have you noticed how outspoken bill cosby has been lately? it’s funny to hear him blast wanda sykes when she asks him how his shows were so successful ("we spoke english"), but it’s also a little bit sad that he’s telling the truth. and i’m not talking along race lines. while cosby is focusing on african american society and youth, there’s a bigger problem facing all of our youth. i can’t remember as a teenager ever feeling comfortable cursing, talking about having sex, or acting rudely towards others#–at least not on purpose#–and it’s strange to see the trend in people my sisters’ age doing all of these things; and i don’t think it’s the natural progression of time (argument: hey, rock and roll was just as offensive in the 50’s as rap is now).

i guess i’m worried that kids aren’t getting to be kids any more, and further that they are learning an ethical code that doesn’t jive with a polite society. i have had the opportunity to hang out with a lot of old men recently#–men who fought in our nation’s wars, raised children, went through tough times…men who never had a lot of money, education, or opportunity but still managed to be men: gentlemen with purpose, compassion, manners, and consideration. i wonder if these men were ever the foul-mouthed, noisy, angry teens i see in the mall today. somehow, i doubt that they were. their generation used language as a tool: to describe, elaborate, and define. our generation uses language as a cage: the same four letter words as noun, verb, adjective, and adverb, trapping us in mediocrity and limited communication.

it seems to me to be a question of example: who do our youth have as role models, pushing them to emulate behavior? well, i think largely hip-hop artists and socialites: teen magazines don’t take interviews with madelaine albright, do they? nope. they interview paris hilton (and show me a teen who hasn’t heard about the sex tapes…they have). so what’s the solution? the only thing i can think of is personal example. i’m making it a personal goal to speak openly to my younger relatives about what’s cool and what’s not…about what really matters. i’m not a prude, and certainly not a saint#–but i feel a responsibility as (oh crap i’m an adult now aren’t i?) their older brother/cousin/etc to help them avoid the pitfalls of ugly behavior. after all, impressions are everything. i want a new trend where it’s cool to be a good person…where it’s admirable to be educated, intelligent, literate, and well spoken. the trend is already out there#–it just hasn’t caught on; there are more people who want to be like Colin Farrel than Pierce Brosnan aren’t there?

i think i just realized i’m turning into an old man…gripe gripe gripe gripe…

bill cosby, thanks for voicing the opinion of a lot of us…for those of us too worried about being cool to speak up.