Bill Cosby

“Life is what we make of it … so beautiful, or so what.” -Paul Simon

A story: One of my last night’s with my roommate Willie here was a matter-of-fact kind of night just watching The Cosby Show.  I don’t remember the exact episode we were watching, but it involved a Halloween slumber party.  … I take that back.  I research everything.  The episode was “Halloween” from season two in 1985.  Vanessa had a crush on this boy named Robert, who looked like Michael Jackson (you know, at a time when it wasn’t weird to compare the pre-teen heartthrob to Michael Jackson).  Vanessa had her friend at the party run messages back and forth between herself and Robert, yet when it became obvious Robert reciprocated the high interest, Vanessa went out of her way to play hard to get.  It was supposed to be cute, but all Willie and I cared to discuss was how these girls grew up to complicate our lives 20 years later – “this is how it all started!”

Now, I never really got into The Cosby Show at any point of my life.  I recognized the show as significant and never had anything negative or critical to say about it.  But I never really made it a point to catch a rerun after school or anything like that.

This probably had a lot to do with it.

But I kind of had an epiphany talking to Willie and watching the The Cosby Show. Bill Cosby is one of the greatest entertainers ever.  EVER.  Here we were, both about in heavy states of transition – Willie (aka Mr. Versatility) was about to trek up north to Seattle, I was in the middle of my summer crashing and burning – and we just had to comment on the legend that is Bill Cosby.  Consider:

• Bill Cosby had major impact before The Cosby Show even started.  He even had a Cosby show already (The Bill Cosby Show)!  Not to mention I Spy (1965-1968, first African-American to co-star in a dramatic television series), parts of The Electric Company (education), and Fat Albert (which Cosby featured as part of his dissertation, more on that later).
• He was like Patch Adams in the ’50s, bringing soldiers humor while serving in the Navy.
• He was an athlete, running track and field at Temple in addition to playing fullback.
• Cosby went national as a comedian in 1963 on The Tonight Show.
• Cosby didn’t need to talk about race in the same way everybody else did, and I give you one of the best quotes I’ve ever attributed to someone on this site: “A white person listens to my act and he laughs and he thinks, ‘Yeah, that’s the way I see it too.’ Okay. He’s white. I’m Negro. And we both see things the same way. That must mean that we are alike. Right? So I figure this way I’m doing as much for good race relations as the next guy.” Case closed.
• Bill Cosby didn’t just release comedy albums, he had a #4 single as well!

• Back to education: Cosby left Temple in undergraduate to start his comedy career.  Temple later gave Cosby his B.A. based on “life experience.”  He got his M.A. from University of Massachusetts in 1972, qualifying through a special program for students who “had a significant impact on society and/or their communities through their careers.”  His dissertation for his doctorate in education at the University of Massachusetts was titled, “An Integration of the Visual Media Via ‘Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids’ Into the Elementary School Curriculum as a Teaching Aid and Vehicle to Achieve Increased Learning.”  Again, this was BEFORE we saw an episode of The Cosby Show.
• And then when The Cosby Show dropped in 1984, it was 8 years of the Huxtables: a doctor, his lawyer wife, their five kids.  Bill Cosby had full creative control, and it was arguably the best show ever.
• Did I mention he’s from The City of Brotherly Love?

I could go on and on, but the point is, Bill Cosby is, in my opinion the only entertainer/personality/professional I could ever truly aspire to be like that was not me.  I’ve never really had favorites or role models or athletes or anybody that I consistently looked up to, both real and imaginary.  I’ve never wanted to be the next “This Dude”, I’ve always wanted to be “The First Me”.  It hit me that back in 1996 (that’s third grade for ya) I wrote one of my first ever “book reports” on Bill Cosby.  My mom helped me out and I got an A on it, that’s all I can remember about it.  Oh, and the cartoon faces I put all over the report.

I'm pretty sure this was in there.

And how can I not reference Bill Cosby’s numerous challenges to the African American community, probably none more infamous than the Pound Cake Speech:

And if you think that sentiment isn’t relevant, check out what Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter bought to the altar in 2011:

But I don’t want to get too political.  I want to talk about Bill Cosby.  Rather, I want to talk about what all of this homage means as far as what I’m doing with myself for 2011-2012.  This very well may be my last year here in Los Angeles.

