details of the allegations are horrifying to say the least; they mimic predatory behaviour where the hunter relentlessly pursues its prey waiting for a moment of weakness to swoop in for the kill. These actions, juxtaposed by the fictional character Mr. Cosby plays, have led to a lot of people trying to rationalize the allegations. This is further complicated by Mr. Cosby’s refusal to address the allegations and attempt to carry on with his life despite the public scrutiny he is under.
Image Source: Collectors Weekly http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/bill-cosby-schools-us-about-those-crazy-sweaters/
This dissonance has led to people ignoring the women whose bodies and dignity have been violated. An alarming number of sexual assault cases go unreported and it has been found that many victims do not report their cases because they think they will not be believed, while the ones who do report are often not believed or – worse yet – they are blamed for somehow facilitating these gross violations. In 2004 one of the alleged victims decided to pursue legal action against Mr. Cosby and the suit, which was enjoined with several other victims, was settled out of court. Since then several other women have, over the years, attempted to bring these allegations to light but they have not been successful in capturing the public’s attention, with victim blaming largely contributing to the silencing of the women.
LMAO so of all the almost 20 women, Bill Cosby decides to fight back against the ONE woman who says she was underage & molested. I see.
— Adrienne thee Creative | Experience Curator (@brownandbella) December 5, 2014
The allegations against Mr. Cosby finally garnered the world’s attention when a male comedian called Mr. Cosby a rapist during a performance. All of a sudden the stories of Andrea Constand and Barbara Bowman were revisited and several other women have since then spoken out against Mr. Cosby. We are forced to confront the fact that yet another beloved cultural figure used his influence and social capital to prey on, shame and silence his victims. It should be noted that for some of his victims the statute of limitations to pursue legal action has long since lapsed, meaning that there is no direct benefit to be gained by revisiting the allegations .
I believe that the difference between 2004 and the current situation is the increasing role that social media plays in amplifying issues that would otherwise be easily ignored. Increased online activism has often served as a catalyst for issues that would either be trivialised or largely disregarded. The fact that a community, virtual or otherwise, is willing to listen to a woman who has been previously shamed for speaking out has emboldened other women to step up and share their experiences. Hopefully these occurrences of speaking out will empower other victims of sexual assault to follow suit, so that action against their perpetrators may be taken.
The outrage online led to the mainstream media finally taking the allegations seriously and revisiting earlier accusations. However, the public reaction to these allegations raises grave concerns regarding how we still treat women who have been sexually assaulted. There is still a lot of work to be done to change the perception that tends to lean towards victim blaming, which further erodes the dignity of an individual who has suffered a cruel act of physical, emotional and mental violence. We cannot continue to cling to our cherished memories of a cultural icon, as this amounts to deliberately shutting out the voices of the women who were dishonoured and deserve our support.
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