The graduation speech format is so insanely successful at pulling wonderful, even life changing, thoughts out of fascinating people. But it's also a really inefficient vehicle. Graduation speeches only happen once a year. They only happen at a small number of institutions. And the speakers are chosen in a pretty ad hoc way.
The upside, of course, is that graduation speeches feel important enough to the speakers that they really work hard on them. And there's an implicit cultural agreement around graduation speeches that says we won't judge people pompous for standing at a podium and telling us how to live. If that tacit agreement wasn't there the graduation speech format would be too dangerous for anyone to try.
Still, there must be some format or space that could create a more routine outlet for beautiful thoughts from interesting people about how to live better.
Contributions are a key part of the future of Vox
Readers rely on Vox for clear, nuanced coverage that not only illuminates the issues, but poses solutions, too. And we rely on help from our readers: Advertising and grants cover the majority of our costs, but we count on contributions to help us close the gaps in our budget. In fact, we’re looking to reach 95,000 individual contributions before the end of the year. Will you make the next contribution right now? Our average gift is just $20 — and it goes a long way in helping us keep our work free. Vox is here to help everyone understand what’s shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. Join that mission by making a contribution today.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via
