哈弗毕业典礼演讲.docx

哈弗毕业典礼演讲.docx

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哈弗毕业典礼演讲

X哈弗毕业典礼演讲

　　ThefollowingisthetextofMikeBloomberg'sremarksaspreparedfordelivery:

　　“Thankyou,Katie–andthankyoutoPresidentFaust,theFellowsofHarvardCollege,theBoardofOverseers,andallthefaculty,alumni,andstudentswhohavewelcomedmebacktocampus.

　　“I’mexcitedtobehere,notonlytoaddressthedistinguishedgraduatesandalumniatHarvardUniversity’s363rdcommencementbuttostandintheexactspotwhereOprahstoodlastyear.OMG.

　　“Letmebeginwiththemostimportantorderofbusiness:

Let’shaveabigroundofapplausefortheClassofX!

They’veearnedit!

　　“Asexcitedasthegraduatesare,theyareprobablyevenmoreexhaustedafterthepastfewweeks.Andparents:

I’mnotreferringtotheirfinalexams.I’mtalkingabouttheSeniorOlympics,theLastChanceDance,andtheBoozeCruise–Imean,themoonlightcruise.

　　“Theentireyearhasbeenexcitingoncampus:

HarvardbeatYalefortheseventhstraighttimeinfootball.Themen’sbasketballteamwenttothesecondroundoftheNCAAtournamentforthesecondstraightyear.AndtheMen’sSquashteamwonnationalchampionship.

　　“Who’dathunkit:

Harvard,anathleticpowerhouse!

Prettysoonthey’llbeaskingwhetheryouhaveacademicstogoalongwithyourathleticprograms.

　　“MypersonalconnectiontoHarvardbeganin1964,whenIgraduatedfromJohnsHopkinsUniversityinBaltimoreandmatriculatedhereattheB-School.

　　“You’reprobablyasking:

HowdidIevergetintoHarvardBusinessSchool,givenmystellaracademicrecord,whereIalwaysmadethetophalfoftheclasspossible?

Ihavenoidea.Andtheonlypeoplemoresurprisedthanmeweremyprofessors.

　　“Anyway,hereIamagainbackinCambridge.AndIhavenoticedthatafewthingshavechangedsinceIwasastudenthere.Elsie’s–asandwichspotIusedtoloveneartheSquare–isnowaburritoshop.TheWursthaus–whichhadgreatbeerandsausage–isnowanartisanalgastro-pub,whatevertheheckthatis.AndtheoldHolyokeCenterisnownamedtheSmithCampusCenter.

　　“Don’tyoujusthateitwhenalumniputtheirnamesallovereverything?

IwasthinkingaboutthatthismorningasIwalkedintotheBloombergCenterontheHarvardBusinessSchoolcampusacrosstheriver.

　　“Butthegoodnewsis,HarvardremainswhatitwaswhenIfirstarrivedoncampus50yearsago:

America’smostprestigiousuniversity.And,likeothergreatuniversities,itliesattheheartoftheAmericanexperimentindemocracy.

　　“Theirpurposeisnotonlytoadvanceknowledge,buttoadvancetheidealsofournation.Greatuniversitiesareplaceswherepeopleofallbackgrounds,holdingallbeliefs,pursuingallquestions,cancometostudyanddebatetheirideas–freelyandopenly.

　　“Today,I’dliketotalkwithyouabouthowimportantitisforthatfreedomtoexistforeveryone,nomatterhowstronglywemaydisagreewithanother’sviewpoint.

　　“Toleranceforotherpeople’sideas,andthefreedomtoexpressyourown,areinseparablevaluesatgreatuniversities.Joinedtogether,theyformasacredtrustthatholdsthebasisofourdemocraticsociety.

　　“Butthattrustisperpetuallyvulnerabletothetyrannicaltendenciesofmonarchs,mobs,andmajorities.Andlately,wehaveseenthosetendenciesmanifestthemselvestoooften,bothoncollegecampusesandinoursociety.

　　“That’sthebadnews–andunfortunately,IthinkbothHarvard,andmyowncityofNewYork,havebeenwitnessestothistrend.

　　“First,forNewYorkCity.Severalyearsago,asyoumayremember,somepeopletriedtostopthedevelopmentofamosqueafewblocksfromtheWorldTradeCentersite.

　　“Itwasanemotionalissue,andpollsshowedthattwo-thirdsofAmericanswereagainstamosquebeingbuiltthere.EventheAnti-DefamationLeague–widelyregardedasthecountry’smostardentdefenderofreligiousfreedom–declareditsoppositiontotheproject.

　　“Theopponentsheldralliesanddemonstrations.Theydenouncedthedevelopers.Andtheydemandedthatcitygovernmentstopitsconstruction.Thatwastheirright–andweprotectedtheirrighttoprotest.Buttheycouldnothavebeenmorewrong.Andwerefusedtocaveintotheirdemands.

　　“Theideathatgovernmentwouldsingleoutaparticularreligion,andblockitsbelievers–andonlyitsbelievers–frombuildingahouseofworshipinaparticularareaisdiametricallyopposedtothemoralprinciplesthatgaverisetoourgreatnationandtheconstitutionalprotectionsthathavesustainedit.

　　“Ourunionof50statesrestsontheunionoftwovalues:

freedomandtolerance.AnditisthatunionofvaluesthattheterroristswhoattackedusonSeptember11th,X–andonApril15th,X–foundmostthreatening.

　　“Tothem,wewereaGod-lesscountry.

