In his Duke commencement address, the comedian offered advice we can all use: Bust your ass. Pay attention. Fall in love. And, most importantly, ‘you gotta laugh.’
I am normally a big fan of transcripts, but I think in this case it's not best practice.
Jerry Seinfeld, however, gave a thoroughly spectacular address. As a born New Yorker (now very happily transplanted to rural Maine), I know where he's coming from, and he's spot on about everything.
Actually, it's the kind of speech these kids rarely hear, yet everyone needs to hear. Who knew Jerry was sagely? I've always believed the best comedians were the best and clearest thinkers. This speech offers some proof.
I’m going to give a copy of the speech to my grandchildren. Nothing he said should’ve been walked out on except by people who can’t see the craziness of the world and accept the mystery of life.
I am 79 now and agree totally that looking back on my life -enjoying my work, trying to do it as best as possible, and loving my wife despite our
Imperfections has brought me personal joy and Satisfaction. Knowing that nothing important is really that new The comment of Ecclesiastes9 Is right on the mark. Thank you, Jerry. It’s so important to laugh at ourselves as well as the world So we can face it.
Imagine being those 30/7,000 people who walked out because everything in your life now has to be about protest. Your kids ask “How was the Seinfeld commencement address?” “Oh, I walked out.” “Wow. That was dumb. Happy you did that now?” I bet the self righteousness doesn’t age well
Bill Cosby was my undergrad speaker. I don't recall his speech much (something about going forth and not going back home). Whatever happened to that guy ...? (sarc people, sarc).
One of my kids graduates from Boston University this coming weekend and I wish they had gotten Seinfeld.
I would have been delighted by such a thoughtful, lighthearted and mercifully short address.
[God only knows what torture awaits me on Sunday]
As for the miserable scolds who felt the need to depart, I'm sorry they missed out on a truly unique part of their special occasion. I hope they get a chance to open their minds and listen to a set of ideas they may not agree with.
Clearly a skill they did not obtain while at Duke or any other institution.
Seinfeld was spot on about humor. Humor is the antidote to the arrogant seriousness of wokeness.
Without humor everything is a hardship, insult, attack or injury. Humor tempers the issue and softens the blow.
Humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, is a remarkable part humbleness, a key quality of being a good human being,
The audience didn’t seem to get that one at all. A monster who was so dumb he thought he should wear a dinner jacket! It’s hilarious! Who could have even noticed that the monster wore a jacket, and that was weird, other than Jerry, with his brilliant comic observational skills? But nobody laughed. And then he went on to add more detail just so they’d get it, with the above quote, “I’m sorry…jackets only this evening.” And still no laughs. I get that these kids might not know who Shelley Duval is. But Frankenstein? Surely the image of the monster in the jacket is pretty well known?
The combination of subtlety and blatant absurdity in this just so, so funny. Who the hell notices that the monster was wearing a sport jacket anyway? I immediately had a vision of the monster confronting a restaurant hostess…insanely funny.
Tragic, indeed. But totally unnecessary deaths. The submarine guy fired the engineer who publicly warned of structural problems, then boasted how useless "older white guys" are. And proceeded to prove himself wrong. The very definition of hubris.
I think he was finding the humor in the absurdity of the situation —one in which there were multiple red flags that were not heeded. Humor is a tool that can expose the truth & can lead to reflection. It is also invaluable, as he mentioned, in getting through tough situations that don’t make sense. I had to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction for breast cancer when I was 34 (years ago now & I am fine, thank God). I ended up with breast implants that took a while to get used to. I remember being at a Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” 5K & seeing a woman wearing a T-shirt with a slogan across her chest that read: “Yes, they’re FAKE, the real ones tried to KILL me!” I thought it was hysterical, I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time, and it felt really good. To laugh at that does not minimize my or any cancer survivor’s struggle…it makes the journey more tolerable & lightens your spirit.
I've pondered that problem too, and concluded that his use of that horrific event actually emphasizes the urgency of Seinfeld's call to, "Pay attention!" The consequences of failing to pay attention can be tragic. Of course, failure to pay attention can also result in grand comedy. We all sometimes laugh at others, and ourselves, when they, or we, walk into a glass door, for example. Which brings us back to his point about not losing our sense of humor. In all this, I think Seinfeld is striving to help mankind cope with the challenges of life.
