Support NeoGAF

[Biker19]

1) This isn't the first time allegations of rape or sexual assault have been made against Cosby.

2) What's weird about these things coming to light NOW? What's so special or advantageous or caps-worthy of allegations being made NOW?

I wonder what inside knowledge you have of the situation that makes you so sure these accusations are sketchy/suspicious/bullshit.

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

Watch the video posted, it is good and from a lawyer no less.

I'll go check it out. Thanks!

 

[Bear]

God no. Just no. Being funny is not in his repertoire.

No way, he's one of the best up-and-coming stand ups right now. His delivery isn't for everyone, I guess he's sort of a comic's comic, but he's hilarious. He's been on my radar for nearly half a decade and he's gotten some well deserved exposure the last few years on late night and comedy shows. It's too bad this fiasco is what he'll be most often associated with from now on.

So what was the joke that got this back in the spotlight? Anyone got a link?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzB8dTVALQI (grainy phone footage from his stand up).

 

[PhoenixDark]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it years later, you would want justice to be served immediately.



I'll go check it out. Thanks!

Plenty of people get raped and don't say shit due to fear, dude.

 

[chalkitdown1]

Juicebro from gamergate spreading his wings?

 

[Blader]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

The "celebrity" part is why he was able to keep a lid on it for so long. Many victims in rape cases fear coming forward period, but especially so when in situations like these where they have to speak out: a) against an incredibly powerful man, and b) in a very public high-profile setting.

Your first reaction to these claims was that they were bullshit, and you don't even know any of them! Can you understand why someone who has been through a traumatic experience -- especially one they've had to bury for decades -- would be hesitant to not only relive all that again, but do so when other people are yelling "Bullshit" in their faces? It makes it harder for not only victims in this case to speak up, but discourages victims of any rape case from ever coming out. Nobody wants to be harangued by strangers and accused of making their trauma up.

While not a case of sexual assault/rape, Lance Armstrong is another recent example of a celebrity who was accused of wrongdoing for years, but everyone refused to believe in it or the lesser-known victims he destroyed because the story of a cancer survivor who goes on to win the Tour de France was much nicer to have in your mind than the chronic liar and cheater.

 

[Jonm1010]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.



I'll go check it out. Thanks!

60% of rapes go unreported. Meaning 6 out of 10 rape victims never go to the police. So your assertion that rape victims never hold back and seek immediate justice is just plain false. Now add in that Cosby's victims were often drugged to the point of blackout or were intimidated either directly or indirectly and felt their careers would be in jeopardy if they said anything. it is pretty easy to see why only a few ever filed formal charges or attempted too. Considering many of the victims likely struggled for a long time with the experience of being blacked out with Cosby and had a hard time reconciling it and others likely feared for their careers or their naivety helped rationalize the behavior for a long time.

 

[Log4Girlz]

There are several reasons why women and children (especially) don't come forward until years later for these types of cases.

In this one specifically:

Cosby was more powerful than them, had more powerful friends, and could ruin their lives.
Rape victims, in general, are default considered to be lying. The shit they go through when they come forward is intense.
Shame at being taken advantage of and the general stigma around rape keeps people quiet.

Especially in the past.

 

[Jonm1010]

I also just would like to ask this question again to all the empty "bullshit" posters. If false allegations of rape are so common with celebrities can anyone name me another case where a celebrity had this number of allegations with such striking similarities and from people that actually stand to lose from disclosing their story(such as the successful actress that discussed her story above)? And that those allegations all turned out to be false?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Omegas have that rape rep?

Nah I was just joking.

 

[slit]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

Are you kidding me?!? That happens all the time. You don't think there is a very strong psychological impact of being raped and then telling the world? Even if he wasn't a celebrity, people don't report on being sexually assaulted a lot of the time. Wow.

 

[Valhelm]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

That's not true at all. It's very common for rape allegations to come out years or decades later.

 

[kitch9]

Who cares about his career? He should do jail time.

He certainly should....

If he's ever proven to have done what he is alleged to have done in front of a jury, judge and a fair court of law.

Here in the UK we have loads of celebrities getting falsely accused of sexual assault and getting their cases thrown out of court.

