Novelist E.L. Doctorow was shocked – shocked, he’ll tell ya! – by the behavior of Hofstra University students as he delivered their commencement address. Speaking to the crowd of new college grads and their families and friends, Doctrow blasted the administration’s tax cuts and Homeland Security before launching into his version of the “Bush lied” litany.
Then, just as Doctorow had shared his thoughts on the President’s politics with the students, they shared their thoughts on Doctrow’s politics with him: they booed until the author stopped speaking.
“I thought we were all supposed to speak out,” he told The Washington Post in Tuesday’s editions. “Isn’t that what this country is about?”
Well, here’s a news flash for you, E.L. Doctorow, and all of your Baby Boomer compatriots who bleat so vociferously about your rights: other people have them, too. You, sir, trampled on the right of those students to have a commencement ceremony which honored their achievements, their right to be addressed with words of wisdom to guide them as they step out into the “real world” beyond the ivory tower, their right for them to be the focus of the day, not you and your misguided political opinions.
And so, dear Mr. Doctorow, on this first day of the rest of your life, permit me to impart a word of (borrowed) wisdom to you: Welcome to Hard Times. Your career as a commencement speaker is over.
Wednesday, May 26th, 2004, 5:08 pm | 
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May 26, 2004 at 6:46 pm
isn’t it obvious? the students/grads have the same right to freedom of expression that he does. just because he exercised his (when it was their day) does not mean that they cannot, or should not exercise theirs.
May 27, 2004 at 1:24 am
It’s also refreshing to hear that there are some college students out there who are not the stereotypical liberal-minded college student who want to “save the world” from us Americans!!!!
Madame Butterfly
May 27, 2004 at 6:07 am
There are right ways and wrong ways to approach political criticism during a commencement speech. It strikes me that a person who simply lashes out at politicians isn’t doing himself or the graduates any favors.
If I were to give such a speech and I wanted to criticize the Prez and his policies, I would do so obliquely, perhaps with something like:
“America is the Great Nation of this century. It’s also the most powerful. That vast power carries with it an obligation to use it responsibly. And that power, though vast, has its limits.
“Your responsibility in all of that is to vote, to participate in the political process, to think, and, above all, to hold your leaders accountable for their actions.
“When you consider who should be your leader in this, or any other election, ask yourself: Which of these leaders will lead this country responsibly? Which of these leaders recognizes America’s place in the world?”
If I’m famous for my opinions, I would say:
“You all know my answers to those questions.”
In any case, I would say:
“I’m not going to answer those questions for you. Only you can answer those questions. And you will shirk your responsibility as a voter — as an American — if you fail to think before you vote.”