Or so it looks in these pictures in The Guardian.
Maybe that's just the museum wing.
The man's been in the inspiration business for 2 decades. How many motivational speeches has he given over the years? What plaques and statuettes and medals have been handed to him on these occasions? What effect has that journey had on his brain? Not as much as surgery, I take it, but still, what is his judgment like after all of that fol-de-rol?
November 8, 2015
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139 comments:
He's African American. Get over it.
His judgment is likely orders of magnitude better than Obama's after a lifetime of being handed things he didn't deserve/earn.
Now imagine what people who run for president are truly like if they don't have all that stuff telling them how great they are.
At least Dr. Carson has a reason for his apparent self-regard, especially as reported in the Torygraph, who is doing the work of someone who isn't Hillary, IIKWIM.
Here's a news flash. All persons running for the job of president are not like you and me, and live in a way that make most "normal" people squirm with distaste. I'd rather eat a bug, frankly. For a man who has come from where this man has come from, I find it touching and very representative of how black professionals live and decorate their places of residence, places of worship, and private clubs.
He will probably also add that he would give all the glory you see represented here to God. That would creep out the same folks creeped out by this.
So the theme of today's blog posts is "authenticity."
Of all the candidates, this guy gives me the creeps. Something is not right.
Scratch the Torygraph snark - it's the Grauniad. Looks like this WAS set up be Hillary and bad Sid. Soz abar that.
I hope he cleans out the house and tosses all those testimonials to His Special Self (or at least winnows them out) so his kids don't have to do it. Cleaning out a parents' house is no fun.
Satisfactory interior decoration is a new criterion for out aspiring Presidential candidates? Sheesh, who'd a thunk it?
When can we get a glimpse inside Obama's nice big house in Chicago?
Do you think a terrorist who plotted to kill working class Americans played a big part in Carson's political development? 'Cuz I'm pretty sure that that is the case with Obama. Any Guardian stories on that?
Google shows only a single Guardian article that mentions both Ayers and Obama: a review of Obama's book that may have been ghostwritten by Ayers.
The Guardian is weird. The review says flat out that Ayers was a founder of the weather underground, but then describes him as "terrorist" and not a terrorist.
Even Carson's brother won't come forward to support his allegedly violent childhood. It won't be long before Ben becomes a footnote to the 2016 presidential campaign.
Carson saved thousands of lives and made good money doing so. He should have made more compared to what basketball players make. I doubt he has made the same money Hillary has. We know Hillary's negligence resulted in the death of four.
What do Hillary's cribs look like?
Carson over Hillary any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Hillary Clinton must be defeated.
Carthage must be destroyed.
---I hope he cleans out the house and tosses all those testimonials to His Special Self
I sense an underlying envy of the stunning achievements of this disadvantaged minority guy from the socialist-destroy the rich corner.
---When can we get a glimpse inside Obama's nice big house in Chicago?
I understand many of Obama’s plaques and certificates are affixed with the Hammer and Cycle.
Speaking of monuments, these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson.
ummmm....I'm sure the pictures were carefully selected to smear Dr. Carson, but does he not have a wife and a family??
@Unknown, you should really sense someone who's been there and done that as far as trying to decide what to toss and what to keep.
----these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson.
Sure. We should respond with critical thought to a pile of cabbage like this. I’ll get critical when the media starts discussing his POSITION on the life and death issues we face.
---@Unknown, you should really sense someone who's been there and done that as far as trying to decide what to toss and what to keep.
Oh, I get it. Like so many MadisonMan posts, its all about him and his experiences. There, there Madison man, sniff, your struggles to maintain your household are really appreciated and certainly more challenging than going from the ghetto to Yale and then world prominence at John Hopkins.
Sure. We should respond with critical thought to a pile of cabbage like this.
Exactly. This hit piece is equivalent to one treating Hillary's atrocious taste in clothing over a lifetime. What I find odd is that Althouse cannot see this. She has after all gone on record earlier stating that fashion trumps politics (and I agreed with her!).
One thing that is disqualifying for progressive voters is a black candidate who thinks a lot of himself.
I wonder if he would give The Queen a podcast of all of his speeches.
I remember seeing a photo of a cat house the Clintons had made for Socks. It had a sign on it that said "Sock's." They misspelled their own cat's name. The reporter made no mention of the mistake.
And poor Socks was given away for some reason.
Godfather Pizza wasn't very good pizza, really. I'm applying critical theory to pizza, and it's making my thoughts clarify on Herman Cain as a prospective President, from my time machine in 2012.
I wonder if Herman would have gotten us into the mess we're in today? We'll never know.
Please, Professor. The water you're submerged in distorts your vision, sitting there in Madison in your nice house. Kudos on the domestic setup, it's very admirable. You usually troll more artfully than this.
Now had his walls been adorned with Soviet hagiography, then we could be sure that he would be a great president.
Here's the thing. The Democrats have decided for better or for worse that Hillary is their candidate. Can anyone seriously consider an alternative to her as her party's candidate?
It's different on the Republican side. There is no clear front runner and what he media is engaging in here is Republican candidate character assassination in order to narrow the field to make their jobs cushy again. There is no focus on the positive things these candidates are saying. At all. Especially regarding Ben Carson. It's almost like the media resent his success.
MayBee said...
I wonder if he would give The Queen a podcast of all of his speeches.
Zing!
A bit of an egomaniac: as a Presidential candidate he fits right in. If he ever promises that the rise of the oceans will begin to slow if he's elected, I may start worrying about it.
