Well done, Mr President. You gave us exactly what everyone expected. That is, you gave us exactly what every President says to students in every era. Drab, but safe.
Of course if the President had been inclined to say anything non-standard, that impulse probably fled quickly after all the hubbub over the speech and especially over the accompanying lesson plans. Did he want to say something else -- something more -- and change his mind in the end? We'll probably never know.
But now that he has chosen the safe road, the predictable road, let's move on, right? I may take a lot of flack for this, but in this masterpiece of political correctness I still find something disquieting... even slightly disturbing.
Am I the only person in America who finds the President's use of the word 'expect' a bit out of place? He uses it three times in the speech. First, he sets the stage by saying,
"So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year."In the passive voice this doesn't catch in the lint trap of the mind quite so much as the subsequent uses.
"They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same."The President expects. Somehow that strikes me as odd in this context.
"So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down - don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it."Let's see. Parents and teachers can expect students to get serious. Parents and teachers can expect a student to put forward his/her best effort. And Parents and Teachers can expect great things from students. But does a President of the United States have the right to impose his expectations on American students? Even when those expectations are quite healthy and likely align with the goals and desires of the parents and teachers?
No, I don't think so. We might anticipate that a President would encourage students to get serious, or encourage them to put their best effort into everything, or encourage great things from each student. We might even imagine the President sharing stories (as he did in this speech) to inspire getting serious, putting forth their best effort, and getting great things from them.
But to expect? Am I the only one who feels like saying, "Who does this guy think he is? What right does he have to lay his expectations -- however noble -- on my child?" He may be the President of the United States and he may be due certain honors and respect. But he crosses a line when he thinks he has the right to expect anything from children who are not his own.
It's possible he meant something different. When one says, "I expect", it can mean two very different things. It can mean, "You better do it," or it can mean "I have every confidence that you will achieve it."
A master orator like President Obama certainly knows this distinction. In his trio of expectations he almost seems to move from "You better get serious" and "you better put your best effort into everything" to "I have every confidence that you will achieve great things."
Maybe this is Obama's idea of tough love. No doubt he's worried about students who might drop out. Such students might need a bit of tough talk. But is he their Papa that he has the right to deliver that tough talk to them?
Nah. I'm giving him too much credit. In his model the government is the supreme being. Government knows best. He has already exerted authority over the financial system, the automotive industry, pay scales, etc. Now he wants to exert authority over health care, one sixth of the US economy. His ultimate goal is to exert authority over every aspect of the economy so that he can more equitably redistribute wealth. So why wouldn't he be trying to excercise that same authority over students?
I think he is.
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