Netflix shelves Bill Cosby TV standup comedy special

  • Thread starter Thread starter Siegehammer
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Siegehammer

Guest
The television and movie streaming company Netflix has cancelled an upcoming Bill Cosby special in the wake of continued sexual abuse allegations against the comedian. The cancellation came within hours of an interview on Entertainment Tonight in which model Janice Dickinson claimed Cosby raped her at a hotel in Lake Tahoe, CA in 1982.
 
Maybe they’ll be consistent and start removing Roman Polanski’s films too.
 
It’s a shame that innocent until proven guilty apparently applies to the law, but not to the media or most who follow it.
 
Estevao said:
Maybe they’ll be consistent and start removing Roman Polanski’s films too.
Click to expand...
Not a fan of Roman Polanski but The Pianist is one of my favorite films. I have mixed feelings about that.

I don’t know if it’s consistent with the Cosby thing because the film features other professionals and moreover isn’t about Polanski himself where pretty much anything Cosby does is about Cosby (even Dr. Huxtable - that was Cosby with a different name and profession.) 🤷

Another example would be Woody Allen. He also writes himself into his films so there is more Woody Allen in a Woody Allen film than Roman Polanski in a Roman Polanski film.
 
First of all, this is NOT a First Amendment issue. Netflix is a private company, and certainly aren’t obligated to provide Bill Cosby, or anyone, with a forum to express themselves.

I think the greater issue here, is whether it is licit to watch TV shows, movies, etc. that feature performers, directors, producers, etc., that are accused of some evil act.

Now, Bill Cosby hasn’t been convicted of anything, or even found civilly liable as, say, OJ Simpson was. Neither has Woody Allen. But Roman Polanski was actually convicted of statutory rape, though I suspect many who remain fans of his actually don’t think he did anything wrong, that it’s no big deal to have sex with an underage girl if he didn’t forcibly rape her. And I think with Michael Jackson, his fans just don’t believe he committed the crimes he was accused of.

Or how about lesser-known celebrities such as the man who played the father on Seventh Heaven? I even recall that the man who played straight-laced, virginal Cody on Step by Step was involved in domestic violence incidents. Does this mean I should not watch re-runs of those shows?

I think there are two possible reasons not to. One may not want to enrich the criminal further by watching them, buying product such as DVDs, etc. Or, one may think it is somehow endorsing the crime to continue to enjoy the products.

But on the other hand, if a normal, average guy committed the same crime, while of course we’d want him to be jailed if found guilty, is it really justice to say “then they lose the right to ever be gainfully employed and earn money, ever again”?

As I’ve noted before, I think this one instance when we actually hold the rich and famous to a HIGHER standard than the not-so. Such as Ray Rice. What he did was horrible, but while many clamored for him to lose his job, no one really believes that “all men who beat their wives should lose their jobs”.

It seems when it comes to the rich and famous, we tend to either excuse actions we’d bash other people for, OR we actually want them to pay a higher penalty for certain crimes than the average person would.
 
Kephart said:
It’s a shame that innocent until proven guilty apparently applies to the law, but not to the media or most who follow it.
Click to expand...
That applies to the government, not to a private business. Netflix has to weigh the possible costs against the possible benefits of having a Bill Cosby special right now. If they thought the controversy would mean more viewers, they would program it in a heartbeat. if they think people will boycott the company for being anti-woman they’re going avoid Cosby or other celebrities.

I’m not sure that having a film in your library of offerings is in the same league as creating a special for one particular celebrity, especially when that celebrity is in the news for all the wrong reasons. (And I say this as someone who avoids Woody Allen and a few others even though I enjoyed their movies at one time. I don’t want my admission dollars going into their pockets though I understand others may make other decisions.)
 
The sad reality is is that all the good work Cosby did in his life is invalidated when behind the scenes he was committing great evil. Innocent until proven guilty is fine, but the evidence is stacking up quite against him when multiple women are coming out and making similar allegations.

Look at Rolf Harris.
 
What if the allegations prove to be false.

This all started when a “comedian” named Hannibal Burress mentioned the claims in his act while attacking Cosby because of his comments on blacks needing to more responsibility.

One “parody” website even when so far as to falsely claim that Cosby show child actress Raven Symone accused him of molesting her. She has denied it.

Sounds like a politically motivated smear campaign to me.
 
Kephart said:
It’s a shame that innocent until proven guilty apparently applies to the law, but not to the media or most who follow it.
Click to expand...
It’s payback time for all of his earlier comments criticizing the educational system. 😦
 
I at first thought this was some kind of money grab, but now I’m not too sure. I guess I’m more naive than I’d like to think, but I just don’t want to believe this about him.
 
ToeInTheWater said:
First of all, this is NOT a First Amendment issue. Netflix is a private company, and certainly aren’t obligated to provide Bill Cosby, or anyone, with a forum to express themselves.

I think the greater issue here, is whether it is licit to watch TV shows, movies, etc. that feature performers, directors, producers, etc., that are accused of some evil act.

