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Obama's Antipenultimate Commencement Speech as President (1 Viewer)

Horrible speech, on a variety of different subjects.

Obama on success:

And that means we have to not only question the world as it is, and stand up for those African Americans who haven’t been so lucky -- because, yes, you've worked hard, but you've also been lucky. That's a pet peeve of mine: People who have been successful and don’t realize they've been lucky. That God may have blessed them; it wasn’t nothing you did. So don’t have an attitude.
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Obama on Black Lives Matter:

I’m so proud of the new guard of black civil rights leaders who understand this. It’s thanks in large part to the activism of young people like many of you, from Black Twitter to Black Lives Matter, that America’s eyes have been opened
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Absolute joke of a President.

 
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Luckily for you, he'll have another shot at impressing you with his final commencement speech as he'll be speaking at the Rutgers graduation on Sunday. 

 
Higgs said:
Horrible speech, on a variety of different subjects.

Obama on success:

And that means we have to not only question the world as it is, and stand up for those African Americans who haven’t been so lucky -- because, yes, you've worked hard, but you've also been lucky. That's a pet peeve of mine: People who have been successful and don’t realize they've been lucky. That God may have blessed them; it wasn’t nothing you did. So don’t have an attitude.
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Thank you for showing us exactly what he meant.

 
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apalmer said:
Thank you for showing us exactly what he meant.
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Truth be told I didn't listen to the whole speech, but I did read most of it and listened to several portions of it.  The piece I quoted above was not taken out of context in my opinion.  What Obama was saying there was just about the worst thing I'd want to hear at a graduation ceremony.  Success is earned, it's not given to you.  These kids weren't lucky to graduate.  They worked for it.  They should be congratulated - not chided for being lucky.  It's typical Obama - a misguided attempt to prop up those less fortunate by knocking down those who have succeeded.  Very valid criticism here, whether you are Liberal or Conservative.

 
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Higgs said:
Truth be told I didn't listen to the whole speech, but I did read most of it and listened to several portions of it.  The piece I quoted above was not taken out of context in my opinion.  What Obama was saying there was just about the worst thing I'd wan to hear at a graduation ceremony.  Success is earned, it's not given to you.  These kids weren't lucky to graduate.  They worked for it.  They should be congratulated - not chided for being lucky.  It's typical Obama - a misguided attempt to prop up those less fortunate by knocking down a peg those who have succeeded.  Very valid criticism here, whether you are Liberal or Conservative.
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And if you read the entire quote, you'll see he acknowledged their hard work.  To say "you've also been lucky" is hardly "chiding" them. I'm lucky to have the intelligence necessary to accomplish what I have academically and professionally, even though both have also required hard work.  Being reminded of that doesn't bother me one bit.

 
Higgs said:
Truth be told I didn't listen to the whole speech, but I did read most of it and listened to several portions of it.  The piece I quoted above was not taken out of context in my opinion.  What Obama was saying there was just about the worst thing I'd wan to hear at a graduation ceremony.  Success is earned, it's not given to you.  These kids weren't lucky to graduate.  They worked for it.  They should be congratulated - not chided for being lucky.  It's typical Obama - a misguided attempt to prop up those less fortunate by knocking down a peg those who have succeeded.  Very valid criticism here, whether you are Liberal or Conservative.
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And if you read the entire quote, you'll see he acknowledged their hard work.  To say "you've also been lucky" is hardly "chiding" them. I'm lucky to have the intelligence necessary to accomplish what I have academically and professionally, even though both have also required hard work.  Being reminded of that doesn't bother me one bit.

 
Higgs said:
Truth be told I didn't listen to the whole speech, but I did read most of it and listened to several portions of it.  The piece I quoted above was not taken out of context in my opinion.  What Obama was saying there was just about the worst thing I'd want to hear at a graduation ceremony.  Success is earned, it's not given to you.  These kids weren't lucky to graduate.  They worked for it.  They should be congratulated - not chided for being lucky.  It's typical Obama - a misguided attempt to prop up those less fortunate by knocking down those who have succeeded.  Very valid criticism here, whether you are Liberal or Conservative.
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Success also involves luck.  It's like you're from another planet.

 
Let's break this down Higgs. I believe that those who are successful tend to be hard workers and they tend to be lucky. It's not either/or, it's usually a combination. 

