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comment by galen
galen  ·  3397 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: ‘Black Lives Matter’ and the G.O.P.

Ben Carson on race at the debate pissed me off, especially when Vox called it a "shining moment" for him or some shit.

You CANNOT solve problems of societal and structural racism by not talking about race! THAT ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING.





b_b  ·  3397 days ago  ·  link  ·  

He's an interesting figure. He grew up poor in Detroit, as I understand it, and that's an unenviable position. He should know a thing or two about race relations, being a black man from one of the most segregated, violent places in the US. When he says, "it’s time for us to move beyond..." you can bet that he says it with authority, because whatever he did obviously worked for him, and worked miraculously. He's a man to admire for many reasons.

However, I think he's making the same mistake that self-made men often make when saying, "I did it; why can't they?" Namely, that he's an exceptional person, and most people aren't exceptional. Most people in the best of circumstances don't have the ability to become a world renowned neurosurgeon. He did it coming from a starting point about as far back in the pack as you can get. All the credit in the world to him, but it seems naive to think that because he could rise above circumstance that everyone else could too, were they just to forget it's a thing.

I hope that he comes out of his shell a little more on this topic, because I'm sure that if he were left to speak his mind openly, without meddling from his handlers, that he would have some insightful things to say. We'll see. Maybe when it becomes clear that he doesn't have a prayer of winning he'll start to speak more frankly.