Bill Cosby and the Mysteries of Jell-O

"When a product is perfectly matched to its seller, you cannot tell which thing you are being sold." - Anonymous.

Jell-O was always a mystery to me growing up. What held it together? Why did it wiggle and how come other foods were not nearly as shiny and fun.

Well, Bill Cosby's indictment, trial and conviction forced me to not only deal with the nightmarish revelations of over 50 women, it also caused me to finally find out what the hell Jell-O is.

Jell-O is gelatin and gelatin is: animal bones and skin ground up, treated with acid, then boiled. The top layer of gelatin is skimmed off the surface. Flavored and colored water fills in the spaces between the polymer chains and in that state, making it jiggly, shiny, fun and desirable.

But if you heat the Jell-O, you break the bonds that hold the proteins together and it becomes what it once was, an animal's dead carcass.

Bill Cosby was convicted. The heat was applied and now he was sent to prison, a convicted felon. The bonds holding together his image were broken and turned his legacy back into skin and bone. And even though the conviction has been overturned, no matter how we celebrate Cosby's life and career, there will always be a discussion of this rape conviction, which makes his whole life's work look like dead meat.

The conviction cast a spell on the life and work of Bill Cosby and forces the imagination to recast him in our memories: 

Chet Kincaid, the impossibly positive and helpful physical education teacher of the first Bill Cosby Show, can now be seen lusting after young school girls and cute teachers in that Los Angeles high school, spiking their milk cartons in the lunch room and their coffees in the teacher's lounge and doing unspeakable things in a janitor's closet. This is an after school special made of nightmares

Alexander Scott the intrepid tennis pro of I Spy is fighting the Cold War, but also date-raping women across Europe, leaving dazed and confused heiresses and the occasional countess in hotel rooms, groggy and unable to remember what happened to them.

And of course, Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable is not just a dad and physician, but a skillful predator who uses that cover to assault women throughout New York in his OBGYN office, while raising his kids with jokes.

And in reality, we had Bill Cosby the man, the handsome, lovable, intelligent icon, a man who stood tall from the oppression of Jim Crow and rode the new racial enlightenment as an example of hard work, talent and perseverance. And now we are told that all during that glorious journey, he was drugging and raping women in a constant pattern and in numbers that were consistent with his famous work ethic. If Bill Cosby was a brilliant entertainer, athlete and scholar, why would he be any less talented a predator?

And so the time for speculation is over. Now those who support him have to go from "just allegations" to "the fix was in," "the white man," "illuminati" etc.,. 

None of this should surprise us because Cosby and Jell-O were a perfect match. Really, wasn't there always something creepy about Jell-O? I mean, it moved like it was alive and then you ate it while it was still shaking on your spoon. Not cool, man, as Chet Kincaid might say.

And now as we look back on the Cosby family, we see a tragedy as deep and immense as that of the Kennedys or the Rockefellers. Bill Cosby has buried two of his five children, and has been embroiled in fraud, extortion and other legal troubles, assault allegations and now, a rape conviction. There is a blight on him and like Joe Kennedy who died at 81 and John D. Rockefeller who died at 97, Bill Cosby has built a fortune and lived into old age, only to watch his family and good name burned to ash.

I do not know how Bill Cosby will live. He's 85 years old and the clock is ticking hard on him. He may not live long enough to redeem his name. But one thing is sure.  

Jell-O is no longer a mystery to me.

And neither is Bill Cosby. 

copyright 2018.

Interstellar Civil Rights and the Gravity of Slaves: Another Conversation

This is the continuation of a real conversation with a friend (who still will not let me use their name) about cinema and the relative position of our people. As usual, the conversation may not have been this witty but it's how I remember it.

Again, we met at the Starbucks in No Ho.

FRIEND: I hate you.

GARY: For what? I haven't even made a condescending remark yet.

FRIEND: You messed up my brain.

GARY: You can't give me set ups like that. Too easy. So, what did I allegedly do now?

FRIEND: You made your evil analogy about the movie Gravity and 12 Years A Slave and how black folk are stuck in some kind of cinematic time machine while everyone else gets to be fully human. blah, blah blah...

GARY: I believe I actually made a temporal analogy to the future versus the past and--

FRIEND: Whatever.  I went to see Interstellar and they showed a trailer for Selma. 

GARY: Oh. Well, that would be more of the same, actually.