I’m not in school and I’m not in City Year (which had me serving in two schools on two coasts these last two years) for the first time since 1988.  Yes, I was one year old in 1988.  I have a B.A. in communication studies (radio and television performance) I openly threatened to quit on two years into college, and I thought long and hard about continuing the kind of work that I did in City Year.  The fact of the matter is, I had to read the writing on the wall as far as working in education beyond this year.  If the place that I gave my best this past year didn’t have a place for me, then I had to seriously reassess what I was doing with myself here in Los Angeles.  I’m not an educator; I’m just interested in the concept of education. (I wrote in 2007: “Just because my major isn’t education, doesn’t mean I’m done with major education.”)  My passion lies in maximizing human potential as a mentor and a role model.  Not just students but everybody I interact with.  That passion wasn’t absent before CY, and it was only more dedicated throughout my experience in CY.  That’s why Bill Cosby is an inspiration to me.  He’s a major entertainer who I’ll argue has had at least as much impact on society and education as people who built their careers off of it.

I always said before I came out here that I was coming here for two reasons: (1) to serve and lead to the very best of my ability, and (2) to be motivated to look into starting a relevant career here, which possibly included exploring graduate study.  I have no regrets of going all in on the first part of that agenda in 2010-2011.  None at all.  I felt like I was falling off the entire year, but 2,000+ hours of service makes that a moot point.  I know I can count my lucky stars for working at Starbucks and remaining in Boyle Heights with my current roommates who are about to give a year of service I’m familiar with.

For the first time in my life, this year isn’t about understanding the past or any present situation.  I made the decision to stay at Starbucks indefinitely this year, but this year isn’t about being a better barista.  It’s all about the future.  It’s put up or shut up time, and I will begin to prepare for grad school in Los Angeles effective immediately.  I expect to apply to USC, although I won’t rule out UCLA.  I just know USC is the most appropriate fit for what I could do.  I’m going to do what I can to be a sports media professional and a social commentator; and since I’ve lost a lot of sleep being as successful as I could be since graduating from Friends’ Central in 2005, I owe it to myself to spend a year to find out once and for all if what I truly want to do is in the cards.  I’m not guaranteeing I’ll be in grad school in 2012.  But it makes the most sense to find out if that’s a practical option now.

I’m giving myself a year.  For the first time ever, I’m open to both options of either staying where I’m at as well as leaving for something better.  I didn’t come out here to leave after a year; that was simply unacceptable to me.  I know that I could have come back to Philly or just anywhere and be more settled, but I would have been distracted by “what could have been.”  I now have the perspective to keep an open mind.  If I don’t meet the people I need to or get into the program I need to get into, or am unsatisfied with any pro prospects of being out here, I’m done in LA.  No longer time to pretend.  Don’t expect radio shows, comedy albums, viral videos, or semi-dynamic stage performances; if I’ve done it and you missed it, then wait for the rerun because I’m not redoing it!  Same with these jobs in Los Angeles: I don’t have time to waste making a few more dollars on something that isn’t in my best interests anyway.  I don’t lack motivation or inspiration.  So now I’m trying to work so hard that I don’t lack perspiration either.  And I’ve already written about Secret, if you know what I mean.

I expect to learn a lot about myself this year.  I’ve come so close to letting go of what I’ve wanted to do just to be comfortable with what I know I can do.  I’ll be in a better situation this time next year because I’m going straight to the top with it.

I’m also looking forward to enjoying myself.  I’m going to write about sports.  I’m going to write about humans.  I’m going to ball (on a very strict budget) and maybe let you know about that too.  I’m going to enjoy being in the community I served last year, something I lost out on by coming out here and leaving Philadelphia in June 2010.  I’m 24 with no dependents on my taxes and no attachments outside the Gmail.  I’ve wanted this year since I left Cal U in 2009, but I’m better for it two years later.  And I’m going to keep talking about the future – because it’s here.

Season two of the Networks United is here. I hope you enjoyed this like J-E-L-L-O.

-1SKILLZ