Now, Bill Cosby hasn’t been convicted of anything, or even found civilly liable as, say, OJ Simpson was. Neither has Woody Allen. But Roman Polanski was actually convicted of statutory rape, though I suspect many who remain fans of his actually don’t think he did anything wrong, that it’s no big deal to have sex with an underage girl if he didn’t forcibly rape her. And I think with Michael Jackson, his fans just don’t believe he committed the crimes he was accused of.

Or how about lesser-known celebrities such as the man who played the father on Seventh Heaven? I even recall that the man who played straight-laced, virginal Cody on Step by Step was involved in domestic violence incidents. Does this mean I should not watch re-runs of those shows?

I think there are two possible reasons not to. One may not want to enrich the criminal further by watching them, buying product such as DVDs, etc. Or, one may think it is somehow endorsing the crime to continue to enjoy the products.

But on the other hand, if a normal, average guy committed the same crime, while of course we’d want him to be jailed if found guilty, is it really justice to say “then they lose the right to ever be gainfully employed and earn money, ever again”?

As I’ve noted before, I think this one instance when we actually hold the rich and famous to a HIGHER standard than the not-so. Such as Ray Rice. What he did was horrible, but while many clamored for him to lose his job, no one really believes that “all men who beat their wives should lose their jobs”.

It seems when it comes to the rich and famous, we tend to either excuse actions we’d bash other people for, OR we actually want them to pay a higher penalty for certain crimes than the average person would.
Click to expand...
It breaks my heart to keep seeing stuff about Bill Cosby, because I had always enjoyed his comedy and respected him. Not that I ever considered him a saint; but certainly thought he had more sense and integrity than to do the things he’s been accused of.

I can relate somewhat to the moral outrage people feel when celebrities “drop the ball” (or are accused of it at best). The stories of the late country-western singer Spade Cooley, and the horrific abuse and murder of his wife, have once and for all made me feel only disgust for the man. That’s wrong, I guess.:rolleyes:

When Robin Williams committed suicide, emotions ran rampant from A to Z—many expressing grief and compassion, while some literally condemned the poor man to Hell.

And now, this. We can only hope that the truth, whatever it is and however painful it may be, will *finally *come out and justice will be done one way or another.
 
It breaks my heart to keep seeing stuff about Bill Cosby…
Click to expand...
Cosby has had a life long history of similar types of allegations. I remember during the time he was on the Cosby Show there were some stories that reached media attention. One of the stories was a young lady that claimed Cosby was her father and that he had been paying her child support for years.

What escalates these stories is when a celebrity proclaims to live a “righteous” lifestyle, than they become associated with some scandal. The proclamation is the same; claiming that everyone speaking against them is a lair. Eventually, the amount of those coming forward with accusations is overwhelming and “the truth comes out”. My heart goes out to the ones that have the courage to pursue an injustice. It is a difficult road, I understand why it takes them so long to come forward.

There are many celebrities that have fathered children out of wedlock. Rock stars are famous for bringing girls up to their rooms by the herds even while being married. The controversy is when some one that is proclaiming to live to a higher standard gets caught. Or in this case, someone that has gone to the point of writing books on “fatherhood”, “Love & Marriage”, etc.

I don’t wish Mr. Cosby any harm, but we have heard these stories before and even ones associated with him.
 
Leo2014 said:
Cosby has had a life long history of similar types of allegations. I remember during the time he was on the Cosby Show there were some stories that reached media attention. One of the stories was a young lady that claimed Cosby was her father and that he had been paying her child support for years.

What escalates these stories is when a celebrity proclaims to live a “righteous” lifestyle, than they become associated with some scandal. The proclamation is the same; claiming that everyone speaking against them is a lair. Eventually, the amount of those coming forward with accusations is overwhelming and “the truth comes out”. My heart goes out to the ones that have the courage to pursue an injustice. It is a difficult road, I understand why it takes them so long to come forward.

There are many celebrities that have fathered children out of wedlock. Rock stars are famous for bringing girls up to their rooms by the herds even while being married. The controversy is when some one that is proclaiming to live to a higher standard gets caught. Or in this case, someone that has gone to the point of writing books on “fatherhood”, “Love & Marriage”, etc.

I don’t wish Mr. Cosby any harm, but we have heard these stories before and even ones associated with him.
Click to expand...
That’s true. I had forgotten about that paternity suit from years back.

It would well behoove Mr. Cosby, in the event he is guilty, to face the music like a man and own his behavior once and for all. The longer we hide from the truth, the harder it finally crashes down on us—and unfortunately, others (for instance, Mr. Cosby’s wife and family) can get caught in the fallout. We should pray for everyone involved in this situation, in particular the women who are coming forward with the stories, that they may be healed.
 
I’m disappointed that another venerated elder star has been implicated. Mr Cosby had spoken to the Black community some tough love, what a hypocrite, he is seemly just another rich guy who abused his power. And another person encouraging conservative values to be proven a phony. 😦
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top