Saturday Night Live premiered a new TV series titled The Adventures of Young Ben Carson based on his autobiographical stories that looks like it will never run out of material since they emerge from one of the most fertile and imaginative brains of our time.
Incidentally, in an interview with Katie Couric, she asked him about the alleged knifing target of his youth and why he would not name him so that the story could be verified. Carson replied that he would under certain conditions.
On Carson’s refusal to give the name of the person he tried to stab as a teenager, he told Couric he would reveal the name with conditions: “I do have this deal to make. If the media will promise that they will not bother this person or any of the other people, and if they promise that they will be honest, truthful and apply everything to everyone equally from now on, I will reveal the truth. Is that fair?” [My italics-MS]
Carson went on to say of the media: “People are calling me constantly who’ve been — associated with me and telling me how they’re being harassed by the media, how people are calling them, people are showing up on their doorsteps with cameras. And, you know, they don’t appreciate it.”
This is absurd. There is no single entity called ‘the media’ that can issue such blanket assurances. Couric can and did but no one else is bound by her promise. However many media outlets promise, that will not stop others from asking questions.
Also the point of getting the name is to ask that person to corroborate the story in detail. What is the point of getting the name without that ability to follow up?
This is just another example of Carson being either stupid or disingenuous, trying to look as if he is being reasonable when he is not.
Yes, he wants the media not to bother this person with interviews, or asking questions that could potentially lead to them saying this stabbing never happened and is just another Ben Carson whopper.
IMO there is a method to Carson’s sleepy demeanor.
It serves to imply both calmness and enough disinterest to make the vague nature of his stories somewhat believable to anyone inclined to take things at face value. A generalized nebulousness in his stories, when attached to the implied virtue and good character assumed by his faith and good works, is a fine background for people to project their own story lines onto. The usual set of tropes common on the right, conniving liberal media desperate to bring a good man down, and all the rest, serve to fill in any blank spots.
It is something like a Balinese puppet show with the cutout figures simply suggesting the outlines of the action and story line while the viewer’s own imagination is engaged to filling in the gaps.
“another example of Carson being either stupid or disingenuous”- why the “or” and not “and”?
NBC bastards won’t let us see it in Canada.
janiceintoronto,
You can see it on YouTube here.