Letter

A Plea To My Idol

Dear Mr. Carson,

My name is Patrick Hoffman and I am twenty three years old. I am back in Detroit for the moment which is where I, like you, grew up. I know you probably won’t read this, but it’s worth a shot.

You’ve been an idol of mine since I was six. I was finishing first grade and I was trying to teach myself basic math. Although it was very elementary, things like addition and multiplication, my parents couldn’t help me much because they were too busy and my teacher had to spend all her time focusing on the kids whose parents were always present. Their parents raised a fuss so they got attention and the cards were stacked against me. That’s why your story was so inspiring to me. You grew up in Detroit, had experiences like mine, and you were able to make it out. I have big dreams too. I want to be a lawyer. Not a corporate lawyer though; I want to be the kind of lawyer who makes the world better. I will defend the people who are actually innocent and prosecute the real criminals.

I read your autobiography “Gifted Hands” again when I saw that you were running for president and it was as amazing as the first time I read it. I started researching your political campaign and quite frankly I was confused. The man who I constructed mostly in my imagination with the autobiography as a guiding hand isn’t like the one running at the forefront of the Tea Party in 2016. You’re at the top of my list of inspirational people because of your unrelenting drive to help others. But how can the same man who separated twins conjoined at the head believe that women shouldn’t be able to choose to have a baby or not? How can that man seriously think that healthcare should be a privilege of wealth?

Call me insane (you probably have at this point if you’ve decided to continue reading this), but

I’ve constructed a story I want you to validate or deny:

Ben Carson is the hero I imagined. He lives with the goal of bettering living conditions for those who need it. The politician I see running is not this Ben Carson. The politician holding extreme right wing views is a product of ludicrous campaign financing. When I read about how you’re not attached to being president, and you’re running because of how many people have suggested it. I want to believe that you are running to make some rich folks happy and that you’re ready to move on and continue to do the amazing public speaking work that has kept you busy in retirement.

Am I right? I want to be. This election gives me doubts though. I now doubt the beliefs of politicians if you, an incredible man, maybe the best man, believes in modes of thought that unequivocally compromise the wellbeing of millions and millions of Americans. It’s more than my being liberal and your being conservative. This is about the compassion and drive to help others that I saw in your autobiography. I want to know if it actually exists.

Thank you for indulging me. Thank you for doing what you have done in your life. And most of all, a preemptive thank you for confirming  that your campaign doesn’t reflect the real Ben Carson.

-Patrick