It's all a bit weird thanks to Jimmy fucking Saville.

 

[guggnichso]

...I call this bullshit.

Why in the world did these women resurface about this NOW instead of doing this WAY back in the 80's/90's? Doesn't make any sense at all.

Easy explanation: Its a news item right now. Journalists activly are seeking out victims and potential victims. Victims gain confidence because they feel they might finally being believed.

 

[guggnichso]

What I don't unterstand about the US legal system: How can a rape case be settled out oft court? Here in germany, if there's a criminal allegation like rape state attournies are required to instigate a throrough criminal investigation and bring this case to court. Is that different in the US? Could you settle murder out of court?

 

[Cheebo]

What I don't unterstand about the US legal system: How can a rape case be settled out oft court? Here in germany, if there's a criminal allegation like rape state attournies are required to instigate a throrough criminal investigation and bring this case to court. Is that different in the US? Could you settle murder out of court?

Statute of limitations, if enough time passes you can't press criminal charges

 

[Extra Sauce]

Did he have a career to begin with?

He was still touring as a stand-up comedian as of recently, and probably making more money every year than you and I combined.

 

[benzy]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

One of the women speaking up now is the same woman who spoke up a decade ago and no one believed her let alone picked up her story.

 

[Jonm1010]

What I don't unterstand about the US legal system: How can a rape case be settled out oft court? Here in germany, if there's a criminal allegation like rape state attournies are required to instigate a throrough criminal investigation and bring this case to court. Is that different in the US? Could you settle murder out of court?

We have both criminal and civil courts in this country. What was settled out of court was a civil case. In a civil case the only justice that can be handed out is in the form of monetary or equitable relief(injunctions like restraining orders). Criminal rape cases are very hard to prove and it is in part why am estimated 97% of rapists never go to jail. In criminal cases there is a statute of limitations, a higher barrier of proof needed and a higher degree of difficulty in getting the case tried. For something like rape that often isn't reported immediately proving "beyond a reasonable doubt" can be difficult.

In a perfect world that civil case could of gone forward and allowed a glimpse into the formal evidence and defense Cosby would of had to make but the settlement closed the doors on that.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Watching the lawyers video posted earlier, its very likely that cosby will never see trial for these rapes.

He however, will never work on tv again.

 

[vas_a_morir]

Has Eddie Murphy or Dave Chappelle publicly commented on this Bill Cosby drama? If so, link to video?

Eddie Murphy is so embarrassed about his own sexual misadventures that he doesn't appear on stage anymore. I highly doubt he'll do anything to open himself up to more scrutiny sexually. I'm not saying he should be ashamed of partaking in transgender prostitution sex, but reportedly he feels that way.

 

[sangreal]

He's suggesting over a dozen women said this happened, and no one believed it until a male comedian said something. Whether there's something to be read into that is up to the observer, but the facts are there.

this is incredibly contrived (and it was when Bowmen suggested the same in her WP op-ed). Plenty of men have highlighted this story int he past. As an example, here is a gawker article on it from earlier this year -- written by a man:
http://gawker.com/who-wants-to-remember-bill-cosbys-multiple-sex-assaul-1515923178

 

[.GqueB.]

this is incredibly contrived (and it was when Bowmen suggested the same in her WP op-ed). Plenty of men have highlighted this story int he past. As an example, here is a gawker article on it from earlier this year -- written by a man:
http://gawker.com/who-wants-to-remember-bill-cosbys-multiple-sex-assaul-1515923178

The obvious conclusion here is that comedy is the only way to get your point across. Who are people more likely to listen to today. John Oliver and Jon Stewart or some gawker nerd?

Gawker nerd loses erre time.

 

[Biker19]

Damn... I didn't know TV Land was still rolling.
That's basically what Nick at Nite turned into, right?
Syndicated shows getting pulled is a downer for his supporting cast.

And it's not the first show getting pulled from the airwaves due to these allegations. The same thing has happened with 7th Heaven not too long ago, due to the same allegations that Stephen Collins had gotten.

Wonder who's next?

