Bill Cosby has become a hot topic of discussion in the last year as sexual assault allegations against him have once again surfaced in the public eye. Despite the testimonies of nearly 40 women, the public opinion on Cosby still remains split between those who have denounced him and those who still want to believe in the man once dubbed “America’s Dad.” There is a reluctance to shame Cosby because of all that he has done for the Black community, but while Cosby’s philanthropic efforts and the cultural impact of his television series “The Cosby Show” cannot be denied, there is more to him than just these positive bits.

The following is just a few of the less honorable things Bill Cosby has “contributed” to the Black community.

1. His love of respectability politics

Over the last decade, Bill Cosby has asserted himself as a figure of moral guidance for the Black community. In his 2004 speech given at an NAACP event commemorating the 50^th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, Cosby bemoaned the state of the Black community post-civil rights era, arguing that people need to change the way they act, speak, and dress in order to better themselves.

Comments like these exemplify respectability politics, which assert that Black people must speak, act, and dress a certain way in order to be successful. However, this kind of attitude only works to uphold whiteness as a standard by which all Black people should live. This belief completely erases the effects of systematic racism and places blame for this oppression on the people being oppressed.

2. His hatred for young women expressing sexual agency

Cosby’s relationship with his young co-star, Lisa Bonet, was always tumultuous, with Bonet depicted as the free-spirited wild child while Cosby assumed the position of exasperated father figure. This tension came to a head in 1987 when Cosby, upset with Bonet for doing a film which included a very racy sex scene, banished her to the show’s spin-off series, "A Different World."

Cosby’s attitude toward Bonet during this time was extremely possessive and paternalistic; he even did an interview in Ebony Magazine in which he publicly aired his “worries” about Bonet. This obsession with young women’s sexuality is also reflected in Cosby’s show when, on several different occasions, Cosby’s character, Heathcliff Huxtable, finds it suitable to ask his daughters’ various suitors about the sexual aspect of their relationships. In one especially uncomfortable scene, Cosby’s character actually celebrates with his daughter Denise’s husband, Martin, when he finds out that the two did not engage in pre-marital sex. For black women, expressing agency and control over their own bodies is a decision which often results in them being shamed by other members of the community. Cosby’s perpetuation of this sexist attitude is not only harmful, but it’s also extremely gross considering the multitude of assault charges being brought up against him.

3. His comments on the Trayvon Martin case

The murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman rocked the country to its core, causing many to protest the racist motivations behind Zimmerman’s actions. When asked about his opinion on the case, Cosby’s comments were more than a little tone-deaf, saying, “Let’s not go into a racial discussion here unless we really have something.” Cosby chose to instead emphasize the role of guns in Martin’s death, stating that the “power-of-the-gun mentality had [Zimmerman] unafraid to confront someone.” While gun violence is a very serious issue in this country, Cosby’s choice to completely erase the added role that race often plays in these deaths is completely inaccurate and insensitive.

4. The way he shames Black parents

In his ongoing campaign to whip Black America back into shape, Cosby has never shied away from making criticisms about Black parenting. In one speech, Cosby addressed Black parents by saying, “I’m talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit. Where were you when he was two? Where were you when he was 12? Where were you when he was 18, and how come you don’t know he had a pistol?” This kind of attitude places full blame onto Black parents and completely ignores the racist system which locks up young black men at a completely disproportionate rate. It also completely ignores the fact that most parents cannot be present for every moment of their child’s life because they are working to actually provide for that child.

5. His attitude towards gun violence

In one especially shameful instance, Cosby asked the families of gun violence victims in attendance at one of his speeches to stand and say their loved ones’ names. Once they sat back down, Cosby continued his speech, berating audience members for not speaking up about the issue in order to prevent it. In another speech, Cosby chose to place the blame on victims, saying, “People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! Then we all run out and are outraged: 'The cops shouldn’t have shot him.' What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand?” In both instances, Cosby chooses to place blame on everyone except for those responsible: the shooters.

Keep in mind, this list is not meant to write off the positive contributions he has made and the lives he has changed. The point is, instead, to look at him through something other than the rose-colored lenses with which many people view him. If Cosby’s alleged victims are to come under public scrutiny for speaking out against their abuser, then why should he, as said abuser, not receive the same treatment? We as the public must learn to take our heroes off of their pedestals and see them for the flawed human beings they are. This is the only way we can move forward and have honest, productive conversations about them.