It’s 2017, and everyday is a day to do something extravagant to voice your political opinion. What better opportunity than when Vice President Mike Pence comes to your campus to deliver a commencement speech?
For the record, I have been to one graduation where a major political figure spoke. It was my brother’s graduation from Virginia Tech in 2012 and Michelle Obama flew in via helicopter to deliver her speech. Did anybody get up and leave? Not one. But then again that was 2012, this is 2017, 2012 was simpler times.
Mike Pence made his way to Indiana, the state he use to govern, and felt a heavy wave of hate from the silent student protestors as he stepped up to the podium to deliver his commencement speech.
A large group of students just walked out of Notre Dame's commencement during VP Mike Pence's address. #ND2017 pic.twitter.com/g3dCuqPbXg
— WNDU (@WNDU) May 21, 2017
I mean, I’ll be honest, commencement speeches are so generic that Donald Trump’s lines up with what Elle Woods delivered in Legally Blonde, maybe they just didn’t want to hear what he had to say?
Considering Mike Pence’s hair hasn’t budged even a millimeter since taking office, I’m assuming he’s not going to wander to far from the comfort of generic hopefulness when he delivers his commencement speech. So, after seeing more speeches than I care to, I can’t blame them for leaving. Maybe people just don’t want to hear a dumb speech about the future? Maybe they just want to get to dartying?
Actually, nope, it’s definitely because of Mike Pence.
A coalition of student activist groups at Notre Dame called We StaND For planned a walkout to protest policies Pence pursued as governor that they say targeted the most vulnerable.
To be fair, this Notre Dame protest is far smaller than that faced by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos when she recently delivered the commencement speech at Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college in Florida. Betsy DeVos is claimed to be on the verge of annihilating the US education system and the people treated her as such. So much so that the school’s president stood up, interrupted DeVos, took to the microphone, and said to the students, “If this behavior continues, your degrees will be mailed to you. Choose which way you want to go.”
I think the Trump administration should take the hint and lay off sending their members to graduations. But I’m gonna put all my chips on the fact that they won’t.
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