As a public intellectual, I frequently speak and write about issues that ruffle the feathers of many people, irrespective of race, class, gender, sexuality, etc. For the past six months, I have received a letter or two every single day telling me how stupid, racist, unqualified, or even unattractive I am. After I penned my most recent op-ed in the Baltimore Sun, however, things moved to a different level.

For the past 4 days, literally dozens of letters have come across my inbox telling me the various reasons why I’m wrong to critique Cosby in public, or why my critique was flawed. Even wilder, I walk into my office on Friday to find out that Bill Cosby had called to express his concern about how my writing was “misguided,” and was “demonizing him” and “preventing him from providing directives to Black people.”

Dr. Cosby, if you are reading this, please note the following:

I am not attempting to demonize you or your cause. Rather, as I’ve mentioned several times, I sincerely acknowledge and respect your love for Black people. My issue, however, is with your approach. My fear is that your self-help message is being offered in such a way that it appears to be shrouded in class-arrogance, condescension, and social distance, rather than the love and care that I know you posess. I don’t have a problem with “tough love,” but the love MUST be apparent. Hopefully, a public space can be created for you to discuss these issue with people who offer a different persepctive. It doesn’t have to be me, just someone with a different view.

“I don’t care about that originality shit. I’m into bank deposits, I don’t give a fuck about originality…Me personally, I’m the one who’s always [had] my lines borrowed. You know, everybody wanna say “bitch” like Too $hort, so no comment on that! I appreciate it. Every time somebody say “bitch,” I like it.” – Too Short commenting on the state of hip-hop and his contributions.

NOTE: This quote also doubles as this week’s “Embarrassing Nigga Moment.”

“Come on. You don’t lose 100 pounds doing Pilates” – Rosie O’Donnell responding to a question about Star Jones’ weight loss.

As someone who is highly critical of American foreign policy, Memorial Day is always awkward for me. On the one hand, I strongly oppose America’s historical and current use of the military to further its own imperialistic goals. On the other, I refuse to lose sight of the courage, commitment, and fundamental humanity of anyone who is struggling for what they believe to be freedom, justice, and democracy.

To reconcile those two feelings, I have decided to follow the African American tradition of baptizing problematic American cultural practices into the rich and deep waters of Africa. With this in mind, I now use Memorial Day as an opportunity to send love and respect to all of the “soliders” that we’ve lost in the field, military and otherwise.

Particularly, I use this day to honor the memories of everyone who has been a casualty of American imperialism, including political prisoners, victims of the African holocaust, Native Americans, people of color throughout the world, and all of the other noble ancestors on whose sturdy shoulders we stand.

I am eternally indebted to all of them and vow to try my best to vindicate their spirits.

At 10:00AM Eastern Standard Time, I will be appearing on Michael Eric Dyson’s national radio show to discuss Bill Cosby, the plight of young Black men, and the politics of snitching. In addition to your local radio listings, which are provided below, the show can be accessed through the net at 10AM(EST): www.DysonTalk.net

Check it out!