I also believe in the social contract- probably not to the extent that Obama does- but I believe our nation should have a safety net so that the less fortunate among us have minimum needs met- those minimum needs being food, shelter, medical care, and primary education. 

Do you agree with these two points? 

 
apalmer said:
And if you read the entire quote, you'll see he acknowledged their hard work.  To say "you've also been lucky" is hardly "chiding" them. I'm lucky to have the intelligence necessary to accomplish what I have academically and professionally, even though both have also required hard work.  Being reminded of that doesn't bother me one bit.
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Of course he also acknowledged their hard work.  In a speech like this one or two lines can sometimes make the difference.  These words are chosen very very carefully.  I know a little something about this.  My nephew worked for Obama in the West Wing and wrote some of these speeches.  And even he acknowledged that the choice of words here was very poor and doesn't reflect well on an occasion like this where the focus should be more on achievement and hard work  To add some further context, my nephew also mentioned that speeches like this are usually written by low level staffers like he was.  But these are also the speeches where Obama does like to go off script and add his own color.  My nephew thinks that the last sentence, "So don't have an attitude" is probably an example of this.

 
Higgs said:
Of course he also acknowledged their hard work.  In a speech like this one or two lines can sometimes make the difference.  These words are chosen very very carefully.  I know a little something about this.  My nephew worked for Obama in the West Wing and wrote some of these speeches.  And even he acknowledged that the choice of words here was very poor and doesn't reflect well on an occasion like this where the focus should be more on achievement and hard work  To add some further context, my nephew also mentioned that speeches like this are usually written by low level staffers like he was.  But these are also the speeches where Obama does like to go off script and add his own color.  My nephew thinks that the last sentence, "So don't have an attitude" is probably an example of this.
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The entire speech was a call for the graduates to stand up for those who haven't been as lucky and continue working to make things better.  :whoosh:

 
timschochet said:
Let's break this down Higgs. I believe that those who are successful tend to be hard workers and they tend to be lucky. It's not either/or, it's usually a combination. 

I also believe in the social contract- probably not to the extent that Obama does- but I believe our nation should have a safety net so that the less fortunate among us have minimum needs met- those minimum needs being food, shelter, medical care, and primary education. 

Do you agree with these two points? 
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Oh I totally get the point he was making, and I'm not even saying I disagree with it.  I'm saying that it's a dumb point to make at a graduation ceremony, which is about celebrating one's hard work and achievement.  And there are plenty of better ways Obama could have woven in the topic of gratitude and civil responsibility.  Not a huge deal, just my opinion.  I think those Howard kids should all be applauded because a lot of them weren't lucky.  Some probably struggled mightily to get where they were, and I would have gone out of my one that one day to acknowledge that.

 
Higgs said:
Oh I totally get the point he was making, and I'm not even saying I disagree with it.  I'm saying that it's a dumb point to make at a graduation ceremony, which is about celebrating one's hard work and achievement.  And there are plenty of better ways Obama could have woven in the topic of gratitude and civil responsibility.  Not a huge deal, just my opinion.  I think those Howard kids should all be applauded because a lot of them weren't lucky.  Some probably struggled mightily to get where they were, and I would have gone out of my one that one day to acknowledge that.
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And I know you graduates share those qualities. I know it because I've learned about some of the young people graduating here today. There's a young woman named Ciearra Jefferson, who’s graduating with you. And I'm just going to use her as an example. I hope you don’t mind, Ciearra. Ciearra grew up in Detroit and was raised by a poor single mom who worked seven days a week in an auto plant. And for a time, her family found themselves without a place to call home. They bounced around between friends and family who might take them in. By her senior year, Ciearra was up at 5:00 am every day, juggling homework, extracurricular activities, volunteering, all while taking care of her little sister. But she knew that education was her ticket to a better life. So she never gave up. Pushed herself to excel. This daughter of a single mom who works on the assembly line turned down a full scholarship to Harvard to come to Howard. (Applause.)

And today, like many of you, Ciearra is the first in her family to graduate from college. And then, she says, she’s going to go back to her hometown, just like Thurgood Marshall did, to make sure all the working folks she grew up with have access to the health care they need and deserve. As she puts it, she’s going to be a “change agent.” She’s going to reach back and help folks like her succeed.

And people like Ciearra are why I remain optimistic about America. (Applause.) Young people like you are why I never give in to despair.
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Luck plays an important role in everyone's success. This doesn't take away from the accomplishment but to deny it exists is more of an ego thing and not fully appreciating what things broke right for you (or an absence of things not breaking wrong).