This is about as pathetically illogical and scummy as saying something like, "Why in the world did ALL those people who were allegedly molested decades ago by that kindly old Catholic priest who everyone else in our neighborhood loves only come out NOW instead of telling someone when it happened? WHY do this NOW? Yeah, it's getting to around 20 people accusing the priest, but HELLO? Innocent until proven guilty and all that? How do we know this isn't just a set up so they can get something? They really should have said something when it happened, doesn't make sense at all."

Dammit, you don't have to be rude, OK? I was just being gullible about it.

 

[Agent Unknown]

I'm surprised Chappelle at first told Hannibal to call Cosby to kind of put it to rest if I'm reading that right? In any case, Hannibal doesnt owe Cosby a conversation of any kind on this and I hope he sticks to his guns on what he said in the routine and doesn't let himself become intimidated.

...I call this bullshit.

Why in the world did these women resurface about this NOW instead of doing this WAY back in the 80's/90's? Doesn't make any sense at all.

This is about as pathetically illogical and scummy as saying something like, "Why in the world did ALL those people who were allegedly molested decades ago by that kindly old Catholic priest who everyone else in our neighborhood loves only come out NOW instead of telling someone when it happened? WHY do this NOW? Yeah, it's getting to around 20 people accusing the priest, but HELLO? Innocent until proven guilty and all that? How do we know this isn't just a set up so they can get something? They really should have said something when it happened, doesn't make sense at all."

 

[Evil_Silver]

There are several reasons why women and children (especially) don't come forward until years later for these types of cases.

In this one specifically:

Cosby was more powerful than them, had more powerful friends, and could ruin their lives.
Rape victims, in general, are default considered to be lying. The shit they go through when they come forward is intense.
Shame at being taken advantage of and the general stigma around rape keeps people quiet.

Please refer to the Jimmy Savile case if you want see something similar and more widespread.



But no, people don't keep quiet out of fear when a very popular and beloved celebrity rapes and abused people. We're in the 20's now for allegations against Cosby, all of them shockingly similar stories by many different women. I don't understand how it's even remotely logical that a bunch of different women who don't know each other would lie in such a similar way.

The 20's? Got damn! I thought it was 13.

 

[Beelzebufo]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

'll go check it out. Thanks!

Have you seen how Bill Cosby intimidates people? They thought nobody would believe them (like you) and their career would be ruined.

 

[Evil_Silver]

It isn't about him being a celebrity. "Innocent until proven guilty" exists because it's wrong to put an innocent person through the fire, even if evidence suggests they're guilty.

I pretty confident in Cosby's guilt and think he should burn in the fire he's in, but if irrefutable evidence of his innocence came out tomorrow, I can't say I wouldn't feel like a dick for shitting on him.

Do you honestly think him being an influential figure in society didn't play a role in the fact that he was accused of rape for 30 years by 13+ women (apparently in the 20's according to one poster) who have similiar stories and don't know each other and was never brang to court, was never really bought up in the media, or seriously discussed?

Do you think that if an average everyday citizen was accused by 13+ women who don't know each other of rape, people would be defending him or ignore the accusations as they have for Cosby? Do you think if this occured over a three decade period, he wound't at least be bought to court like Cosby wasn't?

I too believe in innocent until proven guilty. But I think it would be naive to believe that Cosby's position in society did not play some role in him evading justice for so long (if he did indeed do it) or people ignoring and demonizing the potential victims for so long.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Has this been talked about yet? Apparently Cosby's lawyers are trying to bully at least some journalists into silence using legally bogus threats, story below has a copy of a letter they sent to Buzzkill which is now circulating:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...nalists-covering-cosby-rape-allegations.shtml

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.



I'll go check it out. Thanks!

Oh wow, someone who's never heard of the catholic sex scandal. Someone take a picture of me and this guy.

 

[strobogo]

You know what bothers me? Now that all of this is coming out, you can hear a lot of comedians on various podcasts saying they've been hearing rumors about Cosby for decades, yet none of them said anything to anyone about them. Just kept it to themselves and let it be one of those, "Well, he's one of us" bullshit things.