He should have hired a pofessional to carve that Bible verse.
For the typical Guardian reader, most of the hate-Carson message will be conveyed by the plaque with the Hebrew lettering.
"what is his judgment like after all of that fol-de-rol?"
Better than that of "pragmatic" Barry.
"these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson"
Look, he's just about my least favorite GOP candidate. But "critical thinking" in this case involves not just taking the text at face value but practicing a real hermeneutics of suspicion. I suspect a crude hit job. I suspect the instigators know nothing about how successful blacks generally celebrate their achievements. I suspect opponents of Carsonian self-glorification never looked very closely at Obamian self-glorification. So some of us jaded hemeneuts shrug our cynical shoulders and decline to play your little game.
Paul Zrimsek said...
For the typical Guardian reader, most of the hate-Carson message will be conveyed by the plaque with the Hebrew lettering.
Remind me again how many Jews hold positions of power in the Republican party.
Is Ben Carson a better man than Obama?
Yeah.
Is Ben Carson a better person than Hillary?
Yeah.
Is Ben Carson Presidential Material?
He has done nothing to convince me of that.
Being a better person is its own reward, but that doesn't mean he's capable of taking on, say, Putin.
The Pyramids thing in itself is reason enough to question his thinking.
Was Rev. Wright's "God Damn America" worse than Carson's beliefs?
Yeah. But we are not needing someone better than Obama, we are needing a good candidate.
He strikes me as Rotary Club level.
And I'll say it: if he was white he would be at the levels of Huckabee.
I am Laslo.
The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what? It's not an argument for Carson. So you don't like Obama and you think the people who voted for him had skewed judgment? Why is that a foundation for explaining why Carson should be President? In retaliation?
It was also odd that Carson inserted himself into the biographies of all the presidents on his website...oh, wait.
Ann Althouse said...
"The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what? It's not an argument for Carson."
Pretty much the point I was trying to make at 9:54.
I am not against Carson. He just hasn't given me anything that makes me for him.
I'm tired of 'Inspirational'. I'd like Competency.
I am Laslo.
----Remind me again how many Jews hold positions of power in the Republican party.
Really? With Obama and Kerry urinating on Bibi Netanhahu on a weekly basis?
and almost 50 Democratic congresspersons boycotting Netanyahu’s speech?
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/232160-whip-list-dems-skipping-netanyahu-speech
The democrat party is openly embracing the blood thirsty palistinians and calling Israelis war-criminals.
Sure, shine that spotlight where it belongs.
I don't have an argument for Carson. I'm not for Carson. But the criticism of him when compared to the adoration of Obama is hilarious and sad.
Carson should do a video like John Entwistle in The Who's "Success Story" where he walks through his mansion, gathers up his gold albums and skeet shoots them with a machine gun .
It's nice for everyone who has given him some sort of award that he puts them up on the walls instead of just throwing them away. Without knowing the man's mind, you can't tell if the certificates are hung on the wall because he thinks he's great or because he appreciates that other people took the time to honor him in some way.
Maybe the way you view it says more about you than it does about him.
There were people who thought Obama was going to bring about a new kind of racial healing. They were really blinkered by his Presence. I would think those people should question why they want now to jump on to every personality foible of Carson. Is it that they realize they've been had already, and think a man of a similar race now can't be trusted? Have they gotten wise? Or is it something else?
What if you find Obama's self-confidence "charming"? Why would you find Ben Carson's self-confidence off-putting?
The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what? It's not an argument for Carson. So you don't like Obama and you think the people who voted for him had skewed judgment? Why is that a foundation for explaining why Carson should be President? In retaliation?
Speaking for myself, I'd say it's because of you. You are the one who endlessly hoped and hyped that Obama would live up to your expectations. Why you even cajoled Meade into regretting not voting for Obama. I admit that the endless hoping and hyping would require a compilation over the years but it's all on record here.
" . . . resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson."
Based on a Guardian piece mocking his lifestyle?
Call me when the Guardian has a story about Carson palling around with terrorists. Or "terrorists."
MayBee said...
There were people who thought Obama was going to bring about a new kind of racial healing. They were really blinkered by his Presence. I would think those people should question why they want now to jump on to every personality foible of Carson. Is it that they realize they've been had already, and think a man of a similar race now can't be trusted? Have they gotten wise? Or is it something else?
Very astute. It could be a sign of learning for them. But they can only turn this lesson back onto Carson and not onto Obama, precisely because of the written record. And by "they" I mean the left-leaning press.
Why would the "media liberal conspiracy" would be looking to kill Carson's campaign at this time. Certainly Hillary would prefer that he get the nomination first and then be destroyed by the press.
The media is a competitive business. That explains why they are all seeking to uncover negative facts on Carson and others.
"The media is a competitive business. That explains why they are all seeking to uncover negative facts on Carson and others."
It does not explain why the press never investigated how a "so so" student at Occidental managed to transfer to Columbia, a Harvard feeder school. Or how they missed that some of the important people he wrote about in his memoirs did not exist.
Unknown said...
Sure, shine that spotlight where it belongs.
Why can't Jews get elected to positions of power in the Republican party?
What exactly should Carson do with all the awards? Mocking someone for displaying their awards or tributes is not evidence of critical thinking about the person.
Speaking for myself, I'd say it's because of you. You are the one who endlessly hoped and hyped that Obama would live up to your expectations. Why you even cajoled Meade into regretting not voting for Obama. I admit that the endless hoping and hyping would require a compilation over the years but it's all on record here.
