HUD Director Ben Carson has once again found himself in hot water. During a SiriusXM radio interview released on Wednesday, Carson decided to espouse the idea that poverty is to “a large extent is also a state of mind.”
“You take somebody that has the right mindset, you take everything from them and put them on the street and I guarantee in a little while they’ll be right back up there. And you take somebody with the wrong mindset, you can give them everything in the world, they’ll work their way right back down to the bottom. You know, that’s real poverty. If you don’t have that defeatist attitude, there’s hope for you.”
Oh. Between this and his comments about not making homeless shelters “too comfortable,” Carson has been showing a serious lack of compassion for someone in charge of Urban Development. It’s safe to say that these remarks were met with a bit of resistance, with people cracking jokes and wondering if Carson had just forgotten how difficult it can be to pay your bills.
https://twitter.com/Diane_7A/status/867507150964314112
Ben Carson said poverty is a state of mind.
Next month, I'm going to tell my landlord that I paid my rent with positive thinking!
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) May 24, 2017
If Ben Carson thinks poverty is a state of mind then I guess I'll just pay all my bills with inspirational quotes
— Eliza Bayne (@ElizaBayne) May 24, 2017
Ben Carson: "Poverty is a state of mind. Sadness is imaginary. Fingers are hand toes. The sky is rainbasketed and flarflenorg. I like eggs."
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) May 24, 2017
Me every time Ben Carson opens his mouth. pic.twitter.com/WPN8uzWdf4
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) May 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/wokeluisa/status/867528711683407872
"Hey honey, Ben Carson just gave another interview. You wanna lis-" pic.twitter.com/kqDG8dLoFm
— Indigo (@Indigo_NX) May 25, 2017
Ben Carson says that poverty is a "state of mind."
Yeah, I'm with Seth Meyers on this one. pic.twitter.com/JkZIXsa7Gx
— Eric Wolfson (@EricWolfson) May 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/bkimberlyb/status/867527152694067201
Ben Carson makes me think that Brain Surgery can't be that hard. pic.twitter.com/ATtxJB3NV8
— Angel (@IntrovertRme) May 24, 2017
If poverty is "a state of mind" then so is wealth. So how about Ben Carson trade places with someone impoverished and show us how it's done.
— Mac the Rancher 🏁🐍 (@MacSmiff) May 24, 2017
Whenever Ben Carson is trending – without even looking pic.twitter.com/fuh18Z539v
— TrivWorks (@TrivWorks) May 24, 2017
https://twitter.com/Home_Halfway/status/867496267500466176
While it’s true that Carson was able to overcome considerable obstacles and find financial success as a brain surgeon before stumbling into a political career, keeping a positive attitude and working hard just isn’t enough for many people. When the system is stacked against you, it can be nearly impossible to break out.
(Via The Hill)