So, firstly, I must agree with @ChaosEngine, a commencement speech is no place for political commentary. A commencement speech's purpose is to allow one who has paved a complex path through life and come out on top, or one who has overcome something great, (and) has a important lesson for those less-learned to share their knowledge, that it may be used for good.

(God that sentence is long, let me catch my virtual breath...)

Next, why, if he is to provide political commentary during a commencement speech, as so many do nowadays, does he slam Trump?

Anybody? Is it his hair? Is it his puffy little face? Is it because he looks like a pumpkin? No? Perhaps its because he is a disaster waiting to happen, because that seems to be the general sentiment from many people who are allowed to speak their minds en-masse nowadays...

But how is Trump worse than Clinton? Hmmm? Perhaps there are buried rape cases THAT WERE MADE PUBLIC BTW, in Trump's past? No?

Perhaps making billions of dollars FROM ONE MILLION is just inherently evil? Hmmm, no?

Okay, that Hairdo, it must burn a hole in the Ozone layer wherever he walks... Or flames must flower at his feet, as lotus flowers did for the Buddha? NO?

Perhaps he was wrong about the people that you blokes are letting into the country? Yes? Then how come one of them, (whom you could never tell is a radical, HE HAD A WIFE AND CHILD), just killed 50 members of the LGBT community in the horrible massacre in Orlando?(which was so bad we are getting news coverage of it in LONDON)

Hmmm, maybe electing someone who actually admits there is a problem, destroying political correctness, and being damned with the "established order" which supposedly keeps you Americans safe isnt such a bad idea...

Maybe electing a Woman with a hideous blot of a record, and a long standing member of said establishment is one such bad idea...

Jim's advice to "follow your passion" is, IMHO, a terrible idea and is, perhaps dangerous and destructive career advice. But who could expect Jim to suggest anything else, seeing as how he became highly successful doing what he loves?

How many people do what they love, but never achieve success? Probably far more than those that do, except we never hear from them, because they're never selected to give commencement speeches at universities...

This is particularly pernicious in tournament-style fields where there are only a few big winners in comparison to the many many losers (e.g., media, athletics, startups, etc.).

These students would be better advised to "Do what contributes" (i.e., focus on the beneficial value created for other people and not just to satisfy one's own ego). People who contribute the most are often ultimately the most satisfied with what they do — and eventually find their way into fields with high remuneration (i.e., tend to make the most $).

Sadly, advising people to focus on others rather than oneself is not all that popular, especially given the endemic narcissism that characterizes modern culture (and, to be sure, much of what's behind Jim's own 'performances'). Focusing on what is best for others, rather than oneself, requires us to delay gratification (and short-term happiness) and perhaps even toil for many years to get the payoff of contributing value to the world.

Too often, people follow their passions into fields that are simply too competitive for where their skills are in those things. Instead, one should "do what contributes" — follow the thing that provides the most value to others.

In other words, "Follow your effort," "Don't do what you love, love what you do," and other suggestions to adopt a more complicated if more realistic calculus of doing what you're good at so long as it gives you some amount of satisfaction.

IMO, the best commencement speech of the season is the one delivered by Adm. William McRaven, the head of U.S. special operations, at the University of Texas, who said, "You can't follow anything until you've made your bed."

>> ^peter12:

Is there any kind of god out there or not? At the end it doesn't matter. For me it's very interesting how much our prejudice influence our perception. If we wonna see evil in Romney or Obama, we do. We are masters in creating our own realities, sometimes for our good, sometimes not.
A bit similar story told by David Foster Wallace in a commencement speech. This particular story lasts 2 minutes. For me the whole speech is great.


What the hell kind of example is that ?

How is this video even remotely similar to a political example. wtf buddy.

Lets all drink some Chair Tea and hold hands. Break some of these perceptions.

Is there any kind of god out there or not? At the end it doesn't matter. For me it's very interesting how much our prejudice influence our perception. If we wonna see evil in Romney or Obama, we do. We are masters in creating our own realities, sometimes for our good, sometimes not.

A bit similar story told by David Foster Wallace in a commencement speech. This particular story lasts 2 minutes. For me the whole speech is great.

This video has been seconded as a duplicate; transferring votes to the original video and killing this dupe - dupeof seconded with isdupe by enoch.

*dupeof=http://videosift.com/video/You-Are-Not-Special-Commencement-Speech-from-Wellesley-High

This video has been nominated as a duplicate of this video by lurgee. If this nomination is seconded with *isdupe, the video will be killed and its votes transferred to the original.

>> ^Payback:

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!


Good friend of mine was roommates with the "boom goes the dynamite kid" when it happened while I attended Ball State. Makes me grin every time someone mentions it (except the retard they got for my commencement speech who was obviously reaching for things to say).

4 more comments have been lost in the ether at this killed duplicate.

Yeah, and that "subjective" disease is only on the Right? To the left, no one ever earned their wealth, when in reality wealth is a by-product of someone doing something better, faster, cheaper.

"All rich people are evil exploiters, all White people are racist and all rich White people are imperialists, and don't get me started on those CORPORATIONS!

"By my very existence I am entitled to everything: living wage, free auto, free home, free education, free health care, free day care, etc."

And don't forget Race! the second religion of the left behind raising taxes. RACE is like peanut butter to the chocolate of VICTIMHOOD! Can we throw in some class warfare?!

"Don't you know no Black person ever amounted to anything without help from government? Don't you people see, we White Liberals are the GOOD guys! We CARE! Here, have some of this guy's money!"



Most people, if they survive kollij, graduate to find the world a very different place than the fictional one Professor Marx was bullshitting about. The real world is a place where results matter (except in government) and there are real consequences to making choices.

The whole premise of neo-liberalism is that poverty breeds screw-ups, when it's the other way around. But no good liberal was overly concerned with facts. People who lead with their FEELINGS are easily manipulated.

Not ONE person besides bobknight professed any outrage at the crime in that video. In unpretty language he noted the obvious common denominator. Big fucking deal.

Do you think the people who own that store deserved to have it raided by thugs? Do you think your precious nanny-gov is going to reimburse those shopkeeps? They probably are taxed to death already by the city and state, and now THIS?

Those fucking knuckleheads in the video weren't starving or dressed in rags. They were thieves and the verminous product of a community in serious fucking trouble, but all the liberal does is attempt a politically-correct beatdown on anyone stating the obvious while whine-wondering aloud: Gee Wally, why are we building all these prisons?

A: For the poor-me entitled victims YOUR government-funded, consequence-free liberal bullshit creates. Try not to look so shocked.




















>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Time and time again, I see conservatives struggle to understand that their general worldview is completely subjective...

Dr. Caldecott gave the commencement speech at my graduate school last year.

A discomfiting and stirring speech.

Wow. Didn't see that coming. I couldn't figure out how he was going to make a commencement speech out of all that intro. Well played, sir.

I dont watch Colbert, but, I have to say, if it made the troops laugh, and even more so, with the Presidental order, I'm fine with that. Its good, when everyone gathered has some good clean fun. Mr. Colbert showed up a few days ago on the sift, with his new hair style to 'high 5' a principle who is serving in Irag. That guy, was giving a commencement speech to his high school graduation class. I did not reconize Mr. Colbert at first.

The video is on the sift....somewhere.

Higher quality source: http://www.videosift.com/video/JK-Rowlings-commencement-speech-at-Harvard

http://vimeo.com/1711302