This. Thanks, chickelit. Carson is so very representative of the black people I know and work with. I'm not saying that I'd vote for him, for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with how he treats the pieces of honor we trade with each other. (*I'm a Hayekian minarchist, to begin with...) Apparently he respects himself and the people that have honored him. This whole thing says a lot more about you than about Carson. At least that's how it looks here. Not your finest hour. Your cultural ignorance is showing. I say this as you would whisper to me that my "barn door is open" at a cocktail party or church dinner. I would appreciate that, if you had.
You bring your baggage with you (art, academia, law) and he brings his with him.
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Speaking of monuments, these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson.
No.
The big question is; What the hell difference does it make?
I've been in homes of self made white professionals that didn't look much different.
You want us to juge him on how he decorates his house?
Most of it is in his rec room where it belongs.
And I'll give him this.
At least it's not sports memorabilia.
"What exactly should Carson do with all the awards?"
Put them in a Memories Box under the bed.
Then, once a year, take them all out and lay them over the bed.
At which point you get naked, masturbate to your awesomeness, than put them all back in the Box.
Until next year.
I am Laslo.
Chickelit-
Good points.
I submit part of it is they think a black man should be confident in a certain way. Trash talking about sports. Saying things like "I'll beat your boy's ass" about a campaign. Dusting off the dirt from your shoulders, like Jay-Z. Writing memoirs for having graduated law school. Certain a speech could bring about foreign policy change throughout the middle east. Cocky, if you will. Liberal.
A quietly confident black man who has pride in his success is perhaps not what they are used to. Especially if he is conservative.
That kind of guy doesn't fit the stereotype they've created.
@blackrepublican: #BenCarson, the only black man with the distinction of having to fight the media to acknowledge he was at some point ''violent''.
And as for monuments to not thinking crigtically.
May I remind you that you helped install the current resident based on no rational decision that I can think of.
Like every other critical thinker that voted for him.
"It's about time we had a black president."
So. like.
Shut yer piehole
The constant Carson/Obama Dialectic starts to just seem like Our Black Man is better than Their Black Man.
I'd be more interested in comparing him to Rand Paul, for one.
I am Laslo.
@ARM,
Why can't Jews get elected to positions of power in the Republican party?
Uhhhmmmm, because they're almost all Democrats? I mean, some Jews need to actually run for office as Republican & be defeated before we can make that judgement, right?
Yes, Cantor got defeated, but he had won re-election before, and wasn't shy about his Judaism in those winning races. In his latest go-round, he just badly misinterpreted (as do many other Republicans in the leadership) the mood of his district on illegal immigration.
Apparently he's no good at bowling.
I have a trophy somewhere. The company went through a phase.
YoungHegelian said...
Uhhhmmmm, because they're almost all Democrats?
Why are they all Democrats if the Democrats are as anti-Semitic as many here believe.
I'm just calling bullshit on this particular piece of nonsense.
Here it is. For outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the Incisive Formal team.
That apparently was the name of a project, a name I am unfamiliar with; nor do I know who else was on the team.
It's signed by a group director and a vice president, so you know who thought it up.
The gimmicks on the back make it possible to hang the thing on the wall either sideways or upside down.
I am no fan of Dr. Carson, as I expect many on these pages are also not fans. I think he was a fantastic surgeon and is a brilliant man.
I could not care less about most of the articles written against his candidacy recently. They are attacks on things having little to do with the job.
Tell me how he managed people in his role at Johns Hopkins. Find the doctors, nurses, orderlies, candy stripers and administrators who experienced him as a leader and manager of people. About that, I might care.
---Why can't Jews get elected to positions of power in the Republican party?
Classic. You surely identify with the Democrat party’s anti-semitism but must deny it. The better question is why Jews continue to vote Democratic in the face of an existential threat to Israel? This worshipful prostration of Jews to the tolitarian left probably explains why few rise in Republican ranks.
-----The Institute for Jewish & Community Research, which conducted an authoritative public opinion survey on the topic of anti-Semitic beliefs, also reveals the young are more likely to be anti-Jewish than those over 35.
“In the wake of the Holocaust, social norms in the United States and elsewhere in the world were more prohibitive of most overt expressions of anti-Semitism,” said Gary Tobin, president of the institute. “The constraints against anti-Semitism are weakening, and the rise in anti-Semitic beliefs is part of that trend.”
The survey, entitled, “Anti-Semitic Beliefs in the United States,” by Tobin and Sid Groeneman, also asked some other timely questions, and yielded some surprising results:
Nearly one-third of Americans (32 percent) were concerned that a Jewish president might not act in America’s best interests if they conflict with Israel’s. This belief recalls the “dual loyalties” stigma sometimes applied to American Jews – that Jewish Americans are at least equally swayed by Israel’s interests as by what is best for America.
******Democrats tend to be more anti-Semitic than Republicans****. For example, Republicans are less likely to view Jews as caring only about themselves (12 percent) than Democrats or independents (20 percent each). This finding may come as a surprise to many Jews, who are much more heavily aligned with the Democratic Party.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2003/01/16744/#vP0BmDsTs2DBZ4Xo.99
But since you insist on your transparent propaganda effort , I’ll bite..
Eric Cantor Majority Leader of the House.
Norm Coleman former Senator
Ken Mehlman
"The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what? It's not an argument for Carson. So you don't like Obama and you think the people who voted for him had skewed judgment? Why is that a foundation for explaining why Carson should be President? In retaliation?"