 

[studyguy]

I'm surprised Chappelle at first told Hannibal to call Cosby to kind of put it to rest if I'm reading that right? In any case, Hannibal doesnt owe Cosby a conversation of any kind on this and I hope he sticks to his guns on what he said in the routine and doesn't let himself become intimidated.

I'd say Chappelle was just looking out for Hannibal on the way up. Lets say Cobsy didn't catch all this attention then turns his sights on Hannibal. Dude is old as fuck but I wouldn't be surprised if he still couldn't have called in some favors to possibly blackball Hannibal had things not blown up in his face like it has.

The fact that Chappelle later said you know what just ride it out, just reminds me even more of Murphy and Pryor talking about Cosby back in the 80's though. Anyway this has all been fucking wild, all kinds of shit coming out of the woodwork.

 

[Agent Unknown]

I'd say Chappelle was just looking out for Hannibal on the way up. Lets say Cobsy didn't catch all this attention then turns his sights on Hannibal. Dude is old as fuck but I wouldn't be surprised if he still couldn't have called in some favors to possibly blackball Hannibal had things not blown up in his face like it has.

The fact that Chappelle later said you know what just ride it out, just reminds me even more of Murphy and Pryor talking about Cosby back in the 80's though. Anyway this has all been fucking wild, all kinds of shit coming out of the woodwork.

Thanks for the clarification. Hopefully other comedians stick up for him. I think they will, they've been chafing under Cosby's hypocrisy and self righteous bullying for decades, you'd think a majority of comedians would be glad to see him finally cut down a huge notch.

 

[CLBridges]

Haven't been keeping up with all this Cosby stuff, didn't know there were that many allegations. I wasn't a fan of the Cosby show but did like him in earlier stuff with Sidney Poitier. I'll wait to see what happens as far as legal proceedings go.

 

[Sanjuro]

Should be known again that neither Chappelle or Hannibal dislike Bill Cosby. Chappelle telling him to back off a bit seems reasonable when you take into account his career.

Again, I'm just gathering the latter from the posts I see here, but it doesn't sound like anything malicious.

 

[Agent Unknown]

Should be known again that neither Chappelle or Hannibal dislike Bill Cosby.

I'm sure they still respect the trail he blazed in comedy but do you have a link to a recent quote since this happened where Hannibal and Chapelle express admiration for him?

 

[Sanjuro]

Link?

I don't have a link. Hannibal participated in a Cosby special not that long ago. Chappelle I'm not positive on.

Even Eddie Murphy's beef with him is likely only relevant from a performance angle.

 

[danwarb]

...I call this bullshit.

Why in the world did these women resurface about this NOW instead of doing this WAY back in the 80's/90's? Doesn't make any sense at all.

There are many examples of famous and "powerful" people getting away with things like this for decades.

 

[m3k]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.



I'll go check it out. Thanks!

Ummm lots of girls repress stuff, I know two rape victims who hid what happened out of shock and shame... And if you read the article by one of the victims she says no one believed her or hushed it up because of its celebrity... But yeah go back and read this thread im sure you might see it differently

 

[riotous]

I actually assume these women probably were surrounded by people telling them not to come forward.

This shit doesn't happen without lots of collusion from agents, executives, etc.

Potentially even other victims would be the ones discouraging victims to come forward. The psychology behind situations where someone in power takes advantage of people more often then not becomes something twisted that is difficult to comprehend.

Instead of disbelieving known phenomenons; educate yourself and have empathy.

 

[danwarb]

One of the women speaking up now is the same woman who spoke up a decade ago and no one believed her let alone picked up her story.

I may have this wrong, but she was then part of a joint civil suit that Cosby settled?

 

[kame-sennin]

I actually assume these women probably were surrounded by people telling them not to come forward.

This shit doesn't happen without lots of collusion from agents, executives, etc.

Potentially even other victims would be the ones discouraging victims to come forward. The psychology behind situations where someone in power takes advantage of people more often then not becomes something twisted that is difficult to comprehend.

Instead of disbelieving known phenomenons; educate yourself and have empathy.

*thumbs up*

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.



I'll go check it out. Thanks!

He had (and still has) a lot of money and power/influence. Keep in mind he seemed to also target younger women coming up in the business. What better leverage to have over them then to threaten to ruin their careers?

