Saturday, July 12, 2003

I have lifted this straight off the New Criterion blog:

A commencement address worth reading

“The columnist Neal Boortz wrote a commencement address that we find refreshing for its cant-free attack on the academic culture of political correctness, big government, and sundry other evils. A couple of sample paragraphs:

You have been taught that the real value of any group of people - be it a social group, an employee group, a management group, whatever - is based on diversity. This is a favored liberal ideal because diversity is based not on an individual's abilities or character, but on a person’s identity and status as a member of a group. Yes – it’s that liberal group identity thing again. Within the great diversity movement group identification -- be it racial, gender based, or some other minority status -- means more than the individual's integrity, character or other qualifications. Brace yourself. You are about to move from this academic atmosphere where diversity rules, to a workplace and a culture where individual achievement and excellence actually count. No matter what your professors have taught you over the last four years, you are about to learn that diversity is absolutely no replacement for excellence, ability, and individual hard work. From this day on every single time you hear the word "diversity" you can rest assured that there is someone close by who is determined to rob you of every vestige of individuality you possess.

Alas, this commencement address has never been delivered because no one has had temerity to invite Mr. Boortz to campus.”

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