President Obama gave the 2016 Rutgers University commencement address on Sunday, an effort three years in the making. Those in attendance were treated to some political points from the president who criticized Trump— though not by name.
Obama praised young people who “don’t fear the future,” and mentioned how “building walls won’t change” how “the world is more interconnected than ever before.”
The idea of a wall was not just in reference to illegal immigration:
Building walls won’t do that. It won’t boost our economy, and it won’t enhance our security either. Isolating or disparaging Muslims, suggesting that they should be treated differently when it comes to entering this country—that is not just a betrayal of our values—that’s not just a betrayal of who we are, it would alienate the very communities at home and abroad who are our most important partners in the fight against violent extremism. Suggesting that we can build an endless wall along our borders, and blame our challenges on immigrants—that doesn’t just run counter to our history as the world’s melting pot; it contradicts the evidence that our growth and our innovation and our dynamism has always been spurred by our ability to attract strivers from every corner of the globe. That’s how we became America. Why would we want to stop it now?
He also spoke of the current political climate with Trump:
But if you were listening to today’s political debate, you might wonder where this strain of anti-intellectualism came from. So, Class of 2016, let me be as clear as I can be. In politics and in life, ignorance is not a virtue. It’s not cool to not know what you’re talking about. That’s not keeping it real, or telling it like it is. That’s not challenging political correctness. That’s just not knowing what you’re talking about. And yet, we’ve become confused about this.
An affinity for outsider politicians in general was disparaged, as “in our public lives, we certainly think, ‘I don’t want somebody who’s done it before.'”
Obama did towards the end of his address encourage young people to get involved and to vote. And, the president cautioned graduates against shouting down speakers they don’t agree with:
If you disagree with somebody, bring them in—and ask them tough questions. Hold their feet to the fire. Make them defend their positions. If somebody has got a bad or offensive idea, prove it wrong. Engage it. Debate it. Stand up for what you believe in. Don’t be scared to take somebody on. Don’t feel like you got to shut your ears off because you’re too fragile and somebody might offend your sensibilities. Go at them if they’re not making any sense. Use your logic and reason and words. And by doing so, you’ll strengthen your own position, and you’ll hone your arguments. And maybe you’ll learn something and realize you don’t know everything. And you may have a new understanding not only about what your opponents believe but maybe what you believe. Either way, you win. And more importantly, our democracy wins.
Obama closed by reminding graduates he is “optimistic” and with a suggestion to “make sure the next 250 years are better than the last.”
