Ben Carson is not a fan of Black Lives Matter

[summer]

I'm bristling at "they think they've been treated unfairly..."  In particular the words, "they" and "think."  But okay, you come from the Stacey Dash School For The Colorblind.

www.salon.com/2015/09/14/ben_carson_slams_sickening_black_lives_matter_movement_for_bullying_people/

In a move sure to catapult him to the top of Bill O’Reilly’s most favored list, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson blasted Black Lives Matter for “bullying people” and slammed the movement’s motto as “sickening.”



When the conservative former neurosurgeon traveled to Ferguson, Missouri this past Friday, September 11, CBS’s Major Garret rode along with the rising Republican on Carson’s first visit to the city. Seated besides embattled Ferguson Mayor James Knowler, Carson took the opportunity to lash out at the Black Lives Matter that was borne out of the August 2014 shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson.



“The Black Lives Matter movement, where it’s foisting yourself on people – rather than engaging in dialogue – and bullying people,” Carson described, adding, “I never liked the idea of bullying on behalf of anybody.”



When asked directly by Garret if he believed there was “an undercurrent of bullying to Black Lives Matter,” Carson replied, “Sure. Absolutely.”



Referring to the backlash against the use of the phrase “All lives matter” by Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley, Carson told Carson, “of course all lives matter. … When we get off into a little thing that says, ‘No, this is the only thing you can say,’ that’s sickening to me.”



“He got so much grief he came back and apologized,” Carson told CBS News. “That’s bullying.”



“I detest political correctness. People died — they paid with their lives so we could have freedom of speech. And freedom of expression. And political correctness is the antithesis of that,” Carson told Garret on Friday morning before telling the Associated Press on Friday afternoon that he believed the movement should omit the word “black” from its title.





“I would prefer it be taken out,” Carson said. “I obviously prefer that we focus on everybody. At the same time, I recognize that they’re trying to say that they feel that they’ve been treated unfairly — in many cases they have — I’m not going to take that away from them.”



Carson, who as Garret noted is the first presidential candidate to take up the Mayor’s call for a tour and meeting with community leaders, blamed Ferguson residents for being unable to come to grips with the fact that Brown was justifiably killed but agreed that the 2014 protestors were rooted in deep-seated injustices, if not racial ones:



For me it conjured up an image of the people feeling that they have been unjustly treated by the police and that justifies civil disturbance. It also conjures up an image of the people being unwilling to actually face the facts. I think the community is unwilling to face the fact that Michael Brown was a bad actor.



Carson, the lone African-American candidate seeking to replace President Obama, said he believed America should “de-emphasize race and emphasize respect for each other” during his tour of the small Missouri town that had only three black police officers on the force at the time of Brown’s death despite having a population that was 60 percent African-American. Carson’s meeting with city leaders was closed off to press.



Watch Major Garrett’s interview with Ben Carson, via CBS News:

[meshaliuknits]

Sept 14, 2015 15:33:30 GMT -5 summer said:

I'm bristling at "they think they've been treated unfairly..."  In particular the words, "they" and "think."  But okay, you come from the Stacey Dash School For The Colorblind.

Mmmmhmmmm.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

The Fox News crowd is going to eat this up. Way to catapult yourself in the polls, Carson!

[LadySusan]

Is this what "New Black" is?

[summer]

Sept 14, 2015 15:44:21 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Does Ben Carson think his money insulates him from bigotry? That he wouldn't have been tackled like James. Blake was? Has he never experienced racial inequity?


He is just as perplexing as. Bobby Jindal.

Right? He's gonna mess around and get rolled one day and we'll all be like:

[Black Lavender]

My first thought when reading this, "you're a punk ass, and you're definitely getting traded in the next racial draft".

[Black Lavender]

Sept 14, 2015 15:44:21 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Does Ben Carson think his money insulates him from bigotry? That he wouldn't have been tackled like James. Blake was? Has he never experienced racial inequity?


He is just as perplexing as. Bobby Jindal.

Exactly! And you think somehow, by extension, your sons are insulated as well. He's a damn fool

[summer]

Sept 14, 2015 15:53:51 GMT -5 Black Lavender said:

My first thought when reading this, "you're a punk ass, and you're definitely getting traded in the next racial draft".

You know what though? I wouldn't even need a trade. Like, dude, just go. We'll all just fill in for you until someone else comes through. 

[summer]

And for the last damned time it is Black Lives Matter as much as anyone else's, not MORE than anyone else's. People stay acting simple about this. If even the act of saying Black Lives Matter ruffles people's feathers, how will we ever achieve anything?

[YeahSure]

Sept 14, 2015 15:33:30 GMT -5 summer said:

“I would prefer it be taken out,” Carson said. “I obviously prefer that we focus on everybody. At the same time, I recognize that they’re trying to say that they feel that they’ve been treated unfairly — in many cases they have — I’m not going to take that away from them.”

I like what you say here, Mr. Carson. People died so that we could have freedom of speech. And guess what? That means they have the right to say that BLACK lives matter! So whether you prefer the word "black" was taken out is irrelevant; they actually have the freedom to say what they want. That said, if they took it out the word "black". It wouldn't be much of a statement, now would it? Yes, I can see it now, activists marching, protesting "lives matter!" That would certainly make an impact. 

As for the second part, no they aren't trying to say that they feel they've been treated unfairly. They are saying in no uncertain terms that they are sick and tired of a society that is marginalizing them, imprisoning them, and whose police are killing their unarmed young men!

[sfy]

Sept 14, 2015 15:48:40 GMT -5 LadySusan said:

Is this what "New Black" is?

Yes .

He almost said as much during the debate, so I know you guys are not surprised, right? Right.

[ttt]

"As a reminder," Carson added, " I am retiring from medicine and would be open to a contributor position at Fox News if the price is right. Just saying."

[skwcm80]

Sept 14, 2015 19:54:28 GMT -5 sfy said:

Sept 14, 2015 15:48:40 GMT -5 LadySusan said:

Is this what "New Black" is?

Yes .

He almost said as much during the debate, so I know you guys are not surprised, right? Right.

I'm not. 

i wish people who think like Ben Carson would realize all the money and education in the world won't protect you from a bigot. 

[secretlyevil]

Ben Carson has an opportunity to make positive strives for racial equality. I'm very sad he chose to throw #blacklivesmatter under the bus instead. Pandering to the far right fringe/Fox News crowd for a few votes, so gross.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 14, 2015 16:27:52 GMT -5 summer said:

And for the last damned time it is Black Lives Matter as much as anyone else's, not MORE than anyone else's. People stay acting simple about this. If even the act of saying Black Lives Matter ruffles people's feathers, how will we ever achieve anything?

I don't get it. Could you use smaller words?

But seriously, it's not that hard to grasp. For all the hand-wringin over being "too politically correct," white people sure are easily offended.