Last updated on 2015.03.01
Alas, poor December 2011 USD graduates. They hit the books, each incur about $20,000 in debt to get their degrees, and whom do they get to honor them at their commencement? Congresswoman Kristi Noem, an insecure anti-intellectual who thinks they should have stayed home and taken online courses.
Noem's address Saturday to USD's 474 December graduates epitomized her ongoing insult to higher education. First, Noem refers to the 21-year process it has taken her to bring her own college diploma within reach. She still doesn't have it... and she continues to play dumb about it:
I have my fingers crossed because I've turned in my final paper and if it does well, I'm going to graduate with you in 2011 as well [Rep. Kristi Noem, commencement address, University of South Dakota, 2011.12.17, as quoted in David Lias, "Noem Tells USD Grads to Prepare for Life's Changes," Yankton Press and Dakotan, 2011.12.19].
Reporter Lias apparently declines to note the shrug and cheerleader giggle that almost had to accompany that line.
Is Kristi Noem really so stupid that she doesn't know if her final paper is good enough to pass? She's a 40-year-old Congresswoman, a former legislator and businesswoman. I would think she would have the confidence and self-awareness to assess the quality of her own undergraduate writing assignments... unless maybe she had spokesboy Joshua Shields write them for her.
Noem burbles on:
Boy, am I proud of you.... There are so many hurdles that keep you from getting a good, quality education, and you guys stepped through it [Noem via Lias, 2011].
A commencement address is the sort of oratory one practices and polishes. It is not an off-the-cuff chat with voters. "Boy" and "guys" are not marks of great oratory. If Noem had thought through her remarks, she also would have recognized before hitting the stage that "it" cannot refer to "hurdles."
I think you are a unique generation. You don't know of a world without the internet. If you wanted to know something or question something your professor told you over the years, all you had to do is Google it. This makes you much more perceptive ... you can tell a fake when you see it — you know when a deal is just too good to be true [Noem via Lias, 2011].
Note the dig at academia: professors are not to be trusted; they are to be questioned and fact-checked by diligent Googling. (Someone, please, get me a copy of Noem's final paper: I want to read all the citations of Wikipedia.)
After reviewing several commencement speeches online, Noem decided to crown her speech with the profound wisdom of Conan O'Brien. Oh, the insecurity: instead of citing a statesman or philosopher, our Congresswoman tries to show she's one of the cool kids.
I don't have a full transcript of her speech, so I can't tell just how much of O'Brien's 2011 speech at Dartmouth she quoted, but she appears to have borrowed from O'Brien at length. She probably didn't notice that her lengthy quotation included this passage
...[W]hether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality [Conan O'Brien, quoted by Noem via Lias, 2011].
Conviction and true originality. If only our Congresswoman could have mustered those qualities for our newest graduates.
My son finished his course work online through USD this fall semester. Minutes after finishing his last paper, he called to inform me that he had graduated. Self doubt, no hint of that—confidence, you bet—writing ability, he's got it. KN in his league when it's to communication skills—hardly.
Christopher Hitchens said the following about Sarah Palin and her supporters. According to Hitchins Palin is "a fanatic and a proud, boastful ignoramus." Her supporters "are morally and intellectually slothful people who are secretly envious of the educated and the cultured."
I won't presume to characterize Noem's supporters, but the descriptions seem to fit Noem pretty well.
Good for Noem to finnish her college degree. I'm sure she is taking it because her staff told her to finnish it. Her speech should have said "most of you didn't get extra credit for serving in congress like I did."
The thing with Noem is that she is a hypocrite. You should do this but I'll do this. She's not a Tea Partier or a whacko she's a self serving politically driven human being. Her whole life has been about being a celebrity. The sooner Dems figure that out the better. I heard from someone that she and her sister once where finalists to be on the reality tv show the amazing race. I heard they were flown out to LA for the interview. When that didn't work out she ran for Congress.
SDPB alum now NAPT chair reflects on his time in the chemical toilet:
http://www.nativetelecom.org/tis_season_share_and_remember
The only person who could beat Kristi Noem in the election, IMHO, is Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. But I'll bet SHS has her eye on bigger beasts to broil.
Kristi Noem is a self-serving blabbering ding-a-ling. And you nailed it, anti-intellectual to the core. Had I graduated in this USD class, I would have fallen asleep with the rest of those who had to listen to this crap.
A proud parent of a USD graduate called from the line after Noem's speech to inform me of what an idiot she was and wondering why she was ever allowed to give a speech considering her own academic "record".
Doug! That parent didn't manage to record any of the speech, did she/he?
Cory, not that I know of. He noted her quotes as being the only thought in her speech.
