Ben Carson Is Inspiring, but Not for President
DR. BEN CARSON has the most moving personal narrative in modern presidential politics.
His mother, one of 24 children, had only a third-grade education. She was married at age 13, bore Ben and his brother, and then raised the boys as an impoverished single mother in Detroit.
.. But maybe the more interesting question is what Carson says about America. He seems to see his rise as an indication that America needs not so much social programs as firmer character.
.. One reason he is popular on the right, I think, is that many conservatives feel bruised by liberals’ jibes that they are closet racists or have no compassion for the poor. Supporting Carson validates their self-perception as good people who are doing the right thing by slashing social programs.
.. More broadly, Carson’s rise from inner-city poverty is inspiring but not easily replicable. Muggsy Bogues became an N.B.A. star even though he was 5 feet 3 inches tall, but short people are still at a disadvantage in basketball.
.. Devah Pager, a sociologist, sent out young black and white men to pose as job applicants and found that the whites were twice as likely to get callbacks as identically qualified black men. A white man with a felony conviction had as good a chance of getting a callback as a black applicant with a clean record.