Congratulations to the graduates, the families and all others who helped the grads achieve. I wish the grads long, productive and satisfying careers. And may they always have people with them who’ll cheer them in good times and help sustain them in the tough ones.
I wasn’t at yesterday’s graduation at Wallace Wade Stadium, but I heard: cold and rainy.
And here's part of Duke06's comment...
On an unrelated but interesting note...
(1) Our beloved Professor Karla Holloway made a very public appearance in Sunday's rain-drenched graduation ceremony as she presented one of the honorary degree recipients.
(2) The primary speaker, writer Barbara Kingsolver, proceeded to torture the shivering audience with a lengthy leftist rant in which she railed colorfully against America and capitalism. There was cheering when she finished...because she finished.
I responded - - -
Karla Holloway, Barbara Kingsolver and rain.
Sometimes life can get pretty tough.
___________________________
The length of Kingsolver’s address has drawn a lot of comment.
The Herald Sun said this morning it lasted about 25 minutes.
But last evening, a friend who’d been there said it was about 40 minutes long.
This morning I was talking by phone with a faculty friend who’d heard Kingsolver’s address.
“I’m hearing 25. I’m hearing 40. How long did it really last?”
“About two weeks.”
There’s also been a lot of chortling about the way Kingsolver began her address.
Folks say she started off with some audience massaging involving how the grads had all learned so much at Duke she didn’t think there was anything much for her to tell them.
But from all accounts she then went on to deliver something that might be titled: A History of the Cosmos as Viewed Through a PC Prism.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Duke’s Graduation: a few comments
Posted by JWM at 10:57 AM
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6 comments:
Unfortunately I was in the audience to hear the awful commencement speech which was definitely longer than the 15 minutes she promised. I was lost after the part when she talked about hiding behind the barn because her 11 year old didn't like the way she was dressed. I might have tolerated it if the weather had been warm and sunny, but in the cold and rain she should have just stopped talking because nobody cared anyhow.
I also had the "pleasure" of hearing President Brodhead's remarks at the baccaulearte sermony on Saturday. What a silly, inconsequential man. It was sad that nobody in the audience around me had any idea of his behavior 2 years ago. I pleaded "no comment" when asked if I enjoyed his humerous remarks and said I was not a fan of his and thought he should have been fired after the 2006 episode. Again, it was sad that so few of the people there had any idea of how despicable the university acted.
I wished I could have met him at some point and asked him about Colin and Reade!
I completely agree with your assessment of the commencement speech. In order to not be too harsh, I will just say that it was horrible...with or without the rain.
Graduation speakers are supposed to be motivating and inspirational. In true Broadhead fashion, he found a depressing socialist who wanted to have her 15, nay 45 minutes of fame, Not much hope is left when she says that the world is F'ed and we will all be dead one in a decade and that there is nothing anybody can do, its too late. We (the students) we raised on lies.... thats a direct quote.
Every student and professor that I spoke with afterwords thought it was terrible. Granted, because I don't know any of the leftist activists/professors or even want to, my data may be a little off, but I doubt it.
I did not get a chance to hear Broadhead speak, but I heard it was equally as bad. EVEN from people who were there to support my graduating brother and had not ever followed the lax case.
This is why the lawsuits are important.
This is why the lawsuits are important.
Sorry but, to me, the best thing about graduation is that these young people will now get safely out of Durham.
After Nine Eleven, Kingsolver wrote the article, "And Our Flag Was Still There." Almost all her books are described as anti-American. Google ‘Kingsolver and Anti-American’ to see numerous examples.
One: “Poisonwood Bible” Review: “.... was highly annoying with it's continual Anti-American sentiment. …”
That Duke would choose Kingsolver to speak to graduates, surprises no one.
------------------------------
And Our Flag Was Still There
by Barbara Kingsolver
Excerpt:
“Patriotism threatens free speech with death.”
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