ENTITLEMENT AND GRACE

This is graduation season. For those of you who have graduated from college, graduate school, law school, or almost anywhere else, one part of graduation is the speaker. Remember your graduation speaker? Remember what they said? I'm pretty sure it was all about you being the future, and being the best generation yet. Right?

Well, apparently some of America's most entitled graduates have shown this month that they don't understand how little any speaker has to say. They also showed that their parents should have taught them not think things they do not say. First, at Northwestern (IL), a vocal minority has decided that the mayor of Chicago is not a celebrated enough speaker for their graduation. Students expected Tony Blair (?!?) or the Dalai Lama. Mayor Daley was too "parochial" for Northwestern. Students cited past speakers including Senator Obama (at the time a mere first time senator from the state in which Northwestern is located), and Senator McCain (at the time a multi-time loser in presidential races, and probably more sought after as a former P.O.W. than a senator). It's hard to see how Daley is more "parochial" than Obama was. Stupid kids.

This week a vocal minority of Harvard students made clear that J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame was not up to their standards. Said one young jackass, "Harvard seniors have every right to demand a Harvard-calibre speaker." Oh, where to begin. As was quoted in the NPR story I heard, "freshman bring so much, seniors take away so little." Again, stupid kids.

You have to hope that the parents of the quoted jackasses had the sense to thwack said jackass in the head and tell them to smile and nod, get their diploma and start actually doing something in the world (or go to grad/professional school).