Elitism, snobbery, and petty old rivalries

My little sister has told me that I shouldn't pick on people for being elitist. Her opinion is that judging them is just another subtle way of asserting my own personal superiority complex, which in turn, is elitist. So with apologies to her, I highlight this article In which a Princeton graduate takes issue with UPenn's choice of a graduation speaker.

It doesn't take much for TigerHawk to complain about Penn, although we usually confine our snarkiest comments to its basketball team. In this case, though, we are appalled that Penn has recruited Kofi Annan, who has presided over one of the largest financial scandals in the history of the world, to speak at its commencement. Penn's president, Amy Gutmann, thinks that Annan makes an excellent role model...

(Yeah K, I may have a complex, but can we at least pick on people who refer to themselves in the third person? Please? )

[Note: the "we" in the preceeding sentence refers to myself and my sister, not the "royal we" ...which, in turn, is another reason to pick on TH.]

Aside from the traditional knee-jerk conservative reaction to Kofi Annan (and the perennial comeptition between Ivies), I propose that TigerHawk has a more subtle motive here. Perhaps he suffers some shame from not having had a graduation speaker. Only the president of Princeton is good enough to speak at their commencement. Yet, in the end, does that really serve the students well?

I argue that it does not. TigerHawk, I too share your pain. Cornell did not deign to invite speakers either and so we were serenaded by our president Hunter Rawlings III. (Hunter by the by, was the kind of person who always had a major stick up his ass...story for another time) That same year, another college in Ithaca had a graduation speaker. (Three guesses which!) I was lucky enough to be invited, and Maya Angelou had a phenomenal speech. I can recall much of that speech: how it is the nature of humans to strive to overcome adversity and despair. How the soul of a poet exists in a person who condisers herself as normal as anyone else. I don't remember anything that Hunter said.

Now, it could be that Princeton's president has far far better speeches than Cornell's (rivalry aside, I really hope they aren't worse) , but I can't help feel bad for those Cornell and Princeton graduates who run into friends at Penn. Cause I know it sucks admitting that you had a school employee give your commencement address.

And double that if your friend had the sitting head of the United Nations.

Two bits of consolation for TH:
1) Amy Gutmann (who managed to get Anann here) is actually a Princetonian (Princetonite?) herself, having just come from there this past year.
2) Princeton students continue to show extreme fortitude outside the Frist Center. Coming up on 250 hours now. Big jealousy from me, as I've said before.

Besides, if Penn jumped the shark for a big name, it was last year.

Final note. TigerHawk has a pretty good blog. I mean I find him worth reading. And for me to say that about a conservative, Princetonian, (who refers to himself in the third-person)...it must be good.


UPDATE: I am informed that Kofi backed out of a commencement at Yale in 1999. (Something about an emergency summit on genocide or somesuch). Here's to no genocide, for at least the next week.