Recognition is a start. Jewish people have survived pogroms and centuries of antisemitism by turning tragedies into humor of the type Jerry used. It may be harder for you to see the humor amidst tragedy if you’ve never experienced that culture. It’s nothing against you but he’s right. We need to get back to funny again.
Comedic mockery of evil is a powerful tool. "Springtime for Hitler and Germany" by Mel Brooks comes to mind. Over dinner this evening a friend recommended Charlie Chaplin's, "The Dictator."
In my daily Bible reading, I noticed much of his speech is a paraphrasing of Ecclesiastes Chapter 9.. "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given to you under the sun, because that is the portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever you your hands find to do, do with your might..." Vs. 9&10.
p, Thank you for the reference. My favorite Book. The Hebrew of Ecclesiastes is poetic: "Havel havalim hakol hevel." "Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity". The term vanity is from the Latin vanitas, Middle Engish vanite, meaning in vain, futile, impermanent, as a vapor or breath. Nothing lasts, nothing at all lasts, all is impermanent, eventually nothing.
Ecclesiastes, one of may favorite books of Scriptures, teaches humility. Seinfeld has that. All is vanity. It makes more sense when you are much older. I wish he would have added one more thing to his list of important things. “Work hard, love much…. And love G*d”
As a Duke alum and distressed in recent years over the institution’s feeble efforts to combat antisemitism on campus, I am heartened to have seen Seinfeld chosen to give the keynote commencement address.
When I attended Duke, it was not really a welcoming place for Jewish kids. Not that it was threatening as so many campuses have become recently, it was just a feeling of marginalization.
Seinfeld fixes that far behind the well crafted words of his address.
I am normally a big fan of transcripts, but I think in this case it's not best practice.
Jerry Seinfeld, however, gave a thoroughly spectacular address. As a born New Yorker (now very happily transplanted to rural Maine), I know where he's coming from, and he's spot on about everything.
It was a speech about nothing!
Actually, it's the kind of speech these kids rarely hear, yet everyone needs to hear. Who knew Jerry was sagely? I've always believed the best comedians were the best and clearest thinkers. This speech offers some proof.
Humor helps you keep distance from that which can lead to idiocy.
Thank goodness about 30 Duke Hamassholes missed out on this terrific speech by Jerry Seinfeld
I’m going to give a copy of the speech to my grandchildren. Nothing he said should’ve been walked out on except by people who can’t see the craziness of the world and accept the mystery of life.
I am 79 now and agree totally that looking back on my life -enjoying my work, trying to do it as best as possible, and loving my wife despite our
Imperfections has brought me personal joy and Satisfaction. Knowing that nothing important is really that new The comment of Ecclesiastes9 Is right on the mark. Thank you, Jerry. It’s so important to laugh at ourselves as well as the world So we can face it.
Imagine being those 30/7,000 people who walked out because everything in your life now has to be about protest. Your kids ask “How was the Seinfeld commencement address?” “Oh, I walked out.” “Wow. That was dumb. Happy you did that now?” I bet the self righteousness doesn’t age well
Like most things today's adolescents indulge themselves in, it won't.
Bill Cosby was my undergrad speaker. I don't recall his speech much (something about going forth and not going back home). Whatever happened to that guy ...? (sarc people, sarc).
that dude in the shades photo-bombing with a selfie... lol!
Good advice. Even at my advanced age. God bless Jerry Seinfeld!
Thank you for sharing this!
What a great speech.
One of my kids graduates from Boston University this coming weekend and I wish they had gotten Seinfeld.
I would have been delighted by such a thoughtful, lighthearted and mercifully short address.
[God only knows what torture awaits me on Sunday]
As for the miserable scolds who felt the need to depart, I'm sorry they missed out on a truly unique part of their special occasion. I hope they get a chance to open their minds and listen to a set of ideas they may not agree with.
Clearly a skill they did not obtain while at Duke or any other institution.
Seinfeld was spot on about humor. Humor is the antidote to the arrogant seriousness of wokeness.
Without humor everything is a hardship, insult, attack or injury. Humor tempers the issue and softens the blow.
Humor, especially the self-deprecating kind, is a remarkable part humbleness, a key quality of being a good human being,
To paraphrase H L Mencken, A scold is someone who is worried that somewhere someone is having a good time.
Excellent speech from a real comedian. A few zinger life lessons that anyone can follow. Thanks for the laughs Seinfeld.