　　“Butinfact,thereisnocountrythatprotectsthecoreofeveryfaithandphilosophyknowntohumankind–freewill–morethantheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thatprotection,however,restsuponourconstantvigilance.

　　“Weliketothinkthattheprincipleofseparationofchurchandstateissettled.Itisnot.Anditneverwillbe.Itisuptoustoguarditfiercely–andtoensurethatequalityunderthelawmeansequalityunderthelawforeveryone.

　　“Ifyouwantthefreedomtoworshipasyouwish,tospeakasyouwish,andtomarrywhomyouwish,youmusttoleratemyfreedomtodoso–ornotdoso–aswell.

　　“WhatIdomayoffendyou.Youmayfindmyactionsimmoralorunjust.Butattemptingtorestrictmyfreedoms–inwaysthatyouwouldnotrestrictyourown–leadsonlytoinjustice.

　　“Wecannotdenyotherstherightsandprivilegesthatwedemandforourselves.Andthatistrueincities–anditisnolesstrueatuniversities,wheretheforcesofrepressionappeartobestrongernowthantheyhavebeensincethe1950s.

　　“WhenIwasgrowingup,U.S.SenatorJoeMcCarthywasasking:

‘Areyounoworhaveyoueverbeen?

’Hewasattemptingtorepressandcriminalizethosewhosympathizedwithaneconomicsystemthatwas,eventhen,failing.

　　“McCarthy’sRedScaredestroyedthousandsoflives,butwhatwashesoafraidof?

Anidea–inthiscase,communism–thatheandothersdeemeddangerous.

　　“Buthewasrightaboutonething:

Ideascanbedangerous.Theycanchangesociety.Theycanupendtraditions.Theycanstartrevolutions.That’swhythroughouthistory,thoseinauthorityhavetriedtorepressideasthatthreatentheirpower,theirreligion,theirideology,ortheirreelectionchances.

　　“ThatwastrueforSocratesandGalileo,itwastrueforNelsonMandelaandVáclavHavel,andithasbeentrueforAiWeiWei,PussyRiot,andthekidswhomadethe‘Happy’videoinIran.

　　“Repressingfreeexpressionisanaturalhumanweakness,anditisuptoustofightitateveryturn.Intoleranceofideas–whetherliberalorconservative–isantitheticaltoindividualrightsandfreesocieties,anditisnolessantitheticaltogreatuniversitiesandfirst-ratescholarship.

　　“Thereisanideafloatingaroundcollegecampuses–includinghereatHarvard–thatscholarsshouldbefundedonlyiftheirworkconformstoaparticularviewofjustice.There’sawordforthatidea:

censorship.Anditisjustamodern-dayformofMcCarthyism.

　　“Thinkabouttheirony:

Inthe1950s,therightwingwasattemptingtorepressleftwingideas.Today,onmanycollegecampuses,itisliberalstryingtorepressconservativeideas,evenasconservativefacultymembersareatriskofbecominganendangeredspecies.AndperhapsnowhereisthatmoretruethanhereintheIvyLeague.

　　“IntheXpresidentialrace,accordingtoFederalElectionCommissiondata,96percentofallcampaigncontributionsfromIvyLeaguefacultyandemployeeswenttoBarackObama.

　　“Ninety-sixpercent.TherewasmoredisagreementamongtheoldSovietPolitburothanthereisamongIvyLeaguedonors.

　　“Thatstatisticshouldgiveuspause–andIsaythatassomeonewhoendorsedPresidentObamaforreelection–becauseletmetellyou,neitherpartyhasamonopolyontruthorGodonitsside.

　　“When96percentofIvyLeaguedonorspreferonecandidatetoanother,youhavetowonderwhetherstudentsarebeingexposedtothediversityofviewsthatagreatuniversityshouldoffer.

　　“Diversityofgender,ethnicity,andorientationisimportant.Butauniversitycannotbegreatifitsfacultyispoliticallyhomogenous.Infact,thewholepurposeofgrantingtenuretoprofessorsistoensurethattheyfeelfreetoconductresearchonideasthatrunafoulofuniversitypoliticsandsocietalnorms.

　　“Whentenurewascreated,itmostlyprotectedliberalswhoseideasranupagainstconservativenorms.

　　“Today,iftenureisgoingtocontinuetoexist,itmustalsoprotectconservativeswhoseideasrunupagainstliberalnorms.Otherwise,universityresearch–andtheprofessorswhoconductit–willlosecredibility.

　　“Greatuniversitiesmustnotbecomepredictablypartisan.Andaliberalartseducationmustnotbeaneducationintheartofliberalism.

　　“Theroleofuniversitiesisnottopromoteanideology.Itistoprovidescholarsandstudentswithaneutralforumforresearchinganddebatingissues–withouttippingthescalesinonedirection,orrepressingunpopularviews.

　　“Requiringscholars–andcommencementspeakers,forthatmatter–toconformtocertainpoliticalstandardsunderminesthewholepurposeofauniversity.

　　“Thisspring,ithasbeendisturbingtoseeanumberofcollegecommencementspeakerswithdraw–orhavetheirinvitationsrescinded–afterprotestsfromstudentsand–tome,shockingly–fromseniorfacultyandadministratorswhoshouldknowbetter.

　　“IthappenedatBrandeis,Haverford,Rutgers,andSmith.Lastyear,ithappenedatSwarthmoreandJohnsHopkins,I’msorrytosay.

　　“Ineachcase,liberalssilencedav