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How is a "brilliant surgeon" shit stupid? Because Ben Carson is shit stupid

Gil Bang

By Gil Bang
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Rimbo

Rimbo 25783

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Posted
2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Again, the difficulties with your father were probably age-related.

After he retired, he dedicated some time to learning it, to the point where he had a Macbook Pro with Windows dual-booted on it and had set up VMWare so that he could run the dual-boot Windows partition in a VM window from within macOS. He set this up himself, mind you. Not beginner stuff.

So no, the problem wasn't age-related. It was entirely that he simply didn't have the time to dedicate to learning it when he was actively working as a surgeon.

Now, that said, Ben Carson has had plenty of time not doing surgery, and you'd think that with the HUD chair, he'd spend some time learning it the way my Dad did with computer stuff. I mean, if I'd been made HUD chair, I'd certainly spend the five minutes it takes to get a primer on the stuff and hopefully learn what the hell "REO" means. But then, I wouldn't have much respect for a President who did make me HUD chair for that reason alone.

In short, this doesn't mean Ben Carson isn't a fool, this doesn't mean Trump isn't a fool for making Carson HUD chair, just a comment that, in general, Ben Carson could've been the greatest surgeon in the world, it doesn't mean he'd be good at anything else. That's not how intelligence works.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25898

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18 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Yep.  I'm still shocked at exactly how dumb Ben makes himself out to be.  My brother was at Hopkins when Carson was there - he didn't have the best reputation but he certainly wasn't known as the buffoon we all know now.  But there's a ton of truth in what you said. 

I switched from a Bio major to business and made mostly A's, rather easily.  I was eating a lot of C's in the sciences.  That brother who trained at Hopkins tried the same route...he was making A's but science classes are harder, so he switched to a business major also...well he made a bunch of B's and switched right back.  I'll say most surgeons aren't 'well rounded' in other aspects of life or even medicine (bedside manner), but they're damn good at surgery.  

I've been involved in business with dozens of surgeons, and discussed becoming involved with at least a hundred.    There's only 1 that I thought was a dumbass...a well-known female surgeon specializing in breast cancer.  Her personal life is a mess, her finances are a mess, etc.  Excellent reputation as a surgeon though.

All the rest of the folks I worked with, or discussed working with, struck me as intelligent, reasonably well-rounded people.  A half-dozen of them are total fucking assholes, and at least a dozen of their spouses are complete vile cunts, but I never met a dumbass like Carson. 

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Bama Chick

Bama Chick 28596

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I get that doctors can be brilliant at medicine/surgery and be less than brilliant in the real world.

But I’ve worked with physicians for 20+ years and while I’ve met some that can’t figure out their EMR or can’t send a text message - they have all been able to hold a reasonably intelligent conversation on general topics.

Carson quite literally speaks as if he’s mentally challenged and that’s not even touching on the stone cold weird shit that falls out of his face.

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21101

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1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

I've been involved in business with dozens of surgeons, and discussed becoming involved with at least a hundred.    There's only 1 that I thought was a dumbass...a well-known female surgeon specializing in breast cancer.  Her personal life is a mess, her finances are a mess, etc.  Excellent reputation as a surgeon though.

All the rest of the folks I worked with, or discussed working with, struck me as intelligent, reasonably well-rounded people.  A half-dozen of them are total fucking assholes, and at least a dozen of their spouses are complete vile cunts, but I never met a dumbass like Carson. 

Oh yes...I can't say I've met more than 1-2 that come off as dumb as he does.  It's hard to put together.  But in general doctors can be average/subpar in many things outside of medicine - just not this outright stupid from our experience.  

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retread

retread 2951

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20 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Oh yes...I can't say I've met more than 1-2 that come off as dumb as he does.  It's hard to put together.  But in general doctors can be average/subpar in many things outside of medicine - just not this outright stupid from our experience.  

You could plug a reasonably bright college graduate or a successful business owner into Carson's position, and that person would have made a more impressive appearance than Carson did today. The normal person would spend time learning about his job and the people that depend on him performing well.

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GRHorn

GRHorn 105

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5 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

That could just be a function of age.  Can be very hard for folks much over 65, sometimes younger depending on cognition, to learn new things.

It is entirely possible, I suppose, that Carson is a neurology/neurosurgeon savant.  It is also possible that he isn't really a great physician, either.

 

4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

And, although this is dangerous territory, there are vested interests that may have had a desire to see young Dr. Carson really succeed, especially once a conservative bent was detected.

Also, looking at his bio, he didn't do well in medical school until he stopped attending lectures and began self-study.  That may indicate a savant-type.

 

3 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

We've "heard" he's a good surgeon.  

I've never heard that from anyone that he's worked with.  Just from the media. 

You don’t get tasked with doing experimental, groundbreaking surgery unless you’re truly technically excellent. Cooley, DeBakey etc. Despite his foibles, that cannot be taken away from him.

