Slight controversy over teacher telling kids during high school graduation that they are not special. That's not really the main point of his speech but that's what some people are latching on to. I love his speech. It's spot on and inspiring. Anyone focusing on the 'You are not special' part is missing the point. Of course, like my subject thread, the media is going to emphasize that to garner eyeballs. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/n5p5nufi7EY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
You are not special. You are a burden to society until you prove otherwise. In CF terms, you are still Patrick Patterson -- on a good road but it's early.
He should have said "remember kids, there is only one of you. You are special and unique.......just like everybody else on this ****ing planet!!"
The entire point is that they are NOT special..... that is the entire point. We have a country of young people that think they are more special than everyone else and that their problems and worries are more important that the rest of the world.
I am so hurt you told me my truths. No one tells me my truths. This saddens me, and now I am depressed and will fail in life. I'm going to report you, sue you for all your mealeons of dollars, and then have a publishing company write a book about how I became successful on just one idea.
He's right, they're not special, they're screwed, and they're screwed because of adults. Kids today don't have it better than we did, they have it much worse. And why should young people take advice from the generation responsible for flushing our prosperity down the toilet. And the teacher is an a-hole for using an event which is suppose to be about the graduates and turning it into his own little power trip.
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I disagree with you. What are my reasons? Well... I personally believe that U.S Americans are unable to do so because uh, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as South Africa and The Iraq everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S should help the U.S should help South Africa and should help The Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for our children.
He wasn't saying it maliciously. He said it to get their attention so he could deliver his real message. 'Go forth. Be selfless. Make a good life for yourself and for others.'
Power trip? Which generation are you a part of eh? The reason this video is going to make the rounds is because it is polarizing. On the one hand, you have intelligent adults who know how the world works, and who understand that esteem-building and entitlement without work ethic and drive are recipes for cultural suicide. And then on the other side you have the people who are enamored of the entitlement mentality, either because they have been brainwashed into believe they are one of the entitled, or because they are one of the ones who get to take from someone and give to someone else, thus enjoying that wonderful flush of *giving*, all without having to sacrifice anything of their own in order to give. The people who applaud it know the score. The people who condemn it *are* the problem.
he may be right, but he comes off as a cynical prick. speech should have been called i am not tactful.
When I get married I hope the Priest has a speech about how "You're not special, more than half of marriages end in divorce". It's a ceremony created for celebration and optimism. I guess people aren't allowed to have a good time anymore?
That's nuts. It's a myth that teenagers are more selfish than ever, more entitled. It's BS. Make a list of the ten biggest problems facing America, and not one of them was caused by people under eighteen. Young people are the symptom not the cause, but blaming the symptom is a nice way to distract and shift blame. I bet the teacher is a big fan of the tea party. It wouldn't surprise me. And what's wrong with feeling entitled, anyway? Entitled to what? Clean air? Affordable education? Affordable housing? A living wage? Because I think there's a long list of things that high school graduates have every right to be entitled to.
I hear old people b****ing about entitlements, until we start talking about Social Security and Medicare. Then it's no longer an entitlement because they "paid in." Yeah, right. People are people....there are people of every age and ever generation that are a problem and that are great. Young people have always been immature. Nothing new there. Getting up at a graduation ceremony that is supposed to celebrate achievement; not scoring points in some strawman "us v. them" debate.
