What do you really like about the show? Also, what was Cosby like for you at the time before his revelation in the 2010s?
This wasnβt today but actually 15 years ago. First off let me say I grew up in the ass crack of the south. Iβm talking rural areas with less town sizes under 1000 people with 99.9% white folks. And being from the south, ignorance spreads like wildfire. I remember referring to hip hop as βBlack Musicβ because thatβs all I heard it called. I still remember playing in a baseball tournament in middle school and my teammates cornered a kid to tell him they βdidnβt like his kind around hereβ and gave me shit for not joining in.
On to the story. I was a fat kid in high school and pretty insecure. People knew this and teased me constantly. I would try to own it and self deprecate myself to get folks to ease off. It hardly ever worked, but I was determined to win people over by being funny. So in high school, during homecoming, we would have themed dress up days and have a contest where the students would vote for the best in show. On βcartoon characterβ day, some of my typical bullies said I should go as fat Albert. And I took it as a challenge. If I was the fat kid, I was going to play the fat kid with the best costume. I wore a red sweater with a pillow stuffed underneath, and as you probably guessed painted my face and hands brown. They loved it and I was voted 2nd place.
The thing is, I didnβt know or was unable to see the racial tensions back then. No one took offense because they all thought it was appropriate. And I thought just because I didnβt say the βn-wordβ like everyone else, I wasnβt racist. It wasnβt until I moved to a bigger city and had friends that looked different than I did, thatβs when I saw the error in what I did. It still kills me that I did that and have to live with that for the rest of my days. No political career or red carpets for me because I will undoubtedly be cancelled. But no matter how it affects me, itβs a poor cosplay done in bad taste to appease ignorant people I donβt even talk with nowadays.
I wished I could converse with my younger self, and at least Educate him early on. But thatβs just pipedreams wishing to change the past. In hindsight, at least Iβve grown as a person and understand now. It takes a lot to kill what you used to think or who you used to be.
TL;DR I was a dumb fucking white teenager and dressed as βFat Albertβ with brown skin for a school contest. The
You will wake up as soon as Fat Albert gets on top of you.
Fat Albert just too off from LaCrosse International. VBMA10.
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