Wed 26 Sep 2007
Amused Cynic (aka Driver), a 2007 parent, has thoughts on Commencement Speaker Katie Couric. Driver is not a fan.
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September 26th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
speaking broadly: in general, people seem to have difficulties distinguishing between one’s public face (elements of a persona that is presented to the public, usually in relation to employment) and one’s private presentation (elements of biography that are often obscured by chosen public persona). It is this disconnect that leads to extensive primary discussions of “appearing” Presidential, or various castigations of “Katie Couric” for being “perky” or “chipper” or other carefully chosen elements of her previous position.
It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who quipped there were no second acts in American life, and that statement has always seemed more true of durable public presentation than a true barometer of tolerance for mutability. Nixon could no more go on to be an affable children’s tee vee host than “presidential” Reagan could have been seen as sweaty, inarticulate, verklempt.
Ms. Couric’s issues with CBS mainly stem from ham-handed management and funding (cf. New York Magazine’s extensive profile) and perhaps lingering identification with her previous role. Stupid comments by beauty pageant contestants ignore her extensive journalistic background and obvious poise and success. If we could all “fail” like Katie!
September 26th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I don’t wish ill on the perky one, but I know a lot of people with poise and money that I wouldn’t invite to make a commencement speech. Many of them are charming, lucky dingbats, like Katie, and I wish them all well. Remind me of her journalistic accomplishments, though, in case I’ve misjudged her.
September 26th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
And, please, someone get us a better speaker for this year. DK: shall we gather names and send them off to the requisite committee?
September 26th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Mark Steyn. He lives within driving distance, I believe. That would be the commencement speech coup of the decade, at least. I’d even come up for it. Do it!
September 26th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
In this high tech world, I recommend John Chambers, the head of Cisco. Has most of the degrees seniors want (law, MBA), has made millions of dollars, and is a compelling speaker. Should satisfy all of the special interest groups.
September 26th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
What’s sad is that (funny, brilliant science writer) Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Williams’s first Nobel laureate, Robert Engle, were both sitting on the stage as honorary degree recipients while Couric bored us to death.
Mark Steyn would be worse, though.
September 27th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Worse, how? Have you ever heard the guy speak?
September 27th, 2007 at 7:44 am
Driver, Williams will invite a commencement speaker who believes invading Iraq was a great idea and doesn’t believe in global warming right after they exhume Zephania Swift Moore to deliver the baccalaureat address.
Couric’s speech was pretty embarassing. Can it really be that hard to find someone who will say something at least interesting, thought-provoking, and entertaining, if not profound? I don’t know, maybe it is time to put a team of student editors to help polish up these speeches before they are delivered …
I could think of numerous Williams alums who would, on the average, be far more likely to answer “yes” to an invitation, far more likely to relate their speech to the Williams experience, and who I guarantee would have something more interesting to say than Couric (or certainly Steyn):
Michael Beschloss, John Sayles, Susan Schwab, Bethany McLean (if you want a serious journalist), my personal favorite R.A. Montgomery. How about getting really creative and going with Charles Webb? The man did, after all, write The Graduate, seems topical. Maybe they could even aim for Stephen Sondheim, might be a way to bring him back to campus as he has little to do with Williams at this point. Once you move outside of the realm of Ephs, of course, the interesting possibilities multiply into the thousands.
Speaking of Schwab:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/25/news/economy/schwab_trade_representative.fortune/?postversion=2007092608
September 27th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Call Robert Engle back for 2009 and ask him to speak (2008 would be a little unseemly). Ask Sondheim for 2008 and, if says he can’t come, ask him for 2010.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I promise you, there will be no “‘Driver’ Class of 2007″ wing added to the Paresky snack bar until Mark Steyn makes a commencement speech at Williams College. Be that as it may.
My second choice should satisfy those who demand insularity, i.e., a commencement speaker connected to the College. I propose: KC Johnson. What a speech he would give.