Speaker booed after Anti-Bush commencement speech

[GreenPartyVoter]

"Author E.L. Doctorow, who penned "Ragtime" and "City of God," was stunned when his commencement address at Hofstra University was booed by some students angry at his criticism of President Bush.

"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?"

In a 20-minute address to graduates at the Long Island school on Sunday, the novelist criticized Bush's tax cuts, anti-terrorism policies and the Patriot Act, but focused mainly on what he called Bush's "untrue" stories about the war in Iraq.

"One story he told was that the country of Iraq had nuclear and biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction and was intending shortly to use them on us ... but it was not true," Doctorow said."

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20040526/D82Q86BO0.html


Seriously, is this a case of overblown reporting, like with Michael Moore and the Oscars speecH? Anyone know anyone who was actually there?

[robbedvoter]

1. I heard it on AAR too. All it takes is a bunch of thugs. And Long Island

(where Hofsra is) is not exactly a bastion of liberalism.

[LynneSin]

2. Probably like Moore's acceptance speech at the Oscars

I'm sure there were about half a dozen or so folks at the commencement speech who boo'd the speaker. However, I'm sure there were many many many more who cheered what the speaker had to say.

But they won't focus on those that cheered, just the few who complained and boo'd. That's what they did with Michael Moore at the Oscars. You could tell that the bulk of the audience was standing and applauding, but ABC found a group who were booing and put the mics on them so they sounded louder!

[HFishbine]

3. "I thought we were all supposed to speak out"

Indeed, and that includes booing. I hate it for Doctorow, but if it had been Cheney getting booed, we'd consider it okay.

[rex 555]

6. Thank you.

They had their say and Doctorow carried on. Watch out though, for the PP's(political perfects). It is just that way.

[harrison]

4. Sign those students up and send them to Iraq so they can fight

the war on terra. Let's see if they boo him then. Hey students: you are a bunch fucks and I can see that all the way down here in Mississippi.

[sendero]

5. Mr Doctorow...

.... was on a radio talk show a couple days back.

Some fuckwit who was at the event called in and waxed indignant that Mr. Doctorow would use such an occassion to "talk politics".

Mr. Doctorow calmly said he was sorry the man disagreed with him, but his point was: "you have graduated and now must join the real world ;and part of being a citizen is paying attention to what your government is doing" (highly paraphrased).

Were I him I would have been tempted to add this: "why does even the mention of the the Iraq debacle inspire such a visceral reaction? It is because, I think, a lot of you know how culpable you are and it makes you very uncomfortable. The truth is not always comfortable and rest assured the truth will eventually triumph over your comfort".

But then, I'm not a famous author so I'll just pontificate here instead :)

[Vickers]

7. Gee, if Georgie were in a "normal" audience once in a while...

...he'd get booed, too!

Besides, 5 folks booing can be heard over 100 people clapping.

[Cat Atomic]

8. I'd like to see a follow-up with these kids if their hero wins in Nov.

I wonder if they'll be cheering for Bush when he drafts their asses?

[JHB]

9. Links from Newsday

The page below is a (Long Island) Newsday search on "Doctorow". The first page has the links relevant to this incident (oldest at bottom).

http://www.newsday.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Doctorow&target=article

[Delano]

10. Well the guy's got the right to say what he wants, but...

One must always keep one's audience in mind, and I probably would heckle a bit if some speaker used the occasion to lament the "assaults on the dignity of marriage" and the need for America to "get back to her Judeo-Christian roots".

A commencement speech should be about the graduates' transition to the real world. Any comments on political issues should be sensitive to the broad spectrum of opinion in the class. Making a point-by-point dissertation on Bush's evils is less appropriate than a broader criticism of "the direction the government/the president is leading us" would have been.

That being said, I do think the story is being way overblown for partisan purposes. It's just one guy at one graduation. The right are usuing this as a way to intimidate people into silence in general, even in situations where it WOULD be appropriate to make political points.