Comedian, black pride activist, and actor: Bill Cosby is well known for all of these roles. However, recently, his name has been used in another context – Bill Cosby, the sexual offender. It is hard to believe the comedian has done everything he is accused of. It seems suspicious that he was never caught despite allegedly committing predatory behavior throughout his career and that many of his victims spoke out 30 years after the alleged crimes.
THE MAN
To this day, we know Cosby for his many roles and his stand-up commedy career. An actor and comedian, he was one of the titans of 20th century American comedy. He has entertained the nation since the 1960s and has not yet shown any signs of stopping. But recently, Cosby’s career has experienced some bumps on the road. More than 20 women have come forward to claim the comedian is a sexual offender, with the earliest allegation going as far back as the 1960s.
However, the most important question is if Cosby is a sexual predator. The possibility exists, yet as long as it remains a possibility and not a certainty, Cosby deserves the benefit of the doubt. Even when considering the overwhelming number of witnesses, their persuasive power remains questionable due to the lack of additional evidence.
COSBY’S CAREER
Cosby has denied each of these accusations, and evidence to be provided with the intention of defending him is still pending. However, with accusations of assaults as far back as the 1960s, the comedian is still telling jokes and making shows. More than 40 years later, he remains. If the allegations are true and Cosby’s sexual assault history is nearly as old as his career in showbiz, then either the man is very skilled at hiding it, or he is no sexual predator. How skilled in hiding can a public figure like Cosby be? Perhaps Cosby is not in jail because he is not a criminal.
EMPTY ACCUSATIONS
In addition, many of the supposed victims’ chances to incriminate the predator were lost when they did not accuse him immediately.
“It never occurred to me to go to the police,” philanthropist and Huffington Post writer Cindra Ladd said. “Other than my roommate, I did not discuss that night with anyone for 36 years.”
I don’t believe it is possible for the thought of speaking out against Cosby to never occur back when the events were fresh in Ladd’s memory. In this case, as in many others, there is no persuasive evidence to make the accusation into something more substantial.
Other allegations have been shown to be false. Recently, Las Vegas stripper Chloe Goins accused Cosby after a number of other women did. However, the comedian has evidence that he was thousands of miles away when the alleged crime happened.
It is also interesting that many of the Cosby accusations — which were all from the 2000s — accuse him of committing crimes in the 1970s. Even for more recent cases, the lack of evidence could prove to be incriminating in its own way for his accusers. If they cannot find a way to prove Cosby is a sexual predator, he could simply wait for the accusations to pass.
Despite efforts to indict the 77-year-old actor, he remains defiant and continues his shows and stand-up routines, although with mixed results. More than 1,000 people attended his stand-up at the Buell Theatre in Denver on Jan. 17, according to the Denver Post. At the same time, there were dozens of protesters outside led by women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred; the crowd carried signs like “Rape is no laughing matter” and “Shame on you.”
LOYAL FANS
Despite everything going on outside the theater, Cosby’s support made it difficult to believe allegations against him exist at all, as many of the protesters declared their love for his shows.
Still, the doubt among many of his fans remains. “It’s unsettling because he was America’s father figure,” Paul Landry said in the Denver Post. “But too many women have the same story.”
Perhaps the most unsettling part of these allegations is how people have responded to them.
Cosby is an influential man in a powerful position. However, even though he has so far remained safe from all the allegations, Cosby’s career has darkened. What will happen to him remains to be seen.
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