By: Sara Heath
On Monday, November 10, Bill Cosby’s PR team came up with what they thought was a brilliant idea: create a platform on which a younger generation (one that might not be too familiar with the antics of Heathcliff Huxtable from The Cosby Show) could create funny memes of the comedian, according to thinkprogress.org. They clearly did not expect what would happen next.
In the wake of rape allegations made against Cosby back in 2004 which were quickly and privately dealt with, many of the meme contributors used the platform to bring awareness to Cosby’s rape allegations and to rape culture in general.
Besides the firestorm of memes posted to Twitter, the issue has gotten a lot of publicity on other platforms, such as on popular websites like Buzzfeed, Gawker, and the New York Post.
It’s no surprise younger generations are taking notice of allegations of sexual misconduct. This Bill Cosby meme movement comes in a time that a student a Columbia University is carrying her mattress around as a symbol for her sexual assault and its inadequate handling by the college’s administration.
And what do Assumption students think about these memes?
“It’s important for our generation to being to notice the very real problem [with rape culture] our culture has,” says Assumption senior, Ericka Consolmagno. “These memes are great in doing that. If we start speaking out and taking responsibility as people affected by this, we can end this nasty culture our society has somehow made okay.”
THE AC301 