It doesn’t make him smart in other areas, but I’m surprised at his level of ineptitude. 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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2 hours ago, softlynow said:

So, rather than using this forum for oversight of public officials, you’re saying the people would be better served by having a congressional hearing, which almost no one watches, spend time teaching a concept that is easily explained in a few paragraphs on a website?

And nice blind jab at her credentials which you didn’t seem remotely aware of until today. 

My point was she knows why FHA has those issues.  And I know Carson shouldn’t have that job.  And most of us know both those things so why bother with the theatrics.  

And you can certainly disagree with my position here but it’s super cute you think I didn’t know who she was.  I give her more money than I give to UT.  The OCC and CFPB dictate more of what I do before 8:00a than my family does.  Just ask Mr. Broom.  They actually helped us offload some really miserable OREOs in south Chicago recently to improve our CAMEL scores so her former staffers are aces in my book lately.  

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GRHorn

GRHorn 105

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2 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

I've been involved in business with dozens of surgeons, and discussed becoming involved with at least a hundred.    There's only 1 that I thought was a dumbass...a well-known female surgeon specializing in breast cancer.  Her personal life is a mess, her finances are a mess, etc.  Excellent reputation as a surgeon though.

All the rest of the folks I worked with, or discussed working with, struck me as intelligent, reasonably well-rounded people.  A half-dozen of them are total fucking assholes, and at least a dozen of their spouses are complete vile cunts, but I never met a dumbass like Carson. 

 

1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Oh yes...I can't say I've met more than 1-2 that come off as dumb as he does.  It's hard to put together.  But in general doctors can be average/subpar in many things outside of medicine - just not this outright stupid from our experience.  

It is pretty mind blowing. All I can think is that he’s fucking totally mailing it in. Letting people underneath him handle everything. 

Being from medical background you’d think he’d treat something like that like an oral exam or something and prepare accordingly. That’s obviously not happening.

You’d think his ego, which must be huge, would prevent him from allowing himself to come off like that. Bizarre. 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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1 minute ago, Gil Bang said:

When Trump called him and offered HUD, he should have said no thanks, but I'd like to be your Surgeon General.  

His reputation would have remained intact.  

Exactly.  Plus, Trump could’ve kept the original S.G. Nomination for Adams  and also one for Carson and shown off that he knew the plural was, “Look at my SurgeonS General.   Look at my AfricanS American over here, both of them.  Very smart.  Gonna be fantastic, the both of them.  Gonna be huge.  It’s like I said at the Stormies Daniel orgy, two smart black guys are better than one.  Let’s do this!”

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89447

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2 hours ago, ChiTownDoc said:

That's the shocking part - you don't just get into med school then pick what you get into.  NeuroSx is hard as fuck to get into and this asswipe was doing it at JH.  You can yell affirmative action or whatever the fuck but 99.9% of people are not getting to the point where they pass the neurosurgery boards.  I'm dumbfounded...between him and Rudy G, the fall from grace has been mind boggling.  They look like complete fools. 

Rudy G’s first wife was his cousin.  

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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 89447

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5 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

My dad was a doctor. He was a good doctor who served his community well for his whole life. When it came to doctoring, he knew his business. But he never learned how to set the clock on his VCR. 

Spend 10 minutes reading a manual and learning how to set it or spend 10 minutes banging your mom.  I know what my choice would have been.  

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bolverk

bolverk 29399

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15 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

 

 

You don’t get tasked with doing experimental, groundbreaking surgery unless you’re truly technically excellent. Cooley, DeBakey etc. Despite his foibles, that cannot be taken away from him.

It doesn’t make him smart in other areas, but I’m surprised at his level of ineptitude. 

 

 
 
1
16 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

 

 

You don’t get tasked with doing experimental, groundbreaking surgery unless you’re truly technically excellent. Cooley, DeBakey etc. Despite his foibles, that cannot be taken away from him.

It doesn’t make him smart in other areas, but I’m surprised at his level of ineptitude. 

Serious question: Why?

You're aware of so many of the other cabinet positions and close aids Trump filled has had are largely incompetent or outright corrupt, right? For example Flynn, Pruitt, DeVos, Shulkin, Mnuchin, Perry, Ross, Perdue, Barr, etc.

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GRHorn

GRHorn 105

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7 minutes ago, bolverk said:

 

Serious question: Why?

You're aware of so many of the other cabinet positions and close aids Trump filled has had are largely incompetent or outright corrupt, right? For example Flynn, Pruitt, DeVos, Shulkin, Mnuchin, Perry, Ross, Perdue, Barr, etc.

I guess because my professional experience is closest to his and his CV resonates more with me. Given his level of accomplishment in a pretty merit based field, I’m surprised by the incompetence.  Corruption happens all the time in Washington. 

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bolverk

bolverk 29399

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2 minutes ago, GRHorn said:

I guess because my professional experience is closest to his and his CV resonates more with me. Given his level of accomplishment in a pretty merit based field, I’m surprised by the incompetence.  Corruption happens all the time in Washington. 

Something is definitely "off" by him - that's for sure. He sounded like a slow kid getting lectured by his teacher.

