You know you’ve crossed the line when Glenn Beck tells his audience that what you’ve said is “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” That, presumably, includes the voices in his head—not to impugn the voices in his head.
GOP presidential contender Ben Carson did it. He broke it. He pushed it too far. In his fevered brain, it might have sounded good to him; it sounded right. It sounded like a rational argument. He used the universally deplored atrocity of prison rape as part of his case that homosexuality is a choice.
“A lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay,” Carson said on CNN Wednesday. “So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”
Stunned silence.
“Oh god,” said Joe Biden and the rest of the world.
Carson represents a particular kind of evil in the right-wing universe. His venality is cloaked in doctor’s scrubs and the intonations of a reasonable and well-educated man. His seemingly pleasant manner, twinkly eyes and soothing voice nevertheless has been the vehicle for some of the bat-sh*ttiest, and just plain sh*ttiest utterances of the past few years. Obamacare is worse than slavery. Same-sex marriage is like pedophilia. Black people are to blame for all their problems. People who believe in evolution are unethical. (Yes, a doctor, a supposed man of science said this.)
The Fox News darling tried to blame CNN, of course. They twisted his words, he whined. How, exactly? They were his words. He said them. On TV. He later gave up, and apologized-not-really, on Facebook. “I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues.” Later, he promised he’d stop talking about LGBT matters altogether. Sure he will.
Not really a “choice of language” issue, Ben. And we don’t even want to venture to guess what might be in your heart.
GOP presidential contender Ben Carson did it. He broke it. He pushed it too far. In his fevered brain, it might have sounded good to him; it sounded right. It sounded like a rational argument. He used the universally deplored atrocity of prison rape as part of his case that homosexuality is a choice.
“A lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay,” Carson said on CNN Wednesday. “So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question.”
Stunned silence.
“Oh god,” said Joe Biden and the rest of the world.
Carson represents a particular kind of evil in the right-wing universe. His venality is cloaked in doctor’s scrubs and the intonations of a reasonable and well-educated man. His seemingly pleasant manner, twinkly eyes and soothing voice nevertheless has been the vehicle for some of the bat-sh*ttiest, and just plain sh*ttiest utterances of the past few years. Obamacare is worse than slavery. Same-sex marriage is like pedophilia. Black people are to blame for all their problems. People who believe in evolution are unethical. (Yes, a doctor, a supposed man of science said this.)
The Fox News darling tried to blame CNN, of course. They twisted his words, he whined. How, exactly? They were his words. He said them. On TV. He later gave up, and apologized-not-really, on Facebook. “I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues.” Later, he promised he’d stop talking about LGBT matters altogether. Sure he will.
Not really a “choice of language” issue, Ben. And we don’t even want to venture to guess what might be in your heart.