I would hope that USD puts text of her speech on their web page. Perhaps the Vermillion Plain Talk recorded it.
Guggenheimer leaving Bill Janklow's idea of public radio!
I searched a bit. Interesting that USD hyped the speech before it happened, but has nothing on its web site with text of the speech. Noem's web site has only the David Liias P&D story on it. Maybe like Lincoln she scribbled her words of wisdom on the back on an envelope.
Anti-intellectual. Bill, sounds like that fits into you paranoid/fear political philosophy.
SDPB is in bed with the GOP leadership. Gary Ellenbolt gushed as he reported the pending Noem graduation as she mulls a Master's degree.
Single-party rule in the chemical toilet...priceless.
Right you are, Sibby. It's a hallmark of your brand of Paranoid Style Politics throughout history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-intellectualism See especially the section on "populism." Also the bibliography. It goes hand in hand with your blanket rejection of critical thinking.
Bill, the paranoid shoe is now on your and Cory's left foot. You guys think that populism is a threat to your universities.
From Fleming's link:
"Moreover, allegations of anti-intellectualism can constitute an appeal to authority or an appeal to ridicule that attempts to discredit an opponent rather than specifically addressing his or her arguments"
Cory, you just been busted for putting up a strawman.
Anf Bill ,the "appeal to ridicule" shows your use of strawman against my intellectual analysis of the Chamber's positions on the ballot issues. Did you ever answer my question about your status as a Chamber member?
Yes, anti-intellectualism, populism, and the paranoid style can arise from any sector of the political spectrum. It's an equal opportunity affliction. In your case, Steve it appears to be coming from the extreme religious right.
If you are now wishing to define yourself as an intellectual, Steve, that pretty much puts you at odds with your own philosophy. But, hey, whatever floats your boat.
Bill, you did not address the point from you own link. It would seem the paranoid would be ones who have to resort to strawman tactics like "ridiclule". What are you afraid of Bill, your intellectual dishonesty?
Did you ever answer my question about your status as a Chamber member?
Third request Bill.
I think our company is in the RC Chamber, yes Steve. Sometimes we are, sometimes not. Depends on if we paid our dues or not.Why? Is that a New Age Masonic Templar thingy or something? I don't remember making any pact with the devil or anything when we joined.
p.s. Ridicule is not a "strawman" tactic, Steve. You need to brush up on your fallacies. It's more of an ad hominem insult, although I like to think I'm making fun of your goofy ideas more than you personally.
Sometimes I get close to the line, I know.
Especially if you completely identify with your ideas and can't tell the difference.
Some advice for you , Steve.
You don't have to believe everything you think.
Pizza Ranch: miracle of loaves and chicken.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/12/michele-bachmann-candidate-foursquare
p.s. Sibby, the biggest straw man argument I can imagine would be to blame all the problems of the world on some trumped up bogeyman, masonic secret conspiracy and to accuse people of believing in something they don't. This is your constant modus operandi. I'm just sayin.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html
China hacks US Chamber: commies v. new world order
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/21/144085606/u-s-chamber-of-commerce-computers-hacked-allegedly-by-china?ft=1&f=103943429
Well, I'm pretty sure I'm okay there, Larry. I've never sent any email to either the Chamber or to China.
End of the world as we know it, begins anew:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/2012-end-of-the-world-countdown-based-on-mayan-calendar-starts-today/
"Ridicule is not a “strawman†tactic, Steve. "
Bill, from you Wiki link you provided:
"allegations of anti-intellectualism can constitute an appeal to authority or an appeal to ridicule"
Don't blame me for the point, you brought it to the table Bill.
"Sibby, the biggest straw man argument I can imagine would be to blame all the problems of the world on some trumped up bogeyman, masonic secret conspiracy and to accuse people of believing in something they don’t. "
Bill, I am just blowing to trumpet to wake up the deceived.
"Why? Is that a New Age Masonic Templar thingy or something?"
Never said that Bill. Remember I exposed their intellectually dishonest position on the upcoming ballot issues. Why are you so paranoid?
My guess? Rep. Noem is a Masonic Intellectually Liberalized Fundamentalist.
Larry,
I hate to disagree with you, but I believe you mean "intellectually liberated" as in liberated from anything resembling an intellect.
Cory chastened me to be kinder and gentler to Rep. Noem, LK. It's hard when she breathes new meaning into Coo, Clucks, and KLAN.
I apologize for being an enabler. I will allow you to go back to kinder, gentler commentary sans double entendre.
Hey people, stop distracting the problem of Kristi Noem by bantering about yourselves. She's in office because of you. Stop the smoke screen to realize she is not an intellectual and is not qualified to be any where but on the farm; not messing in the federal government.
you tell it, sister....