Commencement III

Part tré.
Alternative commencement was interesting. I don't know what I expected, maybe I was a bit bright eyed, idealistic. Eric Bybee spoke first, one of the so called "BYU 25" as I'm sure they would like to be known. Nader suggested that title, but more on him later. Then Ash Sanders spoke, the ringleader of the local counterculter. She was obviously passionate about her topic, and had a well crafted speech, but I can't say I am with her on everything she said. Pete Ashdown spoke next. I felt like his speech was a little loaded, quoting scripture and patriotic lines. Say what you think, then tie it to the Sermon on the Mount. A technique I think is a little...I don't know...cheap? Thats an ugly thing to say, it wasn't a bad speech, but it wasn't my favorite either. The Executive Director Emeritus of Amnesty International, Jack Healy spoke. Maybe I'm just cold blooded, but I didn't feel inspired by his remarks either. I don't want to go out and change the world out of guilt, I want to be moved to action by some nobler emotion. His words on the sad state of human rights throughout the world only left me sad and upset.
Then the big attraction, Ralph Nader.
Well, LET ME TELL YOU.
The man was...welll... boring. Again, uninspiring. He made a slow start, but when he got into his swing, he was just all over the place. He shotgunned a plethora of issues: socialized medicine, the electoral college, gluttonous CEOs, campaign finance, corporate sway in the legislature. He mentioned some legitimate problems, I have to confess.
But his "solutions" were far from. He neglected that, while the existing structure has its pitfalls, so will the replacement he offers. I felt like every remedy he proposed was just as fraught with logistical and ethical problems, and just as prone to abuse if not more. For the most part, he was proposing a much more socialized system, mandating utopia, a blessed land where Big Brother will take care of you. I'll pass.
So in the end, while I agreed with the fundamental idea behind the alternative commencement, I felt like the realization of it was a disappointment. What can I say...I'm a pretty traditional conservative.