> If I were sitting there listening to his speech, I probably would have been laughing too. But I would also be saying to myself, here is a young man, who obviously has a lot going for him, (or he wouldn't be valedictorian, right?) and he has a once in a lifetime opportunity here to address people presumably important to him (parents and peers)--and yet,he choses to be *comedic* over being *insightful*. GAH. Is there no sense of "occasion" anymore?

I imagine he fell victim to a desire to be unique.

But how insightful can one really be with so little experience? From the valedictorian speakers I've heard, their attempts at insight more often than not come across as collections of clichés. In the end, the total insight value still equals zero, and in that case, I'd rather be amused by a speaker trying to be "comedic" than patronized by one trying to be "insightful."

> Is the worst sin being "boring"? Are we turning into a nation of entertainers and the must-be-entertained?

We've been that for a long time now.

> koala"not really as grumpy as she probably sounds here"mom

the_"not really as cynical as she probably sounds here"surfacer