FRIEND: I know! I thought, shit, how many civil rights movies are we gonna do? And then I sat and watched three hours of white people traveling through the fifth goddamned dimension.

GARY: Well, good.

FRIEND: No, it's not. I couldn't enjoy the movie and now I'm feeling some kinda way about Selma.

GARY: See, how dangerous thinking is?

FRIEND: Black men are getting killed, police are getting away with murder, the President is being insulted, there's protest and I'm supposed to go sit and watch two hours of historical pain?

GARY: Maybe we need a lesson, to be reminded what this is all about.

FRIENDS: No, I don't. I know my history and it's humanity that's missing, the same humanity that we don't see in the movies.

GARY: What about Beyond The Lights and Top Five? They're both good movies they depict us fine and they are not historical pieces.

FRIEND: Not Oscar movies.

GARY: Man, you have come a long way. Look, just go see Selma. It's worth seeing.

FRIEND: I did see and it was good but where is our space movie? Where are we counted for in the future? No, something is wrong.

GARY: There was a black scientist in Interstellar.

FRIEND: They killed him and at the end of the movie, there were no black people in the fifth dimension future.

GARY: Well, I have nothing left to teach you, grasshopper.

FRIEND: What?

GARY: Nevermind.

The Elasticity of Hope

Black Americans have much to be angry about but one choice to vent that anger has not surfaced and it is not likely that it ever will.

Many political pundits and writers are asking why Black people do not seem to hold President Obama accountable for our current state. Despite the so-called recovery, Black America is at its worst point in half a century according to some.

Journalist don't seem to want to answer this question. Then again, "journalists" these days can't find their own asses with a GPS.

So, here's the answer:

To so many of us, Obama's Presidency is symbolic of our acceptance by this nation and just like many of our lives, his six years has been one struggle after another, always having to overachieve just to be branded a failure, surrounded by smiling, grinning faces that mask subversiveness and resentment. He's been insulted, threatened and disrespected as a politician and as a man. Therefore, this intractable opposition that seems at its core, to be rooted in race, can explain any failure.

And tell me, can anyone say that Blacks have no basis to believe that even a Presidency could be hobbled by prejudice and racial discord? We all know the history, so there's no need to go over it here. But when oh when will America look at itself and just admit who we are? When will we stop all the flag-fucking and talk about exceptionalism and count the bodies in our past and the abandoned lives in our present? Until we do, Blacks will always have a basis to countervail the missteps of any Black person holding high office within the power structure.

And so it this elasticity that these pundits feel. Black America embraced the President but our condition has not gotten better and yet we still support him at 90 some odd percent. It is the nature of politics to fight dirty, name-call and work against the opposition. But to Black people, how can we tell when it's just politics as usual or the filth of racism? We cannot and not knowing the answer is sometimes more frustrating than knowing it.

And in the most amazing irony of all, our unwavering support of Obama comes in part from the fact that we give a loving pass to other Blacks, empathize with their struggle and look outside of the race for much of our validation and their criticism.

And so I don't wonder why there isn't more anger toward the White House. It is as clear as the skin on the President's face. But it does leave me to wonder if we are saving our wrath for skin of a different color.

Copyright 2014

BEWARE THE JOCK-OCRACY

Professional Athletic Monsters 
Are  Not Born, They Are Created

Roger Goodell is not the cause of NFL player misconduct or arrogance. The reason for all of the fuckery in professional sports goes back a long time, way before Jackie Robinson, way back when the NBA was white and there were no black quarterbacks.

There is an organization that takes young boys with sports potential and puts them in a bubble where everything they do is praised and they are constantly told that they are better than other men, the rules of life do not apply to them and women are not worth the panties they are printed on.

The Jock-ocracy.

Jockocracy (`jok-ok-ray-cee) - noun 1. A group of people, organizations and corporations who conspire to protect the bad and/or criminal acts of professional athletes.

The Jockocracy is composed of public and private school coaches, high school sports leagues, the NCAA, sports agents and managers, sports writers, athletic-inspired companies, colleges, TV networks, video came manufacturers and of course, professional sports leagues. They all combine to form a billion-dollar Third Reich of asshole protection.

And the irony is they work to create these bullies, felons, rapists, wife-beaters and murders and then work just as hard to protect them--- as long as they are playing. Because as usual, it's money that drives the Jockocracy and professional sports. If Ray Rice was 37 instead of 27, Roger Goodell would have physically thrown him out of the NFL himself.

