Bill Cosby Rape Scandal
Choose an argument that you found online (you may utilize an argument from a video posted online, a
blog, a news source, a political website, or any other resource that will allow you to satisfactorily meet the
requirements of the assignment). You may also select from this week�s relevant recommended
resources.
Once you have selected your source, you will then evaluate the argument being presented in the source
in an essay of 400 words. In your evaluation:
Identify the issue, the premises, and conclusions of the argument.
Determine whether the argument is sound or unsound (deductive), valid or invalid (deductive), or strong
or weak (inductive).
Explain why you have chosen to label it as sound or unsound, valid or invalid, and/or strong or weak.
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Use the �Steps for evaluating an argument� template for assistance with structuring your evaluation;
however, you should construct and submit your evaluation in an essay format. Do not merely turn in a
bulleted outline.
The essay must be 400 words in length, excluding title and reference pages, and formatted according to
APA style. For information regarding APA formatting, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford
Writing Center, located within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar in your online
course. The only required resource for this assignment is the media object or written work you analyze.
This should be the piece that you primarily use to complete this assignment. Secondary sources are
welcome but not necessary, and they should not be used in place of the argument piece you analyze.
The Bill Cosby Rape scandal gained national notoriety because of his name recognition.
All along Bill Cosby in additions to being a comedian, had been casted in roles where he
represented a stable family and an honest hardworking dad and man who the American man
could look up to. Thus when the allegations first broke, it was a shock to most people. The issue
thus is ‘did Bill Cosby rape the women who alleged he did?’ From the evidence available, it is
up to the consumer of the information to decide which side presents a strong argument.
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In this argument are two sides of the story. On one side are the women who claim to
have been raped by Bill Cosby on diverse dates. On the other hand there is Bill Cosby who
claims that all this allegations are nothing but a witch hunt and have no truth in basis. What
Giles and Jones (2014) have done is to chronologically capture all the happenings that have
surrounded the scandal. They have developed a timeline that traces the scandal back from the
day it broke to present – all arguments for and counter arguments against are all captured.
It has been argued by supporters of Bill Cosby and by the man himself that these allegations are
nothing better than a witch hunt.
However, the women who have leveled these allegations cannot just be dismissed as
noises of disgruntled women. From the time the allegations first appeared in Jan 2005, the
women keep emerging and the similarities of their stories and the details that they have demands
that their allegations be investigated deeper. Similarly, the details that they reveal are such that
they cannot have been fabricated.
On his part, Bill Cosby and his supporters argue that should these allegations hold some
truth, they should have emerged earlier – preferably when they happened. Similarly, they argue
that should the allegations hold value, then Bill needs to be charged in a court of law and given
his day to present his side of the story.
Both sides present a compelling and valid argument. What Giles and Jones (2014) have
done is offer a platform where both sided of the story may be tracked. They have collected all
arguments as presented by both sides of the argument when they were argued and presented
them in a chronological order allowing a first time reader follow the story from when it broke to
present. They have made sure not to come out as being biased towards one side and have
presented both arguments as they have been put forth by each side.
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Both sides of the argument present strong cases that are not based on hearsay or
generalization but on claims of facts that each side claims are verifiable. The women bringing
the allegations offer compelling arguments which do not have logical fallacies. The case is the
same for Bill Cosby side. This thus offers the reader compelling arguments that they can thus
use to come up with their own conclusion based on information available. Giles and Jones
(2014) thus make for a good read. By offering both sides of the argument, they allow the reader
to come to an informed conclusion.
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References
Giles, M & Jones, N (2014) A Timeline of the Abuse Charged Against Bill Cosby, retrieved
March 3,
