It started with the Huxtables

So the Cosby Show was supposed to be the show that showed us Negros as the professionals we are. No more "scrappin and surviving" like Good Times.. We made it. Claire was a lawyer, and Cliff a successful obstetrician. Yes!! Ivy League educated Sandra married Elvin, a Princeton Grad. Denise didn't finish Hillman but then went on to marry Martin, an officer in the Navy.

Alright, we know Sandra and Elvin decided to give up their professional dreams and open the Wilderness store, but that is entreprenuership at its finest. Of course, we also remember that Denise was finding herself and she skipped from job to job, never quite reaching Claire status, but as an officer's wife she was good. All in all, the black family was continuing, destined to maintain high socio-economic bliss.

As little black girls, the Cosby's gave us hope. We saw that this could be our story. I was no longer Penny, cowering under the threat of an iron, or Florida drivin that bus and still never having a dollar at the end of the week. Y

Then we hit Vanessa, who began dating Robert, and moved on to Dabnis. So Dabnis Brickey wasn't the degreed type, but he was a supervisor at the University and was able to set up a home for Vanessa's idealistic ass. Good job.

The Cosby Show was a glimpse into the middle class world of Af-Ams, showing all we could be, as we were striving to be seen as equals and were going to college in record numbers. They were the dream we were hoping to attain, and my friends and I did. All of my friends from high school have degrees; we work in all different industries, and I don't think any of us live with our parents or have outside kids. We are doing it big and living up to our parents' dreams of success.

But as educated black women, there is still a piece that many are missing and that is a man on our level. Claire Huxtable did it, Sandra did it, hell Denise and Vanessa married up. So we thought that we could and would do that too. We thought hell yeah, I'm going to go to Hillman and find a Dwayne (if you like the nerdy type) or a Ron (if you like the doing too much lame negro), get married, buy the house and pop out them babies.

But that dream is turning out to be a fantasy. Because my homies are dating trifling negroes who ain't doing much, and are shocked that we, as adults, read. The shame isn't that it's happening, the shame is that the signs were there in our Cosby Show fantasy, but we missed em. We didn't pay enough attention to the reality of Rudy and Stanley.

Rudith Huxtable is the daughter of professionals. She went to school and assumingly got good grades, because it was never an issue on the show. But as we reach the final seasons who is Rudy mated with? Stanley.

Stanley's ass didn't even know to read when Rudy starting liking him. She overlooked Bud, and went for that sexy man candy played by Merlin Santana (R.I.P.) She was never bothered that he couldn't sound out "Continental Congress" when working in the after school program with Theo. And Theo didn't even look out for his little sis, didn't say, "You know he is 14 and can't read. you might want to think about that, Rudy."

No, Stanley was at the house, kicking it with the fam. Cliff, who had his reservations about allll the men that his daughter brought home easily accepted Stanley into the fold. Despite him being 9 years behind Rudy on the learning to read curve.

So, we got the message too late. Instead of picking it up then, when it is staring us in front of our faces, we held on the pipe dream... and its only now we see that the majority of mates suited for us are illiterates alll growed up. So we better get with the program and accept that our future is gonna look a little less like Cliff and Claire and a lot more like Rudy and Stanley. And that's okay because there are GED classes available at all junior colleges. Stick with him through that and you are gold. after all.. it is our high standards that send even the Stanley's running to white women... they know how to stand by they man.