Is that really the only reason you can imagine for some of the comments? Perhaps, just perhaps, it is because the commenters are frustrated or angry about how Dr. Carson is being ridiculed by the press over trivial issues when glaring examples during President Obama's first run were not just ignored but actively hidden from view.
Fine do all the Monday morning psych evaluations you want on Carson. But do the same for Hillary, Bernie, The Donald and others.
I find it interesting that you seem willing to dig deep in case A but not B. You can slice and dice a single, specific word choice into seventeen layers in case A, but in case B you find such activities petty.
show me a doctor, lawyer, politician or general that doesn't have such a wall and I'll show you a loser.
In the Army, we call them "I love me walls"
Unknown said...
This worshipful prostration of Jews to the tolitarian left probably explains why few rise in Republican ranks.
Isn't this anti-Semitic? I'm sensing some projection here.
OK, let's think critically. The Guardian leans left. The pictures focus on mostly nondescript plaques, etc. awarded to a very successful man, and, perhaps, his family. Who can tell? I'd probably put the Presidential Medal of Freedom on the mantle, too. If the pictures truly represent a shrine to Dr. Carson, is there another for his wife and family? How big is his home? Are we looking at his trophy room or man cave? We're just scratching the surface here. I can conclude precisely nothing from the article. If I had to guess, I'd say the article was intended as a hit piece, while holding open the possibility that Dr. Carson has a healthy self-regard, or maybe he is an egomaniac. That's certainly implied by this silliness from the Guardian.
@ARM,
Why are they all Democrats if the Democrats are as anti-Semitic as many here believe.
Because, 1) they mostly live in solid blue urban areas on both coasts 2) they have the cultural antipathy endemic to upper class coasties to the bumpkins in the heartland & 3) the Jews skew quite old as a demographic, and they grew up with a a Democratic Party that consisted of many white ethnics & was solidly pro-Israel. That may be changing generationally. Jewish men between the ages of 21 & 35 were no more likely to vote for Obama than their general age cohort. No so for young Jewish women, but that's true for young single women in general.
The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what?
I do compare candidates to present and past Presidents to ponder if the Candidate running has favorable attributes that were present in past Presidents.
So yeah, a comparison of Carson to Obama (and Obama's predecessors) is inevitable in that.
No one reads an autobiography to find out the truth about a person. No one writes an autobiography to tell the truth about themselves.
Yet we are supposed to believe that Carson is less accurately representing his past than his brother? What the Hell kind of critical thinking is on show here?
Unknown said...
Eric Cantor Majority Leader of the House.
Who was famously pushed aside to let not one but two goyim get a shot at the big prize.
"Isn't this anti-Semitic?"
These days it's the Democrats who believe that race is destiny.
The Democrats know that Carson probably won't be the nominee, but in any case he must be destroyed. Why? Because Carson stands to become if uncheck the point man for Republican outreach into the black community.
Sure, there've been black Republicans. Colin Powell, but he was a Caribbean black brought up in Brooklyn & then into the army. Condoleeza Rice, but she's an egghead who speaks Russian fluently & likes to play Brahms on her piano. But, Carson, Carson's got a life experience that plays in the black community. You think they made a movie with Cuba Gooding about him for the white audience?
If, at the limit 30% of black likely voters could be moved into the Repub. column, the Democrats lose. Everywhere. Because you know those blue urban areas? They have huge Republican Parties. It's just that the Democratic Party is more huge. Start subtracting black votes, & the scales tip. Even move 10% of black likely voters Repub, and many an election tips (e.g. the Maryland governorship would probably stay Republican).
The Dems are moving as fast as they can to get other sources of funding (e.g. Silicon Valley) to replace the 40% they get from their rapidly aging Jewish donor base. They gotta hold on to the black vote, and right now Carson is their biggest threat.
Terry said...
These days it's the Democrats who believe that race is destiny.
Is that so? You should tell that to all the people here who have expressed the view that blacks lack the IQ to do well in school and that stupid liberals should stop throwing money at preschool programs and affirmative action programs.
"show me a doctor, lawyer, politician or general that doesn't have such a wall and I'll show you a loser.
In the Army, we call them "I love me walls"
I was waiting to see someone say this. That is the best explanation. I had such a wall in my previous house except it was about sailing, a hobby in which I have won many trophies. I had a couple of pictures of me doing open heart surgery and that sort of thing. Carson is probably more typical of doctors, especially surgeons who are focused 99% on their career but he also has a deep religious theme in his life.
ARM wonders about Jews and Republicans. I can only say that they are called "neocons" and many shifted to the Republicans in the 80s. The remaining Jewish Democrats are probably explained by the religious theme of giving to the poor and day of atonement. I don't know enough about Judaism to speculate on the rest.
I was a member of "The Young Men's Jewish Council" in high school but that was because they had a basketball court and the YMCA didn't. I lived in a neighborhood in Chicago that was about 1/3 Jewish and 1/3 Catholic. Most of my friend's had Jewish girlfriends for a while until their parents found out about it and forbade the girls to hang out with us.
"the people here who have expressed the view that blacks lack the IQ to do well in school"
Most of them are leftists. Throwing money at schools is a matter of efficacy and why blacks have the pathology they do. I teach medical students and have had quite a few. They do just fine unless they are American blacks who have bought into the left's theory of inferiority. One year I had three black kids in my small group. The two foreign born tried to help the one who was from Los Angeles but he flunked out.
----Who was famously pushed aside to let not one but two goyim get a shot at the big prize.
Denial of the influence of the Tea Party and Cantor’s embrace of open borders.
