A couple of thieves tried to carjack Ben Carson’s jaguar – and end up shaking Carson’s hand..?

Michelle December 8, 2015 1 Comment

This image came across Twitter today. You know as well as I do that there are altered images and articles flying across the internet all the time, specifically in the social sites – but this one looks legit. Plus it sounds like something that Carson would have ~~made up~~ said, too. The entire article is not visible, but enough to get the gist of the story. I’ve searched online for an original but haven’t had any luck yet, not even with archived magazines. Here’s the lead paragraph:

"Two men tried to steal a jaguar at a Baltimore gas station six years ago, but changed their minds after recognizing the driver: Benjamin S. Carson, M.D. Instead, they shook the acclaimed neurosurgeon’s had and told him how proud they were of him…."

Well, I just have one thing to say… bullshit. Seriously, I do not believe this story for a second. What carjacker is going to recognize a surgeon’s face, regardless of how famous he is? Most criminals – and a good chunk of society – do not even know who their mayor is, let alone what they look like.

I think Ben Carson has a difficult time separating fantasy from reality. I’ve been trying to find the perfect way to describe him, and it finally hit me today. Walter Mitty. The main character from the book “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” In fact, "the word “Mittyesque” has entered the English language, denoting… one who intentionally attempts to mislead or convince others that he is something that he is not." (source) Ironically, in one of Mitty’s daydreams, he was a magnificent surgeon performing a one-of-a-kind surgery. What doesn’t fit, though, is that Walter Mitty had a mundane life, thus imagining an alternate life full of triumphs. Ben Carson is an accomplished surgeon, there’s no doubt about that. Isn’t that enough for him?

I don’t necessarily disbelieve that someone tried to carjack Carson. Chances are a couple thugs did, but Carson, being the gun freak he is, probably pulled out a gun, waved it around and the would-be thieves scattered.