#NotMyCandidate but let me hear you out…
A democrat’s perspective on Presidential Candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s sit down with rapper Dee-1 on BET
In the midst of the Iowa Caucus’, Des Moines has become the epicenter for all of the Presidential candidates. For a senior at Drake University this means unfettered access to the future president of the United States, as both parties candidates are hosting events all around me.
Despite being a self-identified democrat, I find that town halls and other interactions with candidates can be an opportunity for personal growth. Though I might not agree with most of what the other side has to say, I think that seeing what others have to say can help you to understand where they are coming from, as well as establish a stronger understanding in what you personally believe in.
Furthermore, being the only Democrat in my family, republican events like seeing Dr. Ben Carson in person gives me an opportunity to see the other side. To allow myself to try and see where others, who I really know are coming from.
The following points look into a couple of things that I took away from my attendance of last weeks BET’s #ALLVOTESMATTER town hall gathering featuring Dr. Ben Carson and rapper Dee-1…
Dee-1
To be brutally honest, I was a bit hesitant at the thought of a rapper sitting on stage discussing our nations politics with one of the leading republican presidential candidates, but man was I wrong. To give you a bit of a background on the aspiring artist, Dee-1 is a rapper from New Orleans, who after college went into the field of teaching eighth grade, before going on to pursue a career in rap aimed at shedding light on varying social issues. On stage with Dr. Carson, Dee-1 made sure to make his opinions heard by both the audience and his counter part Carson. He was beyond respectful to the candidate, though he wasn’t afraid to push Carson on subjects that clearly needed to be clarified or spoken on further.
#ALLVOTESMATTER
Okay. Whether or not you are in support of the #BLACKLIVESMATTER movement, the choice to use this hashtag #ALLVOTESMATTER was in poor taste by BET. In my mind, and from the opinions of many of the Black drake students in attendance on Friday night, this titling takes away from the movement. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that all lives matter, but in our country right now, there are people who don’t hold this belief, and a hashtag like #ALLVOTESMATTER takes away from the idea that our country does in fact have a major problem in regards to race and equality.
And Here’s What Ben Had to Say…
Creativity… Now That’s The Answer to Uplifting the Black Community
Though there was plenty of talk about the current socioeconomic status of our nations Black community, there was absolutely no mention of the reasoning behind why there is a difference in the socioeconomic status of white and minorities. There was no discussion on the unequal playing field minorities have due to generational poverty. As it is my understanding that the starting place, in terms of socioeconomic status and the access to ample education, of most people in the white community can be considered higher than that of minority communities. In discussions like these, candidates must acknowledge the uncomfortable topic of the racial inequality that has existed in this country since its conception.
So how can this systematic inequality be overcome according to Presidential candidate, Ben Carson? Creativity. As Carson believes that an increase in minorities creativity, particularly the Black minority, would allow for greater entrepreneurship and increase in incomes. Carson furthers this statement by encouraging low-income communities to focus in on buying local to increase local economies. Though all of this sounds great, what seems to be coming out of the mouth of this republican candidate sounds a lot like he believes minority groups to be uncreative and in need of a econ lesson.
Carson’s Self-Identification
Additionally, if I had the chance of asking the only Black candidate a question it would have to be in regards to his self-identification and whether or not he personally identifies as a Black man. Some may find this question to be a bit daunting, but from where I was sitting there seemed to be quite a distance between Dr. Ben Carson and the Black community, as he often referred to the Black community as “they”, rather than grouping himself along with the group with the communal use of “we”. This may seem like a small thing, but I believe this distancing to be a removal of his personal associations with the United States’ Black community.
Stacey Dash
In regards to the statements made by Stacey Dash regarding the belief that things such as BET and Black History Month should not exist if we want true integration, I thought that Carson could have done a better job than associating himself right off the bat with the actress. Though I thought this to be a poor choice on Carson’s part, I do believe that he did a commendable job in terms of trying to reword what Ms. Dash had to say. Carson tried to twist Dash’s phrasing into more of a thing of the future, rather than a thing of the present, making it seem like in the future, once there is a greater acceptance of equality, the establishment of things like BET would be a step towards segregation, rather than integration, but in todays world, things like BET are necessary to give the Black community a voice and furthering recognition. Though in my opinion I don’t think Ms. Dash addressing the matter in regards to our nations future.
Summing It All Up
Altogether, Carson seemed nervous and unprepared. Though many of his answers seemed unscripted, he seemed to have a lack of organization in terms of his thoughts. He seems to be a candidate fueled by theoretical thinking, backed by a one-sided personal perspective. Though Carson has achieved phenomenal things in his lifetime, he seems to have lost touch with the reality that this country is facing today.