How about Senator Joseph Lieberman pushed out of the party to the chorus of Obama adminstration anti-semitic remarks.
Jen Rubin of the Washington Post reports that Senator Joe Lieberman and Congressman Gary Ackerman, both Democrats, have also condemned Gutman's remarks:
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s communications director e-mailed me this response: “Senator Lieberman believes that Ambassador Gutman’s remarks about anti-Semitism were unjustifiable and ahistorical. His view is that it is inexcusable to offer rationalizations for anti-Semitism or any other form of bigotry or hatred.” Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) told Right Turn: “There is no difference between the anti-Semites who hate Jews because they hate Jews and those who feel a need to cite a reason for their hateful anti-Semitism. Anyone who thinks they are different is simply anti-Semitic.”
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/american-jewish-committee-appalled-amb-gutmans-comments_611644.html
You should tell that to all the people here who have expressed the view that blacks lack the IQ to do well in school and that stupid liberals should stop throwing money at preschool programs and affirmative action programs."
You are confusing statistical averages for individuals. The mean IQ among black Americans is 85, which is a full standard deviation below the mean IQ for whites. But that's describing a group, not individuals. Just because the mean is lower does not mean that there are no high IQ blacks. It just means that high IQ blacks represent an even smaller proportion of the whole than do high IQ whites. People like Ben Carson do not in any way dispute this statistical truth.
Even if we accept the article's premise that Carson has a big ego, my response would be, "Duh!" Have the writers ever actually met people who run surgical teams? Let alone pediatric neurosurgery. It takes a massive ego to be successful in that job. Do you really want a nebbish, Woody Allen type full of neuroses and self-doubt making critical, life-changing clutch decisions? Yeah, me either.
@Michael,
The remaining Jewish Democrats are probably explained by the religious theme of giving to the poor and day of atonement. I don't know enough about Judaism to speculate on the rest.
Over the last few years, I have been digging deeper into the history of rabbinic theology. While I have no problem per se with the rabbinic tradition, it's led me to do research on many a Jewish topic, and what I've found has often been some really ugly stuff. There's simply far too much prejudice in the Jewish community that gets glossed over with their "Judaism as social justice" idea of the faith.
Take a look at this article. As reasonable and tolerant of an article as can be imagined. Notice there are no comments. There's a good reason those comments got cleared, because they were as nasty as you can imagine. There was no way in hell that their Judaism would require them to give Palin & her stupid Christianity the time of day. And, for a real winner, take a look at these links.
The Dems are moving as fast as they can to get other sources of funding (e.g. Silicon Valley) to replace the 40% they get from their rapidly aging Jewish donor base.
Right. The gentiles of Silicon Valley like Sergei Bryn, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg.
Trump would get more Latino voters than Carson would get black voters.
Neither will get Jewish voters.
I am Laslo.
There's simply far too much prejudice in the Jewish community that gets glossed over with their "Judaism as social justice" idea of the faith.
Take a look at this article.
Back to doing Mel Gibson's good work, I see. Yup, I'm sure no antipathy toward Sarah Palin's "beliefs" had anything to do with her idiocy generally and of those like her to believe in literally loony things like creationism, biblical inerrancy/literalism, replacement theology, etc., and other anti-science and pro-apocalyptic beliefs. Newsflash, many other thinking people felt much the same way about your parakeet with lipstick.
@R&B,
Did you read the links? Do you defend Sandra Bernhardt & her audience at the JCC that day?
Answer the question.
Unknown said...
How about Senator Joseph Lieberman
The guy who was selected vice presidential candidate of the Democrat Party and then backed the Republican McCain for the presidency? That guy?
@R&B,
believe in literally loony things like creationism, biblical inerrancy/literalism, replacement theology, etc., and other anti-science and pro-apocalyptic beliefs.
By the way, aside from "replacement theology", Orthodox Jews believe in all those things.
But, they're stupid fuckers, too, right?
And, by the way, did you notice that every single link is to a Jewish source? So, do Jewish sources propagate anti-semitism in that bubble you call your world?
You are one major league pompous, fucking asshole, R&B. You really are. And as clueless as the day is long.
Did you read the links? Do you defend Sandra Bernhardt & her audience at the JCC that day?
Answer the question.
No defense necessary, Grand Inquisitor Torquemada. JCCs are community centers (hence the name), not theological organizations, and Jews seem to have become really comfortable with the idea of freedom and freedom of speech ever since the days of ancient Greece and certainly since the American Revolution. As much as it bothers you that they don't have hierarchical imperial priests of pomposity to dictate matters of taste and free association, they simply don't. And as much as you want to collectivize their guilt for some imagined offense to the "dignity" of Alaskan hillbillies (as people like you have historically done), that won't stick, either.
Yes, we get that Palin is a Christ-like "Woman of the People", maybe even reminiscent of Mary given her life-saving powers to redeem the pro-life crowd with special babies. But just give it a rest, already. It's pathetic the degree to which you refuse to understand straightforward things simply for not conforming to your own mental authoritarianism.
believe in literally loony things like creationism, biblical inerrancy/literalism, replacement theology, etc., and other anti-science and pro-apocalyptic beliefs.
By the way, aside from "replacement theology", Orthodox Jews believe in all those things.
But, they're stupid fuckers, too, right?
You bet. If they take them literally.
And, by the way, did you notice that every single link is to a Jewish source? So, do Jewish sources propagate anti-semitism in that bubble you call your world?
I didn't read every one of them. I barely even skimmed one. But I'm sure none of them have the sort of agenda you do.
