By Jesse B. Valbrun | 7:08 PM, March 6th, 2017

Ben Carson made his debut as secretary of Housing and Urban Development monday, delivering a speech which included the novice refering to African slaves as immigrants. Carson argued that those victimized by the slave trade best illustrated the American “can do” attitude, also opting to mischaracterize slaves as  immigrants who came to the United States with very little and worked very hard.

Ben Carson just referred to *slaves* as "immigrants"

"There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships…" pic.twitter.com/WkFrm3dYCB

— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) March 6, 2017

“That’s what America is about,” Carson said. “A land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.”

Maybe the former neurosurgeon simply forgot to mention, or recognize that the motive for most of this labor was like…not being killed, whipped, raped, ripped away from their family etc. Additionally, maybe the former presidential candidate is ignorant in regards to the symantical difference between the word “slave” (involuntary laborer) and “immigrant” (one who voluntarily migrates from one nation to another, often to create a better life).

As should be expected, twitter reacted swiftly. One tweet in particular, made by actor Samuel L. Jackson, may have summed up the collective consciousness of common sensers worldwide:

OK!! Ben Carson….I can't! Immigrants ? In the bottom of SLAVE SHIPS??!! MUTHAFUKKA PLEASE!!!#dickheadedtom

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) March 6, 2017

Other honorable mentions from the twittosphere were brought to us by the likes of Chelsea Clinton, Whoopie Goldberg and Tariq Nasheed among others:

This can't be real. Slaves were not & are not immigrants. 2017. https://t.co/8CuUvnR2Mf

— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) March 6, 2017

Ben Carson..please read or watch Roots, most immigrants come here VOLUNTARILY,cant't really say the same about the slaves..they were stolen

— Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) March 6, 2017

Ben Carson said slaves were immigrants who came over here & worked for less. By "came" you mean FORCED and by "less" you mean NOTHING

— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) March 6, 2017

Let Ben Carson tell it Harriet Tubman ran a very succesful travel agency.🤔 #bencarson #alternativehistory

— Candi (@justlikecandi_1) March 6, 2017

Ben Carson referred to slaves as immigrants who came here in slave ships, so he must think Jewish ppl were in summer camp in Auschwitz

— Michael Stringfellow (@FuzzyKnight) March 6, 2017

This isn’t the first time Ben Carson has employed the use of slavery to impassion listeners of his mono-toned oral delivery, as he once claimed that Obamacare was the worst thing to happen in the United States since slavery. Hyberbolic much?

Anywho, the Senate approved Carson, a neurosurgeon with no experience in housing policy, to the job last week. This will likely be the first of many silly things to come out of Uncle Carson’s mouth. Not making ridiculous comments isn’t rocket science….or braon surgery 🤗🙃.

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