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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

David Mc Cullough graduation speech; how the world responded




from http://edition.cnn.com

Showing 25 of 1782 comments

  • Gray Shelton
    I certainly agree that my child isn't special to the whole world, but is special to me.  I think as seniors in high school, kids should already know this truth and hearing it from a speaker shouldn't really tear them down.  Most teens I know are arrogant enough to rebound and say "yeah whatever". :)  I was.  :)
    I can certainly see the advantage of allowing your child to understand their short comings.  My parents, for example, would comment on my efforts and not necessarily the outcome.  They would say "You gave a great effort!" instead of "you'll have to work on your swing" when I would strike out in a softball game.  I knew I was no good and so quit playing, but wasn't hurt by that at all.  I recognized a weakness and didn't waste my time, instead pursuing music which was a natural talent for me.  I think parents are afraid of being realistic with their kids.  But we shouldn't be.  I agree with the idea of letting our kids know they mean EVERYTHING to us (because don't they?) but letting them know that not EVERYONE is their number one fan - and that is ok.
  • DmndForeignr
    As a teacher, I give a tough course, yes, involving math. For many of these youngsters it is the first time in their life where the buck stops: Not so special anymore! They have never learned to handle defeat. You would not believe the vile aggression that is the result in their anonymous course evaluations.
  • H Ngon Eban
    But I  don't agree with his statement that " kid, you are not special" at all, as that would lead to some bad feelings for students, who are still teenagers, and they may loose their self-confidence 'cause of his saying also. Therefore, they need to be encouraged but not a criticizer to look forward their bright future, I think.
  • Michelle Huang
    你並不特別
  • Nando_Em_Brooklyn
    There is a difference between engaging your child in a critical discussion about his or her performance and telling him/her that what ever you just witnessed "was pretty bad." 
    If a child did his or her best, then that should be acknowledged ... within the context of encouraging improvement ... if that is appropriate.
    There are so many questions we, as parents, need to ask ourselves before engaging in any kind of critical discussion with our children.
    1) Am I an expert in this field? Can I define/recognize "a good performance"?
    2) Is this something that my child actually wants to do?
    3) How is my child going to react to negative feedback? Is my child normally encouraged by positive feedback? Or, does my child thrive when confronted by obstacles?
    I think think this is a much deeper conversation than what LZ Ganderson and the aired story propose. 
  • Ingenuous
    I really enjoyed this article and I think this message is important for all people especially in America. Reality is far healthier than this message that we are all special. I was born in 1980 and many people in my generation have bought into this being special fantasy. Try managing them at a job, the all have some special need that boils down to not doing what you hired them to do. Accountability has gone out the window because we are all special and have excuses for our mistakes instead of owning up to them and not repeating them. Telling everyone they are special before they have done anything to merit such accolades  reinforces mediocrity or worse. All these people that are brought up thinking they are special go through a period of realization similar to loss in religious faith to come to grips that they are just 1 of many billion. It is much healthier to be honest, show your kids love, encourage them realistically, and let them know when their stick figure looks like crap instead framing their first "masterpiece". If you tell them they are the next Michelangelo they are in for some hard knocks when their art professor throws their "masterpiece" in the trash and tells them to reconsider art.
  • Guest
    amen, brother. when everyone thinks they are special (as our reality TV lives seem to imply), as Dash from the Incredibles pointed out years ago, NO ONE IS.  but that does not mean we should not strive to be special in some way. the danger comes when our parents, teachers, preachers, etc, all say how wonderful and special we all are. many things in life are played out on a bell curve. not all kids are above average, only about 49% are. but when everyone gets a ribbon, a sticker, or a medal, how are kids supposed to learn that? how do they learn that to excel, you must work at it?
    thanks to LZ for another thoughtful article. i do not always agree with what he says, although i do in this case, but he is always well written and thoughtful. unlike others (read: carville, navarette etc).
  • KPATL
    LZ, you got this one right.  All of the liberal blather on this post about how we need to be more like "John Lennon" With love, roses and unicorns, have lost sight of just how winners are losers are determined.  Competition is what breeds the best ideas and results, and people are no different.   We need a thinning of the herd in America, and I would think that Darwinian theory was supposed to be embraced by the left.  I guess not.
  • jennymay
     Darwinism is about allowing those with superior genes to survive while those who have less evolutionarily desirable genes to die off.  To compare natural evolution based on superior genes to a easily rigged social system, in which history has shown can be manipulated, is silly.
    It is no measure of health to be well adjusted in a profoundly sick society
    -Jiddu Krishnamurti
  • jennymay
     We are all inherently valuable and powerful. Not all actions are valuable or powerful, but it is within us all. I would say with all the groupthink/trends/'following' that permeates all levels of society, there are too few people willing to recognize their own worth and think and act for themselves.
  • Michael Tellier
    This post hits the mark in so many ways.  I can't believe the ways I see parents overinflate their kids value.  Yes every child has value and has potential, especially to those close to them, but I regularly run into kids who think "I'm special" when they haven't stretched their limits or anything.  We have raised a generation of grown children who can't take criticism, don't reach beyond what is easy, or reflect on their actions.  They are already awesome.  They don't have to change a thing. 
    Congrats to Mr McCullugh for having the courage to say what was needed.  I hope that some helicopter parent doesn't demand his dismissal because little Johnny didn't leave graduation feelling actualized
  • KPATL
    J Bird,  It's not all Happy Happy Joy Joy out in the real world.  And the kids should know that.  Not everyone gets a Ribbon for participation, and my boss does not care about my "personal reflection time".  My guess is that you still live with your parents and have spent your entire life without any serious consequences or personal responsibility.  Do yourself a favor, don't go back to school, get a job that involves a shovel and do some growing up.
  • jbird
     Glad that you are so egotistical, that you must rain on someone elses parade!
  • orlandojon
    A better message for kids...you can be special through hard work. Supporting yourself and your family without government entitlments should be one of the yardsticks to measure success
  • Honor480
    "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." (Mark Twain) 
  • Luciano Barroqueiro
    there's a problem in my view about this article.. the world belongs to youngs.. if you say they is not special you are transforming in ordinary people.. the world cant change with ordinary people in charge, guys!! .. We need more Gandhi, more John Lennon, more people that care with others, we dont need people just talk  like Obama or brazilian ex-president  Lula with your empty promisses .. We need more help to ordinary people and enterprises and less for banks and government .. we need another system of government, another view for market .. Apple , for example , show us how the capitalism is so destructive like communism.. Microsoft invest much more in USA than others companies.. (and i dont like windows, i use ubuntu ok?) .. let the youngs dream, try, let they make ours mistakes.. it isnt you is a looser that you never can do what you dream , you have the rights to kill the dreams of someoneelse..sorry for my english..  
  • Guest
    by telling them they are all wonderful, and by constantly fixing their mistakes as young parents do today, we are not teaching them anything. its one thing to dream. its another to be raised to expect that everything will be given to you because you are young and alive.  kids have to learn how to MAKE their dreams a reality. this happens with hard work and by making mistakes and learning from them. sadly, nobody wants to do that today.
  • SixthPlanet
    We should tell our kids the plain truth.

