Stephen Colbert Gives Northwestern Commencement Speech, Shares Tale Of Not Graduating

video

by Glenn Davis | 10:17 pm, June 17th, 2011

» 10 comments

Stephen Colbert, a class of 1986 Northwestern alum, returned to the school today to deliver the commencement address to this year’s graduating class. As one would expect, