June 9, 2012

Something Wonderful: "That Speech"

You know, that one. The You Are Not Special Commencement Speech from Wellesley High School.

“But, Dave,” you cry, “Walt Whitman tells me I’m my own version of perfection! Epictetus tells me I have the spark of Zeus!” And I don’t disagree. So that makes 6.8 billion examples of perfection, 6.8 billion sparks of Zeus. You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless. In our unspoken but not so subtle Darwinian competition with one another–which springs, I think, from our fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread of mortality — we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. We have come to see them as the point — and we’re happy to compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a better spot on the social totem pole. No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it... Now it’s “So what does this get me?” As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about the application to Bowdoin than the well-being of Guatemalans. It’s an epidemic — and in its way, not even dear old Wellesley High is immune... -- Full text at You’re Not Special - BostonHerald.com
Posted by gerardvanderleun at June 9, 2012 7:04 AM
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"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.

If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless. In our unspoken but not so subtle Darwinian competition with one another–which springs, I think, from our fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread of mortality — we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement.

Ah, yes. Trophies. As someone who still plays computer games from time to time, I find the current trend of having a little announcement pop up on the screen proudly displaying that you have "earned" a "trophy" for something which, even in game terms is not really an achievement (you've been playing for five minutes! Trophy! Collect them all!) to be one of the signs of the coming apocalypse. Because of course they simply reflect this much greater neediness - the desire to be told, constantly, that what you are doing is somehow special, an important accomplishment. As opposed to simply wasting some time in a diverting but ultimately meaningless pastime.

Posted by: Julie at June 9, 2012 8:42 AM

A better read than a listen, but it was fun to hear the tenor of the audience change along the way. Definitely a Commencement Speech Hall of Fame candidate!

Posted by: Mike at June 9, 2012 11:07 AM
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