I hate anti intellectualism and greatly admire higher education.

think the competency that schooling offers is essential for respectable and cultured society. And in my experience as a christian, some christian circles see colleges only as indoctrination and hedonism centers, so I think ive even become a bit emphatic and eager when it comes to defending academia. Im tired of uneducated people with gutter scum opinions espousing the idea that higher education is worthless.

Which makes it so much more heart wrenching to see how much more of a joke colleges are becoming each new day.

Now that graduation season is winding down, all the graduation speeches from colleges are being recorded and posted. Of note are all the speeches being done by ai and big tech CEOs/ innovators.

They are all extremely embarrassing.

Each guru comes on and starts talking about how AI is the future and will soon be involved in everything, condescendingly informing the graduating students how they will have to accept this reality or be left in the dust.

The students, being told on their graduation day how their future job opportunities will be subject to AI and they have to take this smiling, obviously boo the speaker unanimously. The speaker then meekly and smugly takes the abuse and again reiterates how the students will regret this later, and condescendingly acknowledges they understand the students may not like this.

They then usually end the speech disingenuously commenting they didnt think their speech would be so poorly received.

I dont see how anyone could watch this and not think how colleges are not totally in the pocket of large companies and not at all interested or excited about creating educated students.

Graduation is an event solely focused on celebrating the work of students in higher education and the value they will bring to society.

If they really cared, why are they allowing their graduation ceremonies to be used as AI advertisement? Why are they choosing speakers and speeches they know clash with the sentiments of students worldwide? If they really cared, they would allow these speakers to be booed off! If they have a mission of creating competent students, shouldn’t these students have the education to recognize when speeches and ideas dont align with the student culture and values theyve been entrenched in for years? When their education, their college, higher education as a concept is being spat on? What supports advances the values they are celebrating that day?

But no, these tech people get to belittle college students on their graduation day about how theyre obsolete tech that should be grateful they get to work alongside their AI replacements, all so investors can witness how dominating their products will be.

Some schools have even used AI name readers to call students across the stage, which then botch and miss names only for the school to go "oopsy! well we cant do that again, well get you sorted out later, at least you got to attend a graduation!"!!!!!!!

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!

Colleges used to be the place for the development, refinement, and exhibition of the human mind. Now its just a billboard for investors and CEOs, a printer for degrees given by people who could care less for the esteem and value of academia. Apparently 4 years of studying, application, presentations, exams, and so on mean youre just a good little cog in some AI companies septic tank of a bureaucracy and "product" development team.

I hate this love hate relationship ive got with academia now.