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Underdog

Underdog 28457

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23 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Spend 10 minutes reading a manual and learning how to set it or spend 10 minutes banging your mom.  I know what my choice would have been.  

10 minutes?  A Doctor AND porn star?

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25898

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3 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

This whole charade of a presidency and an administration is an embarrassment that will take an awful long time to live down.

I mean, god damn.

Is anyone qualified to do the job assigned to them?!

Depends what you mean. 


Devoss was "assigned" to destroy Education.  Perry was assigned to destroy/defang energy.   Tillerson was assigned to totally gut state. 

They have been successful. 

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retread

retread 2951

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I'm sure most of these jobs are very challenging if you go into them with the goal of creating a culture of excellence. Most of them require a lot of hard work if you're going to do your job well. But with the bureaucracy that's in place (in a good way), you have the tools to do your job. The Trump WH thumbed its nose at most of the transition materials and resources that different agencies had prepared.

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bolverk

bolverk 29399

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25 minutes ago, retread said:

I'm sure most of these jobs are very challenging if you go into them with the goal of creating a culture of excellence. Most of them require a lot of hard work if you're going to do your job well. But with the bureaucracy that's in place (in a good way), you have the tools to do your job. The Trump WH thumbed its nose at most of the transition materials and resources that different agencies had prepared.

I think we all remember the Vanity Fair article about Perry's transition to Energy Secretary: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/department-of-energy-risks-michael-lewis

 

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retread

retread 2951

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As vexing as bureaucracy can be, it also comes with a shit ton of institutional knowledge that can be used to serve average Americans. It's just not possible to have a 1.00 batting average at hiring people who are as messed up as their boss in the WH. Have we crossed the Rubicon, and from here on out, we're only going to have shitty pols in DC? Has the voting public become so imbecilic that they'll continue to support tyrants like we currently have?

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21101

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45 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

President Selena Meyer weighed in on the Oreo shenanigans.
 

She failed to mention it's actually a reality show now.  Airing on pretty much every fucking network.  Somebody pull the plug on this shit. 

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Texas73

Texas73 420

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Every time I hear Carson I think he is recovering from a mental breakdown or a stroke. 

Maybe he was academically gifted when he was young but lost it as he aged. It is a mystery to me as he seems too dumb to get into medical school, especially neurosurgery. Who would go to a doctor who sounds like him?

When Trump mentioned selecting him to head an agency he said he wasn't qualified but later changed his mind. I think his wife made him do it.

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Dolemite

Dolemite 143

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8 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Oh, look everyone.  Someone's here white-knighting for Carson.

 

 

 

I would like to see you do what he has done and is doing, but, all you can do is criticize. Actually, my guess is that about all your brain would be likely good for in his office would be to serve as a paperweight. 

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32341

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2 hours ago, Dolemite said:

I would like to see you do what he has done and is doing, but, all you can do is criticize. Actually, my guess is that about all your brain would be likely good for in his office would be to serve as a paperweight. 

Oh, I'm not criticizing him.  I'm calling him what he is.  A dumbass.

No one here is mocking his surgical skills.  But in the context of this thread, his surgical skills are not the question. It's the rest of the package.  And he's a dumbass.

Here's the head of HUD who thinks an REO (granted, something I didn't know fully what it was, but the head of HUD should be able to spout it off in a millisecond and have a working knowledge of it) is a fucking processed snack cookie.  Think about that for a moment.

And what cognitive skills I could bring to the table here are irreverent.  Like most anything else associated with this shitstain of an administration, the lack of competency is baffling.  And you are proud of it.

Don't you have some deficit numbers to go bitch about?  Or did that get tossed aside in November 2016?

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RomaVicta

RomaVicta 29791

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3 hours ago, Dolemite said:

I would like to see you do what he has done and is doing, but, all you can do is criticize. Actually, my guess is that about all your brain would be likely good for in his office would be to serve as a paperweight. 

Well, it'd be a heavier paperweight than his brain, and I might actually read the paper.

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Js1

Js1 85110

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16 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

I think he might be on the autism spectrum. Brilliant in one specific area on which he intensely focused, maybe at the expense of everything else.

Carson or Dolemite? 

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pyrohornIII

pyrohornIII 4809

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I think a lot of how he responds is because he sees this as some game.  His hubris leads him to think he is so much brighter than all others that he toys with them.  And when he gets caught in something he doesn't know, he tends to try to escape it by putting it back on the questioner.   Much like "I know the answer to the question you are asking, but I'm not going to tell you because you already know the answer too."   He actually does this in this clip...

Maybe he isn't an idiot, maybe he's just ignorant on these things and hasn't bothered to "get down in the weeds" and learn his way around HUD and it's business.  For whatever reason he is not doing his job, nor even attempting to learn how to do it.   The fact that he is either not up to the task, or chooses to not do the task is what these hearings are about.  To expose Trump for appointing someone so ineffective to such a high position, and then not correcting that mistake is what these hearing are about. 

Carson's flippant replies in the hearings, as well as the Oreo thing are just smashmouth troll moves on his part.  So indicative of this whole administration.

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