Being an excellent robot (Erica Goldson Graduation speech)

Someone who can do anything just because they put their mind to it? Then why did nobody ever put their mind to curing cancer in 5 minutes then? Too busy with more interesting stuff?

If you can excel at anything others put your mind to, simply because you want to excel (which was directly what was in the cartoon), then you can do it for anything you can put your mind to as well.

Not unless you know and respect yourself. Not if you're too glued to authority to do it.

If she can excel at any task set, she's very smart and she's proved to herself she can do anything if she tries.

You responded to ZERO of the point you were just quoting. You just ramble on and on. I'm sorry, but I get nothing out of this and you're just talking to yourself.

No, I think that the image of school as a robot factory and point of government control is overblown, almost to the point of a conspiracy theory.

"conspiracy theory"? Really? That's your best shot? Bye!

You can guess which philosophies applied in pre-industrial vs modern K-12 .edu and which applied in pre-tuition bubble and post-tuition bubble university .edu in the USA.

There is quite an impedance bump going from HS senior to Univ Freshman because of this conversion from pure training automaton setting to at least still partially an educational setting.

And you kind of ignored my entire point. It's not that you can 'do literally anything', obviously you can't become the incredible hulk through force of will. It's about being able to excel at any chosen field by being highly devoted to it. And on top of that, the 'godliness', is being able to chose a topic to be exceptionally devoted to. It's the choice of what to be passionate about that I would be depressed that nobody can do.

But apparently you were just interpreting 'excel at anything' as 'do literally anything' and never meant any of what I was responding to.

I'm not so sure they're unaware of what they're doing. Don't most people go to university to "get a job"? Which typically means a 9-5 corporate cog paid to do the corporations bidding for most of your waking hours. That's actually what people want out of their four year piece of paper. Most people have already accepted and acknowledge that university isn't required to perform these jobs, but it's required to acquire these jobs, so they go through it.

There will be few who are there for the education itself, and perhaps go on to research positions for much lesser pay than the successful corporate cogs. But it's no mystery that the vast majority are there to willingly become part of the complacent labour force.

>> Twisting words? You said "sort of person". There is no such "sort". That you then say "oh that means people can't excel at stuff blah blah blah" is of your own making.

Yes, twisting my words to make your ridiculous point. This comment specifically is nonsense - "Then why did nobody ever put their mind to curing cancer in 5 minutes then? Too busy with more interesting stuff?" And yes, by excelling at everything in school she has shown she's the sort of person that can excel at many things, by studying and applying herself. Not everyone has it in them to excel in one space, let alone lots. I'm not really sure what your problem is here.

>> Sure, but that doesn't mean they automatically are great at basketball or rocket science.

No, why on earth would it? But it might mean that they are at a crossroads now and can excel at whatever direction they decide to take their life, be that cancer research, rocket science, whatever. She's smart and shown a capacity for dedication, so can probably be nearly anything she wants. Seriously, what is your problem with this?

(--edit-- hell, maybe she wants to buy some land and run a drum workshop, it's her choice too, I'm not trying to constrain the discussion to academic disciplines)

>> I mean yeah, if I put my mind to the things I know I can excel at, then I can excel at anything I put my mind to. Big whoop.

Now you're just spouting nonsense again.

>> I'd say it's reflecting on robot like tendencies. Why would one even have to realize that unless they had some kind of issue before that?

Because they're an adolescent just waking up to the extent of the world around them. It happens. Her parents and teachers probably have influenced her thinking about how her life is due to unfold. She probably had an internal roadmap that was partly put there by society, partly by the adults in her life, and partly by her own assumptions. She's realising it's not set in stone. Good for her.

>> Ever saw kids play, heck, toddlers cry? Knowing you have choices is the default, and it gets broken and beaten out of some. How can you deny this? Because there are also people who excel and do so out of their free will? That's just throwing a wrench into a perfectly good discussion just because it goes over your head.

I'm not sure I have any idea what you're talking about any more.

>>I mean, just to switch gears for a sec, ever noticed the plague of "achievement hunting"? People ticking off boxes just because those boxes exist and they have nothing better to do with themselves? Same thing. This can also be found in school among some, and in businesses as well. How could you possibly miss it?

No, really no clue.

>> That somehow means you are not just quoting parts of my post, then talking stuff that addresses none of or isn't even about anything related to the quote?

At least I'm quoting what you actually said instead of making shit up.