In the black community, so many athletes have come from poor and broken homes, with overwhelmed mothers and absent fathers. These kids have a gift and they are told that it will save them and their families and give them everything they want.

And of course in this world, where they are celebrities at 15, women don't rate. Women are something to be used for sex, status and having your bastard children that you beat every six weeks when you see them. And because you are a cash cow, no one will tell you it's wrong and if you get caught, they will suspend you with pay and drop you from your shoe deal-- for a year.

The Jock-ocracy is real people and it is out to get you. It wants to take your sons, turn them into arrogant, privileged dicks and then have them beat your daughters in elevators.

And oh yeah, they want to take your money while you cheer them on.

Copyright 2014

PLANTATION FERGUSON

PLANTATION FERGUSON

Hands up

We hate so much in this nation to talk about slavery and yet its progeny is with us each day. And periodically, it reaches out from the grave and claims lives, wreaks havoc and reminds us who the goddamned boss is. And not just black lives are lost but the lives of those who continue to work for this most malevolent of American spirits.

The town of Ferguson is a modern-day plantation, only the chains are not made of iron but of ignorance, the slave quarters are boundaries of class, color and opportunity, the big house is the state house and the discipline is not the whip but a policeman’s bullet.

If this imagery makes you nervous or angry, then really, you’ve proven the point. Slavery ended only 148 years ago, barely two generations and yet we are so tired of talking about it. Western Union is older than that and they are sitting in the modern age right next to the 7-11 and Pizza Hut.

And why are we so tired of it? White people are ashamed that each day they live with the legacy of this sin and they seem to be pissed that they can't enjoy their wealth and superiority without people (black and white) reminding them that it is ill-gotten gain and myth respectively. 

Black people are ashamed of stereotypes and the sad truth at the root of some of them. And while we desperately want to be free of this stigma, we keep asking the descendants of slave owners for permission to be released. And the answer is "Sure, be free, I don't care." And then a foot is stuck out to trip you as you walk away. And then we get up, look around as if we don't know who made us stumble and ask again.

And so we run from the legacy of slavery in words, while holding on to it in actions and sentiment, hiding behind “tradition” or “culture” while the stench of it bleeds through these thin wrappings. And this is how you end up with a racially riot-torn town with a sitting Black President.

So in this time, do not look at the people who are the loudest, look at those who say nothing, do nothing and divert their interests to diversion and pretend that nothing is going on. These are the people who continue to support the plantation; only this one enslaves everyone who wants to be free of it.

Copyright 2014 

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

God's First Law Was Really 
The Only One He Needed.

I don't like to write or talk about religion and the reason is simple: most people stop thinking when it comes to religion. They fall back on superstition or bible quotes. So, before you read this, keep in mind what religion is: It is the human process by which we endeavor to understand God. It is not God, which means it is not perfect or divine. And I know you may think the bible is the divine word of God, well, it just isn't. It's the interpreted word of men.

I watch The Ten Commandments every year in part because it's a good movie and in part because I love watching white people portray Egyptians. And I like how there are actual black people in the movie who are servants and not Hebrews. And then there's Edward G. Robinson, the Egyptian from Hoboken. But my favorite part is when God tells Moses The Ten Commandments and we listen to them counted out in spectacular fashion.

All of the Commandments are good but I think that most of us don't understand the first one. It seems simple enough. "Thou shall have no other Gods before Me." So think, this was the first thing God said, His First Rule of law. He gave us life and he just wants to be #1. Seems fair and easy to do.

Well, we all break this Commandment almost every day of our lives.

Now, I'm not talking about golden calves or snake-gods. I'm talking about the supplanting of our will and judgment before that of God using the very religion which supports the law.

"But how Gary? How am I breaking God's first law every day?"

Each day we decide which sins are acceptable and which are bad. We also condemn and place our earthly judgment over that of God, withdrawing from faith as if we don't even believe in him. We also pervert and bend His Will through earthly interpretation to our own convenience.

For example, men and women agree that murder and adultery are a sin and yet both men and women continuously fornicate and lie, which are also sins. We just decided that one set of sins was worse than the others, placing our judgment above that of God who says, all sins are equal.