You are one major league pompous, fucking asshole, R&B. You really are.
Why thank you! Coming from someone who needs a spiritual emperor to tell him what's what and what's right or wrong, I take that as a major compliment! I really do.
And as clueless as the day is long.
As above.
BTW, try telling Orthodox Jews that they believe in biblical literalism. That's a major-league boner/blunder. The whole "oral law" they have was a major reason for why Catholics in medieval Europe were taught that it was okay to persecute Jews for centuries and centuries. Something "evil" was in the talmud, and time for the torture and killings to begin! It was in their oral law! Not in the written word that only the designated church figures were "authorized" to interpret.
" But that's describing a group, not individuals. Just because the mean is lower does not mean that there are no high IQ blacks."
Yes and few people who pontificate understand anything about statistics. It's the same thing about males and mathematics.
"Normal distribution" means nothing to most people and its too bad.
Hegelian, it is best to scroll past R&B's comments quickly lest you get any of it on your shoes.
Hegelian, it is best to scroll past R&B's comments quickly lest you get any of it on your shoes.
I figured it was a possible point of convergence for the two of you. You could tell him that it's ok to throw bad arguments at me because some pope at some point in history said it was ok to pick on McDonald's employees, or something like that.
No pics of his pyramidal 'fridge?
I have not been to the WH, but I have heard that many walls are adorned with pictures of Dear Leader and his wife Michelle, just like in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern kingdoms and emirates. Of course, in those, the wife isn't pictured, but a stand-in helium balloon with a black bag on it would do.
Ben Carson can decorate his house however he wants. Would it be better if he put all his awards in a box in a closet?
Denial of the influence of the Tea Party and Cantor’s embrace of open borders.
This in itself is a model example of the psychological schizophrenia of the right - or any movement so enamored with the power that brings it into life. Wasn't it Koch Inc. itself that made the Tea Party? And aren't the Koch brothers huge advocates of open immigration?
Republicans it seems just have no capacity for drawing conclusions from how they get their power and the agenda of those who give it to them.
Unknown - all the testimonials and awards will find a permanent place in his Presidential Library. Don't worry about his kids.
WShat I find interesting is that this level of inquiry wasn't in evidence when the current resident was running.
Odd. That.
The Pyramids thing in itself is reason enough to question his thinking.
Channeling Eleanor Roosevelt (as did Hillary) is a reason to question her thinking.
And also, YH might want to take notice of the differing forms of "apocalyptic beliefs" held to by Sarah Palin types and by people who don't read as much literal, physical destruction into them, let alone the idea that 90%+ of them are destined to be annihilated.
Just one more (oh so minor) theological difference.
YH: Just go ahead and convert already. You are so conflicted and so envious of Jews. Go ahead, make that plunge, shed your overbearing sensitivity, and stop worrying more about esoteric things than about the things that matter in life.
MathMom said...
The Pyramids thing in itself is reason enough to question his thinking.
"Channeling Eleanor Roosevelt (as did Hillary) is a reason to question her thinking."
Agreed.
But they are not mutually exclusive.
I also believe Ben believes what he has said.
I believe Hillary never believes what she has said.
Which makes Hillary a liar and Ben a well-meaning kook.
I am Laslo.
You can bluff being an editor at the Harvard Law Review with far more ease than completing a fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery. The simple fact is that Carson is a far more accomplished man than Obama. When you discuss critical thinking, you might want to note the variance in critical thinking about Obama and Carson by members of the media. The difference is glaring and obvious.......I don't think any of Carson's accomplishments foretells a successful presidency, but they're more numerous and worthy of praise than Obama's. If you dispute that simple fact then you are not engaging in critical thinking.
Again: I am not Carson. I just don't see the reason to be for him.
When he is criticized the answers in his defense are the left-wing press, Obama skated by, etc.
These are not incorrect answers, but they do not tell my why Carson is a Number One choice.
I would like to know how he plans to deal with a calcified Government of Bureaucrats that will simply wait him out, for a beginning.
I am Laslo.
"The endless, reflexive comparison to Obama proves what? It's not an argument for Carson"
The point, which I'm sure you are deliberately ignoring, is that Obama was not subjected to anywhere close to this level of scrutiny by the media, despite enough red flags to make it look like Moscow on May Day.
Obama's background has a background as a constitutional scholar. I nonetheless get the idea that his views on executive privilege are fungible and subject to "evolution" depending on which party holds the presidency. Carson has a background in surgery. I don't think his beliefs in surgical technique are in any way dependent on his views about Pyramid granaries. I'd be indebted if anyone could point out how his religious beliefs in any way interfered with his competence as a physician. I think the various myths that Obama believes in has damaged his judgment.
I think I'm being shunned.
Listen - YH, sorry for hurting your feelings, but I'm serious. You should just convert to Judaism already. You are way too envious of them and try way too hard to contextualize a rationalization of them that even you know is either inaccurate or limiting.
Just become one of them and give up the fancy fables and stories and glorious this-that-or-the-other. And the guilt and fear. You don't have a Jewish mother so that source of guilt will be gone. You'll just have to do what the guys in the black hats and suits tell you to do. (At least for a year or so). No more worrying about how your conscience is not being constrained enough by the dictates of one guy living in a surreal kind of splendrous austerity - or obsessions on the eternal supernatural hereafter. No more one-on-one with someone who can't get you and who never will get you. Just the vague, amorphous whims of a group of generally whimsical people who mean you no harm - the way communities are intended to function.
