In literature, there’s a technique known as “foreshadowing.” It’s a plot device common in books, movies and plays where a character does something that gives the reader a hint of something that will happen in the future. While foreshadowing predicts the future, hindsight looks at the past, and of course is always 20/20. That’s why Bill Cosby’s “Spanish Fly” routine (that he first recorded in 1969 and repeated in his 1994 book) seems an eerie predictor of what the ’ol Cos is now being accused of.
As Cosby tells the story, at age 13, while standing on the street corner with some older guys, he first hears about “Spanish Fly.” Defined in the Urban Dictionary as “an aphrodisiac surreptitiously given to a woman which renders her unconscious and allows a man to have his way with her sexually,” the effects of the “Spanish Fly” bear striking similarities to the scenarios presented by the Cosby accusers. In the routine he’s obsessed with obtaining this “miracle” drug. With fame and money, maybe he was able to carry out his pubescent fantasy.
Granted, most 13-year-old males, confused by raging hormones, just want to have sex. They have no concept of the social dance that normal humans engage in to pursue this activity with another person. So, for a teenager, the dream of “Spanish Fly” is perhaps an OK concept. But most people grow out of such juvenile thoughts. As young men mature, most begin to think that having sex with an unconscious person is kind of — how would you say? — “freaky.”
Neither of us are psychologists, but both of us know something about crimes and patterns that criminals often engage in — admittedly from opposite sides of the bench. That’s why when all of the women who have accused Cosby over the years independently and consistently tell virtually the same story over and over, we know there’s a strong degree of validity to the accusations.
He befriended them, creating the image of a father figure — not a boyfriend — not a paramour — not a cheating husband — but a father figure. Then he allegedly pounced on them. Freud would have a field day with this kind of behavior.
It’s common knowledge there were (and still are) many big time “stars” in the movie and television industries that befriend young starlets — who are enamored with their playboy image of a “famous man about town” — for the sole purpose of having sex. And, conversely, even for minor stars in the entertainment industry, there are a lot of women who would freely engage in sexual activity for a possible shot at fame, fortune and getting a leg up in the world of entertainment — no pun intended.
But, evidently, this was not the M.O. Cosby used. His alleged victims all say that his tastes were quite a bit darker. He wanted to be the father figure and then — according to the allegations — he usually placed them in a home-like setting (sometimes in his own home) and plied them some kind of drink — several alleging that it was something as innocent as hot chocolate — laced with a drug that rendered them unconscious and helpless, a fact he admitted to in a deposition in one of his civil cases.
So what kind of person wants to have sex with an unconscious person? People who have something really, really wrong with them psychologically. Sexually, Cosby seemingly walks to the beat of a far different drummer. This kind of behavior, if it’s true, borders on necrophilia.
Now, there are some folks who are going to support the Cos even if he was caught on camera at a morgue doing the nasty with some recently deceased woman. But then, ’ol Charlie Manson still has a fan club that meets once a month. Go figure.
And let us not forget that, while his alleged sickness is thankfully rare, it’s not totally unknown. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other sickos out there similarly afflicted. Their only wish is that they could be like Bill. That’s why they are so supportive.
If Cosby had not spent the last 25 years being so totally sanctimonious about black society and the failings of our disadvantaged youth, he could elicit a bit more sympathy for himself. But for years he’s traveled around the country blaming black folks for their own disadvantaged condition, telling them they just need to get a better education, pull their pants up, speak better English and be like his fictional model family on the Cosby Show — and all the while allegedly engaging in perverse behavior. Hypocrite.
Nonetheless, it’s still a bit sad when heroes turn out to have feet of clay.
What’s particularly galling was how Cosby was dressed when he showed up for his first court appearance — wearing a ratty sweater. Now, we all know he has at least one suit and tie. But just as he has mocked his accusers and held himself above the fray, he once again flaunts his arrogance and low disregard for everything except what’s in his world. His high-priced lawyers broke the basic rule that every first-year public defender learns when dealing with clients: Tell them to wear a suit and tie.
If Bill Cosby is eventually forced to do the perp walk on that cane he now carries around to gain sympathy, and ends up doing a stretch in the old folks’ Big House, he’ll certainly be delighted to know that every Thursday in the chow hall they serve Jell-O.
C. Ellen Connally is a retired judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court. From 2010 to 2014 she served as the President of the Cuyahoga County Council. An avid reader and student of American history, she serves on the Board of the Ohio History Connection and was recently appointed to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument Commission. She holds degrees from BGSU, CSU and is all but dissertation for a PhD from the University of Akron.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.