Friday, November 14, 2014

Bill Cosby - American Icon. Rapist?

I haven't worked in marketing for long but long enough to have started waving a red flag at the notion of Bill Cosby's latest Twitter campaign. I don't always do these things as forcibly as should so I would probably be standing meekly at the back of the Cosby suite, waving a small red flag and mouthing the word 'no.'

But it would certainly have been red. Not even remotely orange.

So here's a man who has been accused of a number of  rapes. Oh well then - let's invite people to form a meme campaign around his glittering, sublime, oh so funny, and not in the slightest bit scary date raping personality (allegedly etc).

The results were a bit predictable...




Although this post is in a semi lighthearted vein there's nothing funny about the accusations leveled against Cosby. They date back to the 1970s but only now are they gathering momentum. One of his alleged victims Barbara Bowman claims Cosby drugged her and raped her.

The episode makes me think of Sir Jimmy Savile and anything that makes me think of Sir Jimmy Savile is not good. The famous British DJ and TV host was lauded as a character while he was alive. The stories about little girls were laughed off. Sir Jimmy was influential and did lots of good work for charity. After the death of the venerable Sir Jimmy, the lavish commemorations and the commissioning of statutes of the great man, those allegations of sexual abuse came into the open. It was later revealed that Sir Jimmy had sexually assaulted hundreds of victims of both sexes from the ages of 5 to 75. Sir Jimmy's tawdry soul got away with it because he was a star.

I'm not equating Cosby's alleged acts with those of Sir Jimmy who may have been one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. But there is a certainly a similarity in the willingness of the establishment to turn a blind eye.


8 comments:

  1. I know men not even remotely famous who've gotten away with it. Nothing more to be said. No, that's not true, I have more words, but no one really wants to hear the truth - do they!?

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  2. I'm sorry, but the jumper joke made me laugh. But, on a more serious note it is frightening how all these 70's celebs are now being pulled up for nasty sex crimes. It seems to be more vile when it is someone we have laughed at or along with on TV or seen as a great humanitarian as you kinda feel guilty for buying into them. Well, if he's dunnit he needs a slapping.

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  3. Power and influence = more equal than others.

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  4. Oh the news really makes me bang my head. This particular piece of news saddens. It makes me speechless if you even can believe. I'm starting to hate people more and more! :(

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    Replies
    1. yes absolutely Deborah - I guess unlike you I didn't grow up with him

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