Alva James-Johnson: Cosby accusations hard to accept

I don't watch a lot of television, at least not now.

But back in the day, I watched enough to last a lifetime.

One of the shows I loved the most was "The Cosby Show," which debuted in 1984. I was a sophomore in college and just couldn't get enough of the Huxtables and their upper-middle class lifestyle.

For me, a successful black couple raising decent kids was not extraordinary. I knew lots of people like that, many in my family.

Still, it was a thrill to see such a positive image portrayed on national television as a counter to negative stereotypes. "The Cosby Show" helped dispel some of the myths circulating in society and may have even helped prepare the way for our first black president, as some have suggested.

But now it looks like another myth is unraveling, and that's the myth of Bill Cosby himself. If reports from alleged rape victims are true, then the man behind "The Cosby Show" and viewed by many as "America's Dad," on and off the TV screen, is a huckster who sold us a bag of fake goods.

Those may be strong words, but there's no way to get around it. If Cosby is a serial rapist who drugged women for sex, then we all have to accept the fact that we've been duped. For me, that difficult to accept.

You see, I'm not the only one who fell in love with "The Cosby Show." Like many of my cohorts, I also introduced my children to it and they have grown up watching syndicated episodes. I encouraged them to watch the show from a young age because of the family values that were portrayed. I thought it would also be a good way to expose them to positive black role models such as Cosby and Phylicia Rashad, who played his TV wife, Clair.

But now I'm beginning to feel like I got my kids involved in a pyramid scheme that came crashing down.

Some argue that Cliff Huxtable is a TV character, and Cosby's personal indiscretions shouldn't affect how the show is perceived. But that would be difficult considering how Cosby weaved his personal narrative into the sitcom. His son, Theo Huxtable, let's not forget, is a character based on Cosby's real-life son, Ennis, who died in 1997.

Cosby also used his family life for much of his comedy routines and has become a public advocate for better parenting.

It's possible, of course, that Cosby is innocent and just a victim of character assassination. He's never been convicted of any of the charges brought against him, although he did pay a settlement in a 2006 civil case.

But with so many women coming forward with similar stories (the number now in the teens), one has to wonder. I also think it's interesting who's not stepping up, and it's the people who worked closely with Cosby over the years on "The Cosby Show." Why aren't they out front assuring us that the man they know is incapable of such criminality?

I want to believe that the actor who played Dr. Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable, the wise, witty dad and loving husband, is innocent of the vile things he's accused of. I want to believe that a man bold enough to call parents to a higher standard is a person of integrity himself.

But the way things stand now, it's not looking good.

This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Cosby accusations hard to accept."