<p>So last year when my son graduated we had to listen to the angry-feminist anti Zionist philosophy professor from Berkeley who quite honestly nearly reduced my enjoyment of my son's graduation. She was cold, aggressive, irritable and just not fun.</p>
<p>Yesterday son #2 had his college graduation at Penn (commencement for the University is today) and we got to hear John Legend, a 1999 Magna Cum Laude English graduate from Penn. He was warm, engaging, well spoken and a bit predictable about responsibility and truth. But, on a chilly evening at the end of a very long day he did what the speaker should do- he made us laugh, made us think, cultivated inspiration and made us happy to have shared the experience together. My only disappointment was that he did not sing....</p>
<p>But what I really can't get over is the response to Obama at Notre Dame. How dare the idealogues hijack the event from the kids who had a chance to hear a standing president at their commencement. Where is basic respect? Have we come to the point where every and any event is simply a chance to attack and argue?</p>
<p>My mother reminded me yesterday that the speaker at one of my brothers’ graduation was so boring the students began to clap until he got the message and cut himself off.</p>
<p>One of my kids graduated yesterday and we got two speakers, both good, because the school is large and her individual college had a separate ceremony before the all-school one. The first speaker was terrific; she described how she rose from taking care of the sheepdog talent for a kids’ show - meaning pooper scooping - to running network programming, including how she was asked to take over programming for what was then WWF (now WWE) when she’d never seen - and was horrified by - wrestling. She spent a lot of time with very large men and they built the story lines for Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, etc. Her message was mostly practical and inspirational and included direct advice with examples, such as “Ask for what you want.” Don’t be afraid to ask because “No” is only a word.</p>
<p>The second speaker, Congressman Mike Capuano, began by saying that at ASU some are upset Obama didn’t get an honorary degree and at Notre Dame some are upset that he’s even speaking and here people are disappointed to get him, a mere congressman. He then said that if this is the worst disappointment you have in life, you’re doing very well. He stayed at that high level, including a memory of his grandmother’s apartment in what is now a university owned building but was then a cold water flat. His message was, “You don’t have to be extraordinary.”</p>
<p>This past week, we attended our daughter’s graduation from NYU/Tisch. The Tisch graduation was at the theater at Madison Square Garden and Whoopi Goldberg was the speaker. The NYU graduation was at the new Yankee Stadium and the speaker (who also got an honorary degree) was Hillary Clinton. Both speakers were very good and warmly received.</p>
<p>I watched Obama’s speech yesterday. I thought he incorporated the controversy (including his honorary degrees) with humility and humor all the way around. He doesn’t back away from the difficult and for me, this is why he is president. Those kids will remember that the rest of their lives whether they agreed with his politics or not.</p>
<p>Is anyone who isn’t PRO Israel anti Zionist? We are not an extension of that, or any other, country and people need to realize this. It seems as though too many people don’t look beyond religion or historical roots and ignore the current politics and actions of some countries- examine policies from a neutral viewpoint, not your views that some countries are sacred. Sounds like Berkely’s reputation to be controversial and make people think instead of having speakers who recite feel good platitudes.</p>
<p>I thought that the President handled both of his commencements and the attendant controversies with extraordinary grace. (How ridiculous does ASU look withholding an honorary degree from the Pres because his “body of work” isn’t up to their standards? lol!)</p>