Malcolm Gladwell has a great book on this.

 
timschochet said:
Let's break this down Higgs. I believe that those who are successful tend to be hard workers and they tend to be lucky. It's not either/or, it's usually a combination. 

I also believe in the social contract- probably not to the extent that Obama does- but I believe our nation should have a safety net so that the less fortunate among us have minimum needs met- those minimum needs being food, shelter, medical care, and primary education. 

Do you agree with these two points? 
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Yep.  Those that work hard seem to have more good fortune than those that are lazy.  That isn't an accident.

 
Higgs said:
Horrible speech, on a variety of different subjects.

Obama on success:

Obama on Black Lives Matter:

Absolute joke of a President.
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If only we could get a president elected that cared about the rising unemployment gap between whites and black than Big Pharma, we might not need activist groups like BLM.

 
Thread title is a bit off.  I know he's at least giving the commencement speech at Rutgers this weekend, so he has not given his final one yet.

 
Here's my proposed wager - to you and Capella if he wants to join in.  I will produce proof of this to an independent third party that we both trust in here (so as to keep my nephews identity protected).  Loser leaves the board - forever.

You game Kitty?

 
Higgs said:
Wager??  Please say yes and don't be a coward.
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Don't feed the trolls, Higgs. OPM is the one of the biggest on these boards.  Don't ever go into a movie thread either because he's in every single one of them ####ting all over it too (like this one).  

He's also about 255 years old and an ornery sum##### too boot.

 
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Higgs said:
Here's my proposed wager - to you and Capella if he wants to join in.  I will produce proof of this to an independent third party that we both trust in here (so as to keep my nephews identity protected).  Loser leaves the board - forever.

You game Kitty?
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No.  I want the name of your nephew.  His address and SSN too.

 
My nephew is Jon Favreau (not the fat director/Rudy's buddy/Double Down's failed wingman) so I got you beat. 

 
bagger said:
Luck plays an important role in everyone's success. This doesn't take away from the accomplishment but to deny it exists is more of an ego thing and not fully appreciating what things broke right for you (or an absence of things not breaking wrong).

Malcolm Gladwell has a great book on this.
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Referring to Outliers?

Summarizing the publication, Gladwell notes that success "is not exceptional or mysterious. It is grounded in a web of advantages and inheritances, some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky"
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I would have changed the thread title to Obama's Penultimate Commencement Speech as President because, really, how often do you get to use penultimate.

 
Higgs said:
Cute.  The only thing ignorant in this thread is the liberal sycophants defending Obama for praising BLM in a graduation speech.   :lol:
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You went from bashing him for saying people were "lucky" and have moved on to BLM now. What are you even arguing about at this point?

 
Limp Ditka said:
I'm going to bet that, in the mind of this speech writer, Higgs is an embarrassment at family gatherings
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:lmao:   The crazy Uncle thing?  I do sometimes worry about it, though things have gotten a lot better since I quit drinking.  If my nephew knew I was a Trump supporter it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure.

 
MattFancy said:
You went from bashing him for saying people were "lucky" and have moved on to BLM now. What are you even arguing about at this point?
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Uhh, you might want to read my original post.  I cited two reasons why the speech sucked.  We've beaten number one to death.  Now we are on to number 2.  Keep up Matty.

 
Higgs said:
:lmao:   The crazy Uncle thing?  I do sometimes worry about it, though things have gotten a lot better since I quit drinking.  If my nephew knew I was a Trump supporter it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure.
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If he's speech writing for the PotUS, I'm going to bet that he's smart enough to save you from the formality of telling him. 

 
Higgs said:
Uhh, you might want to read my original post.  I cited two reasons why the speech sucked.  We've beaten number one to death.  Now we are on to number 2.  Keep up Matty.
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Didn't he say a few weeks ago that the BLM activists need more action and less talk?

"Once you’ve highlighted an issue and brought it to people’s attention and shined a spotlight, and elected officials or people who are in a position to start bringing about change are ready to sit down with you, then you can’t just keep on yelling at them,” Mr. Obama said.

“And you can’t refuse to meet because that might compromise the purity of your position,” he continued. “The value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table, get you in the room, and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved.”

Obama Says Movements Like Black Lives Matter ‘Can’t Just Keep on Yelling'

 
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