    They are entering an economy of rapidly disappearing opportunity. The private sector has outsourced 20% of our jobs and can now provide jobs for only 80% of us. We now have a permanent unemployed class. Obviously 20% of our graduates will be joining that social class of life-long losers.

    Corporations in the same industry are making agreements not to hire each other's employees, to reduce turnover. It also means that an employee of one of those corporations will never be considered for a good position with a competitor, making the employee an indentured servant of his employer.

    Employers now expect an unlimited amount of free overtime from 'salaried' employees. Obviously, it is much more profitable to compel 2 employees to work 12 hours a day instead of having 3 employees work 8 hours a day. You still get 24 hours of labor, but you only payh for 16 of them. To hell with the employee's family life, civic life, spiritual life, hobbies, and mental health. Many of today's graduates will never hear the phrases '8 hour day' or '40 hour week' in their lifetimes.

    The new graduate can expect long periods of unemployment. It takes the average job seeker 50 weeks to find a job, usually for less pay than the previous job. Government is cutting back on unemployment compensation, so the graduate should expect to move back in with Mom and Dad for a year or two several times during his or her working life.

    Finally, at age 65, the graduate can look forward to spending his or her golden years gathering shopping carts in the Wal-Mart parking lot instead of collecting Social Security. Fortunately, with the disappearance of Medicare, the graduate will not live as long as his or her grandparents, so his misery will be shorter.

    Tell the kids the truth. Life is tough. It's screw or get screwed.
  • Jblast
    Who thinks they're special??? The Occupiers...
  • polydac2003
       I am constantly amazed at the sheer ignorance exhibited by people like msosaman pertaining to the Tea Party.   I agree with the tea party and have a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.  Furthermore, the vast majority of tea party supporters I know have college or post-graduate degrees (although  I agree with Kat that a degree is no indicator of intelligence)
    But msosaman, do you really think the democrats can claim the intellectual  high ground given that a majority of its supporters consist of union members, illegals and uneducated immigrants, occupiers, and welfare recipients?     Seems a bit hypocritical don't you think? 
         
  • IrishYank2
    This is so very true. I love it when we make offers to come on board (salaried) to our interns and their salary expectations are twice the offer and derived from salaries(.)com. They get sooooo pizzed when I explain to them that they are in no position to negotiate such terms and, frankly, they're not blowing me away with some skill set that would ever drive me even close to meeting their expectations. It's pretty sad, really.
  • polydac2003
     So true.  My employer has had training sessions for managers to help them deal with the new generation of young employees.   Most have been pampered for so long that they can't handle criticism.    Some even have their parents call in and negotiate salaries for them.   
     Fortunately, there are still new employees and interns coming in who have impressed me with their humbleness and willingness to work and learn.  I guess not all parents have subscribed to the self-esteem approach to child rearing.....  
  • KPATL
    They have delusions off grandeur that they got from public education for their entire lives,..  " I got a participation ribbon  Yohoooo!!!  I'm special I'm special!"  Glad to see that you are bringing them closer to reality,..  they need that big time.
  • Roberta Vath
    I had a professor who used to tell the class "you are all extraordinary."  I just assumed he didn't know what the word meant =P
  • msosamanCollapse
    Well polydac, just to show your ignorance, or at least assumption, I am NOT a democrat.  You may have a PhD, but honestly, just scan the crowd at any tea party rally and listen to them speak.  It's obvious most are uneducated led by highly intelligent, but sinister, leaders.  Look at the Nazi regime.  Goebells had his PhD also. 

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