Here's how that conversation will go on Judgement Day:

YOU: Hey, Pete I'm here to enter Heaven.
ST. PETER: Sorry but you fornicated hundreds of times and lied thousands of times.
YOU: Yeah but I never murdered anyone or slept with anyone's spouse. High five!
ST. PETER: Sorry, those are sins too.
YOU: Yeah but I decided that adultery and murder were worse because you know, I would never want anyone to do that to me.
ST. PETER: Uh huh. Go to Hell. It's that way. Fall in behind Congress and the reality show people.

Many Christians fight against sin in the name of God, even though these acts should be judged and forgiven by God, not men. But we decided that we should judge them because that whole "love thy neighbor and waiting for afterlife" thing doesn't make us satisfied that God's Will is being done right now while we can enjoy it. By the way, elevating the earthly realm over the covenant for the next life is also a violation of rule #1.

And then there is money, the actual god of man. We all worship money and even talk about it with the same reverence as God. Hell, God's name is on the damned money! This is the worst violation of the First Commandment. The fake money god has us all by the spiritual balls and won't let go because we won't admit it. We give money to fake ministers who build giant churches and fly around in private jets. We try to buy our way into Heaven with money and now, we are told that if we give the church money, God will give us more money, oh wait they never say that. They say you'll get "a blessing" which could be anything from money to your diarrhea going away.

Look at how money and God are the same to us:

1. You can't see God. You have to have faith. You can't see money either. The paper or the coin just represents the wealth that backs it.
2. God is powerful. Money is powerful too. Just ask any billionaire, Bank of America or the Supreme Court.
3. God is mysterious. So is money. I defy anyone to tell me what The World Bank, IMF or The Fed do and who runs it.

So some of you are all hot and bothered right now with a full clip of bible quotes ready to fire. Save it. Your bible quotes mean one thing to you and 8 billion other things to the 8 billion people on Earth.

In closing, I believe the answer to all spiritual questions lies in the First Commandment. The problem is, if we practice it literally, it would bind us to a very strict pattern of behavior which would nullify just about every fun and pleasurable thing in life. If we ignore it, then hypocracy looms. Somewhere in the middle, as usual, lies the right path. Putting God first really just means putting everything else second. In that sense, this was really the only law God needed. The other nine commandments could be easily interpreted from the first one. In fact, everything in the bible is kind of a subset of this first divine law.

Brilliant, right? Well, that's why God is God.

And if you are worried about your behavior and the First Commandment, don't. Remember, God will always forgive you.

Now excuse me while I go off to consider how coveting an Ox and donkey applies to the present.

© 2014

The Cowboy, The Billionaire and The Murderer

Three men, three different walks of life, one recurring theme.

Stop me if you've heard this one:

Cliven Bundy, Donald Sterling and Elliot Rodger walk into a bar. A Black bartender asks them what they want. They all say: "A white bartender."

Here we have three very different men and three very different stories, yet they all have one thing in common : Race.

Some time ago, I wrote another blog you probably didn't read called "Everythang Is Racist." which discussed how race is fused to the bones of America. Well, as usual I am right. This is a very delicate and complex problem and we treat it like a joke. It is not just a problem of visual and cultural differences but one of image and powerful imagery that works in the subconscious.

So, when people? When are we going to stop this ridiculous dance we are doing around the issue? How many more idiots like Bundy and Sterling will we have to suffer? And how many more racist murder spree letters will we see before we address the problem?

Let's stop pointing fingers at each other. Let's stop trying to rewrite history, like the geniuses in Texas who want to take the word "slave" out of the history books, because you know, Texans aren't quite ignorant enough yet. And let's stop making these retrograde, "Save A Negro" films, where white liberals get to wash their guilt and black people get to wash white peoples' dirty floors.

The good news here is Bundy and Sterling are old. The bad news is Rodger was in his 20's and it makes me wonder how many young white men are out there holding hatred of blacks in their hearts, hiding behind smiles and handshakes but seething with resentment.

For centuries now, Black people have been the repository for this nation's fear, hate, and failures. We are the cause of everything and yet we have nothing.

I think that maybe we need the conflict, that if there were no niggers and racists that we'd have to invent them, because we are still basically these little hairy animals fighting for the watering hole and ignoring the shiny black obelisk holding the power of our enlightenment.

Sterling is now shamed and stripped of his team. Bundy is forgotten and Rodger is dead, but the thing that linked the mall together still lives and we ignore it at our peril.

© 2014