Come back down to life on the corporeal plane, the way your other relatives are used to living it.
"I'd be indebted if anyone could point out how his religious beliefs in any way interfered with his competence as a physician."
Not electing him to be Our National Surgeon.
Maybe he could talk about Ethanol subsidies. Is there enough corn in the Pyramids to support this?
I am Laslo.
Were Wheaties originally "The Breakfast of Pyramids"?
I am Laslo.
The Guardian seems not to understand much about Americans who are a) very, very religious, b) life-saving surgeons heading a team at a major academic hospital, c) black, d) prominent motivational speakers, or e) all of the above.
Myself, I love black Jesus guiding Dr. Carson. I would bet you real money it was painted by a grateful patient. Why didn't they ask him about that?
Laslo Spatula said...
Maybe he could talk about Ethanol subsidies. Is there enough corn in the Pyramids to support this?
Various scientists have said, "Well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how, you know, they used up all the corn powering their spaceships."
Breakfast of Pharoes, laslo.
How ya gonna keep those Jews in line without a hearty bowl of Wheaties?
My point was that Carson rendered unto Caesar the things that were Caesar. I don't think there's anything in an SDA background that would interfere--for or against--with views on a balanced budget or increased defense spending. There is much in Obama's pastel Marxist background than interferes with such things.......Again, this is not a recommendation of Carson. I'm stating that his background is less of a detriment to being President than Obama'sbackground.
Michael K said...
I was waiting to see someone say this. That is the best explanation. I had such a wall in my previous house except it was about sailing, a hobby in which I have won many trophies
Ever sail out of Newport? I was in grad school there in 78-79...Shields and J-24's
Newport Beach. Not RI
Laslo Spatula
Again: I am not Carson. I just don't see the reason to be for him.
I see lots of reasons to be for Carson (even though I'm not). What we're talking about here are reasons to be against him. At least, that's all I'm hearing.
Ben Carson would probably not enjoy anal sex with Scarlett Johansson
I am not Laslo
The picture with Jesus might be tacky, but I've seen worse. As to the hanging of stuff in the pool table room, he has a medal of freedom. Who wouldn't hang a medal of freedom?
And all of those things on his wall are probably EARNED. are people just jeaous because it looks like accomplished more than them?
"Ever sail out of Newport? I was in grad school there in 78-79...Shields and J-24's"
Many, many times. I did 20 plus Ensenada Races and won the 66 Series in 1982. Eventually, I shifted more to Los Angles Harbor where the boats were bigger and competition was a bit more intense. I had a J 24 for years but, as you probably know, the West Coast built J 24s were not as fast as the East Coast built ones.
Did one Transpac. Surgeons have a hard time going away for three weeks at a time.
R&B's: "Wasn't it Koch Inc. itself that made the Tea Party?"
No. Why do you ask?
Because Carson stands to become if uncheck[ed] the point man for Republican outreach into the black community
Not sure the Democrats are all that worried about that. Any minute now they'll start playing up Carson's ties to Armstrong Williams, his closest adviser, who was also an aide and close adviser to Strom Thurmond.
"Not sure the Democrats are all that worried about that"
I think Democrats are very worried about Carson. Hence the onslaught of stories, mostly false.
chickelit said...
"Ben Carson would probably not enjoy anal sex with Scarlett Johansson."
Which is why I question his judgment on things not related to brain surgery.
How can you have anal sex with Scarlett Johansson and not enjoy it?
I am Laslo.
Laslo Spatula asked: How can you have anal sex with Scarlett Johansson and not enjoy it?
What you're saying is that they're all pink inside -- just like brains.
I am not Laslo
"Speaking of monuments, these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson."
Please. Was your post an invitation to think critically about his wall of plaques and memorabilia? Really? That's not critical thinking, that's parlor psychology. Many Black Americans who have achieved a lot in life believe there is a social benefit to showing it. I think that's valid and true. The Guardian spins that tendency -- "Ben Carson's house: a homage to himself..." and tries to paste Carson with the smear of malignant narcissism. Critical thinking? Hell no. This snotty leftist paper editorially crosses the line into racism and repugnance. Is that thinking critical enough for you, Ann?
Ben Carson is African American. Get over it.
"Many Black Americans who have achieved a lot in life believe there is a social benefit to showing it."
He lives there. I have an "I love me wall." It's not like he is plastering his name on buildings everywhere.
"It's not like he is plastering his name on buildings everywhere."
You mean, like a certain real estate developer.
Oh please. That decor has "wife" written all over it.
I doubt he even had any say in what, or where, any of it went.
Man we are easily entertained.
And it beats the hell out of the typical horrid Chicago decor that $$$$ were spent on in the White House. I've yet to see anyone there that has decent interior design taste in Chicago. Always overdone, too much emphasis on whatever the hell look they were going for, and most often, too many damn faux flowers. Flowers on the rugs, flowers on the wallpaper, fake flowers in scores of vases, flowers on the towels. Ugh.
If he wins hopefully he'll have enough stuff to fill a library with.
The current prez has, what, a Nobel Peace Prize? I suppose he keeps that in a sock drawer now. Hopefully his girls have a bunch of band trophies or something to fill in the bare spots.
Ben Carson appears to be a decent, accomplished, Christian human being. Journalists who are, by and large, none of the above and who support politicians who are, by and large, none of the above have a burning need to bring him down.
This is appropriately called "the tall poppy syndrome."
"How can you have anal sex with Scarlett Johansson and not enjoy it?"
Is she wearing the strap-on?