OMG!!! "I'm sorry Mr. Stein, ... it's jackets only this evening!" HAHAHAHAHA
The audience didn’t seem to get that one at all. A monster who was so dumb he thought he should wear a dinner jacket! It’s hilarious! Who could have even noticed that the monster wore a jacket, and that was weird, other than Jerry, with his brilliant comic observational skills? But nobody laughed. And then he went on to add more detail just so they’d get it, with the above quote, “I’m sorry…jackets only this evening.” And still no laughs. I get that these kids might not know who Shelley Duval is. But Frankenstein? Surely the image of the monster in the jacket is pretty well known?
The combination of subtlety and blatant absurdity in this just so, so funny. Who the hell notices that the monster was wearing a sport jacket anyway? I immediately had a vision of the monster confronting a restaurant hostess…insanely funny.
I know! But then once you hear the joke and are reminded that the monster wore a jacket, you wonder why you never noticed it before! It’s brilliant!
He ruined it by making fun of a tragic situation.
Tragic, indeed. But totally unnecessary deaths. The submarine guy fired the engineer who publicly warned of structural problems, then boasted how useless "older white guys" are. And proceeded to prove himself wrong. The very definition of hubris.
You mean the submarine? It was funny. The only sin in comedy is not being funny. Too few people understand that.
You are exactly the person he’s talking about
I guess. Couldn’t get past it, though.
I think he was finding the humor in the absurdity of the situation —one in which there were multiple red flags that were not heeded. Humor is a tool that can expose the truth & can lead to reflection. It is also invaluable, as he mentioned, in getting through tough situations that don’t make sense. I had to have a double mastectomy with reconstruction for breast cancer when I was 34 (years ago now & I am fine, thank God). I ended up with breast implants that took a while to get used to. I remember being at a Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure” 5K & seeing a woman wearing a T-shirt with a slogan across her chest that read: “Yes, they’re FAKE, the real ones tried to KILL me!” I thought it was hysterical, I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time, and it felt really good. To laugh at that does not minimize my or any cancer survivor’s struggle…it makes the journey more tolerable & lightens your spirit.
I've pondered that problem too, and concluded that his use of that horrific event actually emphasizes the urgency of Seinfeld's call to, "Pay attention!" The consequences of failing to pay attention can be tragic. Of course, failure to pay attention can also result in grand comedy. We all sometimes laugh at others, and ourselves, when they, or we, walk into a glass door, for example. Which brings us back to his point about not losing our sense of humor. In all this, I think Seinfeld is striving to help mankind cope with the challenges of life.
Recognition is a start. Jewish people have survived pogroms and centuries of antisemitism by turning tragedies into humor of the type Jerry used. It may be harder for you to see the humor amidst tragedy if you’ve never experienced that culture. It’s nothing against you but he’s right. We need to get back to funny again.
Comedic mockery of evil is a powerful tool. "Springtime for Hitler and Germany" by Mel Brooks comes to mind. Over dinner this evening a friend recommended Charlie Chaplin's, "The Dictator."
“Awkward humor is okay.”
In my daily Bible reading, I noticed much of his speech is a paraphrasing of Ecclesiastes Chapter 9.. "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given to you under the sun, because that is the portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever you your hands find to do, do with your might..." Vs. 9&10.
p, Thank you for the reference. My favorite Book. The Hebrew of Ecclesiastes is poetic: "Havel havalim hakol hevel." "Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity". The term vanity is from the Latin vanitas, Middle Engish vanite, meaning in vain, futile, impermanent, as a vapor or breath. Nothing lasts, nothing at all lasts, all is impermanent, eventually nothing.
Good night....I thought I was clever with my reference.....thank you.
Ecclesiastes, one of may favorite books of Scriptures, teaches humility. Seinfeld has that. All is vanity. It makes more sense when you are much older. I wish he would have added one more thing to his list of important things. “Work hard, love much…. And love G*d”
They may have taken his funny outfit and degree back if he'd said that.
Priceless and Profound. Well done Jerry. Well done.
As a Duke alum and distressed in recent years over the institution’s feeble efforts to combat antisemitism on campus, I am heartened to have seen Seinfeld chosen to give the keynote commencement address.
When I attended Duke, it was not really a welcoming place for Jewish kids. Not that it was threatening as so many campuses have become recently, it was just a feeling of marginalization.
Seinfeld fixes that far behind the well crafted words of his address.
*far beyond
for the future... click the 3 dots to edit your post :)