Ben Carson Says Poverty Is A 'State Of Mind,' Folks On Twitter Give Him A Piece Of Theirs
People on Twitter took Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to task after he said that poverty was a “state of mind.”
The neurosurgeon, who previously caught heat for suggesting that slaves who were brought to America were “immigrants,” made the controversial comment during a SiriusXM Radio interview with Armstrong Williams released Wednesday.
Listen to the clip here:
”I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind,” said Carson. “You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee you in a little while they’ll be right back up there.”
Carson’s comments sparked anger among Twitter users, including “Star Trek” actor George Takei. Here’s a sampling:
Ben Carson says that poverty is a "state of mind." You know what else is a state of mind? Always being a blithering idiot.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) May 24, 2017
Dear @SecretaryCarson,
States of mind:
✔️ Happy
✔️ Sad
✔️ New York
NOT a state of mind:
❌ Systemic poverty https://t.co/HAuQrNzvTL— Nita Lowey (@NitaLowey) May 24, 2017
@WajahatAli @whattheshihtzu Im gonna use my "state of mind" to do all my farm work for me. Why have I not thought of this before. Gonna dream up lobster too.
— Teemedome (@teemedome) May 25, 2017
Huh. We say poverty is the condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support.https://t.co/HBXsKo83sQ https://t.co/IRdMSW93eC
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) May 24, 2017
So is hunger apparently. Let's Jedi Mind trick ourselves into eating a steak. https://t.co/t20slNjhIF
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) May 24, 2017
If poverty is "a state of mind" then so is wealth. So how about Ben Carson trade places with someone impoverished and show us how it's done.
— Nut Job (@MacSmiff) May 24, 2017
Let's have him swap with a family living below the poverty line for - meeehhh - 3 months & see what he says then. https://t.co/P7AKwz0tJj
— Nemesis Resis☨ (@LaPajamas) May 24, 2017
I just imagined a few million into my bank account, thanks Ben Carson https://t.co/uYqFjQwWXR
— thomas a moore 🎈 (@Thomas_A_Moore) May 24, 2017
Ben Carson said poverty is a state of mind.
Next month, I'm going to tell my landlord that I paid my rent with positive thinking!— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) May 24, 2017
Ben Carson says you can think your way out of poverty, time to start thinking hard. pic.twitter.com/eM0Hc6oHRs
— Ryan (@ryanztweetz) May 24, 2017
@washingtonpost Ben Carson is an idiot! Let him live in poverty for a year & then get a comment from him! Are poor people suppose to mediate out of poverty?
— Doc CB (@cbeidson) May 24, 2017
Ben Carson says that poverty is a "state of mind."
Tell that to my low-income students whose parents struggle w/the basic necessities.— Talia (@2020fight) May 25, 2017
Ben Carson said poverty is a state of mind. The 45 million people living below the poverty line should just smile themselves to wealth.
— Michael, still here (@Home_Halfway) May 24, 2017
Ben Carson says poverty is a state of mind, so next month try paying your rent with The Force
— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) May 25, 2017
Ben Carson thinking that poverty is a mindset is a pretentious dismissal of the struggle that millions of working parents go through.
— Simar (@sahluwal) May 24, 2017
If poverty is a "state of mind" Ben Carson, why don't we put you in our lower class's shoes and you can just "think" your way out of it?
— Christian Tall (@ChristianLTall) May 25, 2017
On a serious note, poverty is physically&very mentally exhausting. Ppl like Ben Carson don't have a clue on how hard it is to live w/no hope
— Tina-TheResistance (@trcfwtt) May 25, 2017
Ben Carson called poverty a state of mind. No, sir stupidity is a state of mind. Perhaps you should go see a neurosurgeon.......
— Lynn V. (@lynnv378) May 24, 2017
Related Coverage
Twitter Users Show Donald Trump Exactly Why The Media Is #NotTheEnemy
This Trump Parody Of The Viral Professor Video Is So On Point
Helen Mirren Zings Donald Trump In Most Badass Commencement Speech Of 2017
Pope Francis Looking Super Sad With The Trumps Is A Divine New Meme
Also on HuffPost
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.