"That decor has "wife" written all over it.
I doubt he even had any say in what, or where, any of it went. "
"I love me walls" are usually subject to a battle with the wife, significant other, who wants to move it to a "man Cave." Does Meade have an "I love me wall?"
"Speaking of monuments, these comments are a monument to resistance to thinking critically about Ben Carson."
Ah. Here's the Perfessor, who built her own monument to noncritical thinking in 2008 when she joined the ranks of the Obamadupes, chastising us.
Okay. Hillary Clinton is a lying grifter trading on her husband's history. Most recently, she built a flawed and dangerous foreign policy in the Middle East and indulged her paranoia by foolishly storing sensitive State Dept. emails in her bathroom.
Dr. Carson is an intelligent, accomplished man who has not been tarnished by our corrupt political process, but, most important, he is not Hillary.
Terry said...
These days it's the Democrats who believe that race is destiny.
Is that so? You should tell that to all the people here who have expressed the view that blacks lack the IQ to do well in school and that stupid liberals should stop throwing money at preschool programs and affirmative action programs.
Oh, bullshit, ARM. Who said this? What political party has hard racial quoatas for its convention delegates? It ain't the GOP. What do preschool programs have to do with race? And what the Hell does opposing affirmative action have to do with 'race as destiny'?
You are an idiot, ARM.
Does he use it to store wheat?
He's definitely not a WASP. Jeb Bush would never do a thing like this. Trophies are tacky. The only trophy that interests him is the presidency. The presidency is never tacky except maybe when someone named Clinton is in office.
Trump has lots of trophies, but mostly they are women, tall buildings and golf courses. Hard to tack those up on the wall. Just say no to his tacky and wacky. Who cares if he's run the best campaign by far, the most interesting, the best communicator and most willing to rock the boat.
Lindsey Graham is a decent man who never got married and isn't conservative enough. Never married? What the heck is wrong with him?
Walker never finished college and married a considerably older woman. Successful non politicians support him. Completely disqualifying. (Oh, he's not running any more? Serves him right.)
Christie was really friendly with the President of the United States when the President came to visit after a devastating hurricane. A man who can't act disrespectfully to a sitting president should never be president himself.
Rubio is too poor to be president.
Cruz has a father who is kind of wacky. So does Paul. With fathers like these they should never be president.
Carly F. pissed off a bunch of men who had run a great company into the ground by not fixing all of their mistakes. Don't vote for her.
Romney seems like a nice fellow but he's a Mormon and that is an even scarier religion than the 7th Day people. Both groups are so respectful and polite. Clearly they must be faking it.
No wonder Hilary Clinton seems so relaxed these days.
-----Wasn't it Koch Inc. itself that made the Tea Party?
Koch Brothers, Koch Brothers, Koch Brothers. I love saying that and envisioning whack-job rhythm and mingle-tingles frothing at the mouth. Bettter stock up on your meds, its going to be a rough couple of months11!!!!
Did you notice that the new Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky is a BLACK WOMAN TEA PARTY MEMBER. Woo hoo!!!
"No wonder Hilary Clinton seems so relaxed these days."
Parkinson's does that along with the head bobbing.
My boy hits a home run... he might be president some day! He runs for class president in junior high... and wins! He might be president some day! He graduates from college with honors! And he's head of his frat! He exhibits some of the qualities that we all would like to see in our "leaders." He might be president some day!
Fast-forward: We heap these accolades onto our kids/young adults/adults for a reason. We want them to aspire to ever more.
And, if they wanna be president some day... well... goddamnit... that's why we heaped these accolades onto them. What the F*** do we expect? Grow up.
Sheesh. The people we should be leery of are the ones who seek high office who have never, ever accomplished anything. (I'm thinking of someone... his initials are "Barack Obama.")
I've seen these types of rooms and walls before. Usually on a show like "cribs" on MtV, where they show sports stars, or pop stars, or the like, with lot's of trophies.
I've never seen it for a brain surgeon before, but he's clearly the "Rock star" or the "Star Quarterback" in his field.
I bet Brett Favre has a trophy wall. If he ran for President, would this say something about Brett Favre?
I doubt it.
It looks to me as though most of the certificates and awards are around the pool table, where many men display less distinguished trophies. It is hardly an altar-like display in a sacred space, but more like a memory wall or a scrap book in a place where they might provoke conversation. Most folks have similar displays in their offices where they are meant to intimidate or elicit respect.
The portrait with Jesus is not meant to demonstrate that Carson holds some special position, but that Carson, as most believers, gives his God credit for his achievements.
All in all it looks very middle class... So no wonder the leftist elite have their knickers in a bunch about it.
they're displayed in a room with a dropped ceiling, which doesn't exactly scream 'museum.'
Grateful patients give gifts. Grateful orgs give awards. My cousin has paintings, sketches, statutes, poems from grateful patients decorating his office. Better than year old People back numbers.
But, it may not all be museum quality. People giving of their souls to a man who, because of his gifts and the decades of dedication honing them to serve his craft, his trade, his art, can for them snatch life from death and peace from pain, may not be up to the artistic standards of a Finley or a Serrano.
What a Procrustean bed you have made, professor. In justice you should share his fate.
You know what you probably don't appreciate, Ann. You are a niminy-piminy flibbertigibbet, hollow as a bladder, easily moved by outside influences.
The better sort of doctors aren't like that. Call Ben Carson a nigger or a religious wacko and he's still going to remove your child's tumor. Imagine you being that big, Althouse. No, you haven't got that much imagination.
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