Detroit

The Ben Carson Show (Reality Curve)

Dr. Ben Carson spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference, 8 March 2014, in National Harbor, Maryland.  (Photo: Susan Walsh/Associated Press)

This is why it matters:

During the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, for example, Carson―then, a junior at Detroit’s Southwestern High―claims to have heroically protected a few white students from anger-fueled attacks by hiding them in the biology lab, where he worked part time. But The Wall Street Journal could not confirm the account through interviews with a half-dozen of Carson’s classmates and his high school physics teacher. All of the students remembered the riot, but none could recall white students hiding in the biology lab.

It’s one of several biographical claims upon which Carson has relied in an effort to appeal to evangelical voters, who value the retired neurosurgeon’s personal journey from troubled youth to pious doctor. As Carson has shot to the front of the Republican presidential pack, however, parts of that narrative have been called into question.

(Margolin; boldface accent added)

It just seems that in this time of religious identification and public displays of piety in order to be seen by others, the degree to which false witness has helped Dr. Carson’s fame becomes significant. Launching his campaign, Ben Carson would have had us believe that he is “not a politician”. Watching his campaign try to fashion a response to the cracking and crumbling of the superficial Ben Carson myth, one might be tempted to suspect otherwise.

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A Cultural Problem in These United States

Mary Spears died for not giving a man her phone number. This is every woman's nightmare. (Mary Van Valin)

Two questions:

Is it time for women to strap on, stand their ground, and shoot any man who tries to chat them up?

Is that really what we want for our society?

No, really, this one is pretty straightforward. And if you think there is some complication about it, then we might ask one more question:

If you were a police chief, what prevention tips would you be offering women in order to protect themselves?

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Van Vallin, Anna. “Mary Spears died for not giving a man her phone number”. Twitter. 7 October 2014.

Winchester, Hank. “Police: Woman shot, killed by man she rejected at Detroit hall”. Click On Detroit. 6 October 2014.

Minard, Anna. “To Avoid Rape, ‘Try not to show fear'”. Slog. 13 February 2013.