 

[Particle Physicist]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

Sorry to tell you, but the majority of woman/children that have been raped tend to not talk about it either due to shame, ptsd, etc.

 

[linsivvi]

I'm just saying, when a child/woman has been raped, you don't hold back on it & then start talking about it many years later, you would want justice to be served immediately. He's a man like all of us are, celebrity or not.

Easy for you to say.

 

[poppabk]

He's suggesting over a dozen women said this happened, and no one believed it until a male comedian said something. Whether there's something to be read into that is up to the observer, but the facts are there.

Wait, the entire civil case was ran by women?

 

[Oddduck]

So how many accusations are there now? Is it like 17 now?

 

[Puppet Shadow]

So how many accusations are there now? Is it like 17 now?

So far, 12 women have publicly accused Cosby of assaulting them. Nine additional women have done so anonymously.

Link

 

[Amir0x]

this sick fuck was just raping everyone wasn't he. I always knew about some of the accusations and never knew what to do with them since they always seemed to evaporate so quickly in the media and i never realized the extent.

With this many women accusing the guy, I don't know what other conclusion I can reach but saying he almost certainly raped girls throughout his career. I mean women in every position, many with nothing to gain whatsoever, have accused this sicko at this point. It's too bad we'll never get a real investigation because if these women had gone to police immediately I am almost positive some evidence would have been found to damn this fucker.

Bill Cosby spent a bulk of his career being old stern grandpa trying to moralize to people about their behavior, ignoring socioeconomic issues entirely, and then he's revealed to just be the most abhorrent monster possible.

Goes to show, sometimes it's true... the harder you project a aura of superiority, the more likely it is you're hiding something profoundly fucked up.

 

[demon]

He hasn't been found guilty in a court of law and that means something to me. I cannot say definitively that "he is guilty" based on principle.


That said.....if I had a daughter I wouldn't let her near this fucking rapist.

 

[benzy]

I may have this wrong, but she was then part of a joint civil suit that Cosby settled?

I think Andrea Constand was the only one who received a settlement from the civil suit. Other women were just brought forward anonomously to testify against Cosby but didn't receive anything.

Barbara Bowman is the lady I'm talking about.

In 2004, when Andrea Constand filed a lawsuit against Bill Cosby for sexual assault, her lawyers asked me to testify. Cosby had drugged and raped me, too, I told them. The lawyers said I could testify anonymously as a Jane Doe, but I ardently rejected that idea. My name is not Jane Doe. My name is Barbara Bowman, and I wanted to tell my story in court. In the end, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that, because Cosby settled the suit for an undisclosed amount of money.

Over the years, I’ve struggled to get people to take my story seriously. So last month, when reporter Lycia Naff contacted me for an interview for the Daily Mail, I gave her a detailed account.

Back then, the incident was so horrifying that I had trouble admitting it to myself, let alone to others. But I first told my agent, who did nothing. (Cosby sometimes came to her office to interview people for “The Cosby Show” and other acting jobs.) A girlfriend took me to a lawyer, but he accused me of making the story up. Their dismissive responses crushed any hope I had of getting help; I was convinced no one would listen to me. That feeling of futility is what ultimately kept me from going to the police. I told friends what had happened, and although they sympathized with me, they were just as helpless to do anything about it. I was a teenager from Denver acting in McDonald’s commercials. He was Bill Cosby: consummate American dad Cliff Huxtable and the Jell-O spokesman. Eventually, I had to move on with my life and my career.

I didn’t stay entirely quiet, though: I’ve been telling my story publicly for nearly 10 years. When Constand brought her lawsuit, I found renewed confidence. I was determined to not be silent any more. In 2006, I was interviewed by Robert Huber for Philadelphia Magazine, and Alycia Lane for KYW-TV news in Philadelphia. A reporter wrote about my experience in the December 2006 issue of People Magazine. And last February, Katie Baker interviewed me for Newsweek. Bloggers and columnists wrote about that story for several months after it was published. Still, my complaint didn’t seem to take hold.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/poste...take-30-years-for-people-to-believe-my-story/