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Sure, the epithet is mild, but it appears the deeper issue is that by deviating from her prepared --- and approved --- speech she was being dishonest. I suspect that she was given guidelines to follow, one of which was probably "no profanity". She chose to deviate from those guidelines; she needs to be prepared to take responsibility for her actions and deal with the consequences.
Speaking of consequences, if I had spoken to my father the way she did to hers, assuming she did say what she did, there would have been Consequences and an immediate demand for an apology. He did not curse and would not tolerate it.
A high school valedictory address is by its nature somewhat of a cliche. It typically follows a theme of good-bye-high-school-hello-world and is meant to be inspirational. There is not a whole lot you can do with that. Her audience included, most likely, younger siblings of the graduates. What she thought was amusing was not and was inappropriate for her audience. It demonstrated a disappointing level of immaturity.
Beyond asking her for an apology, I would ask her to write an essay on the following speeches, explaining why they are effective without the need for profanity.
The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln
I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Women's Right to Vote, Susan B. Anthony
The Blood, Sweat, and Tears Speech, Winston Churchill
Ain't I a Woman?, Sojourner Truth
Her audience included, most likely, younger siblings of the graduates. What she thought was amusing was not and was inappropriate for her audience. It demonstrated a disappointing level of immaturity.
A. Nothing wrong with this sort of "profanity", as nothing was profaned whatsoever.
B. I don't see any reason to think she was trying to be amusing. The phrase "what the hell" is so common, and it wasn't used as part of a joke.
C. I don't see use of this word as "immature". Frankly, I see letting it become a monkey wrench in the wheels of progress as being more immature. Only the immature would stop everything (including their job) because something minor like this distracted/upset them.
The only loser is the Principal and the school district who have managed to make themselves look petty and stupid all across the country..
The young woman has graduated and has started at university on a full scholarship. All she is missing is a piece of paper that will be increasingly less relevant as she gets older. She is not backing down because she does not have to.
Sure, the epithet is mild, but it appears the deeper issue is that by deviating from her prepared --- and approved --- speech she was being dishonest. I suspect that she was given guidelines to follow, one of which was probably "no profanity". She chose to deviate from those guidelines; she needs to be prepared to take responsibility for her actions and deal with the consequences.
Speaking of consequences, if I had spoken to my father the way she did to hers, assuming she did say what she did, there would have been Consequences and an immediate demand for an apology. He did not curse and would not tolerate it.
A high school valedictory address is by its nature somewhat of a cliche. It typically follows a theme of good-bye-high-school-hello-world and is meant to be inspirational. There is not a whole lot you can do with that. Her audience included, most likely, younger siblings of the graduates. What she thought was amusing was not and was inappropriate for her audience. It demonstrated a disappointing level of immaturity.
Beyond asking her for an apology, I would ask her to write an essay on the following speeches, explaining why they are effective without the need for profanity.
The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln
I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Women's Right to Vote, Susan B. Anthony
The Blood, Sweat, and Tears Speech, Winston Churchill
Ain't I a Woman?, Sojourner Truth
And she would tell you to put your essay in the same place as she has told the school to put their diploma.
And she would tell you to put your essay in the same place as she has told the school to put their diploma.
And that would underscore her immaturity, would it not?
You have to wonder why her speech had to be vetted before hand. That suggests issues either with this student or with previous valedictorians that the school was trying to avoid this time around. If she was told that she should not use curse words, she should not use them, even something as benign as "hell". To tell the administration she was going to say "heck" in order to get approval to give the speech and then say "hell" instead was dishonest, and I do not believe it was done in the "heat of the moment" at all.
When our younger son was about five or six years old, DH took him to the video arcade at the mall and gave him a dollar bill to buy tokens for the machines. DS looked at it and said, "I don't want a damn dollar, I want a 'Ham Lincoln." DH corrected his language and indicated there were better ways to ask for a five (while trying to maintain a straight face.)
This girl's attempt a humor puts her right at the five year old level. She announced to the world that she has no respect for her own father, no respect for her teachers, and no respect for the parents in her audience. She also has no respect for her fellow students, although they probably do not realize it. Congratulations to her. The most memorable thing about her speech was that she used the word "hell".
I am aware that I am advocating a minority opinion here. The use of the word was trivial, but it hints at an attitude of entitlement that I find disturbing. Good luck to her at college. I have an idea she is going to need it.
A. Nothing wrong with this sort of "profanity", as nothing was profaned whatsoever.
B. I don't see any reason to think she was trying to be amusing. The phrase "what the hell" is so common, and it wasn't used as part of a joke.
C. I don't see use of this word as "immature". Frankly, I see letting it become a monkey wrench in the wheels of progress as being more immature. Only the immature would stop everything (including their job) because something minor like this distracted/upset them.
A. It was wrong if she was told not to use it and did so anyway.
B. If she was not trying to be amusing, why say it at all? What point was she trying to make?
And that would underscore her immaturity, would it not?
You have to wonder why her speech had to be vetted before hand. That suggests issues either with this student or with previous valedictorians that the school was trying to avoid this time around. If she was told that she should not use curse words, she should not use them, even something as benign as "hell". To tell the administration she was going to say "heck" in order to get approval to give the speech and then say "hell" instead was dishonest, and I do not believe it was done in the "heat of the moment" at all.
When our younger son was about five or six years old, DH took him to the video arcade at the mall and gave him a dollar bill to buy tokens for the machines. DS looked at it and said, "I don't want a damn dollar, I want a 'Ham Lincoln." DH corrected his language and indicated there were better ways to ask for a five (while trying to maintain a straight face.)
This girl's attempt a humor puts her right at the five year old level. She announced to the world that she has no respect for her own father, no respect for her teachers, and no respect for the parents in her audience. She also has no respect for her fellow students, although they probably do not realize it. Congratulations to her. The most memorable thing about her speech was that she used the word "hell".
I am aware that I am advocating a minority opinion here. The use of the word was trivial, but it hints at an attitude of entitlement that I find disturbing. Good luck to her at college. I have an idea she is going to need it.
18 year olds are immature.
On the profanity score, what she said is pretty low. Most of the audience probably forgot she said it about 5 seconds later. Most of the audience have probably heard much worse in the workplace or amongst their school friends. Neither does it demonstrate a lack of 'respect'. IMHO of course.
The school's reaction has not been especially mature either. Instead of simply saying that they were disappointed that she used the word, they tried to make an issue out of it. In doing so they have made themselves something of a laughing stock across the country. Not just because the issue was so trivial but also because they tried to assert an authority that they no longer possessed. As the Chinese might say, they are a 'paper tiger'. Other students have, no doubt, taken note.
It is a good example of how not to handle a situation.
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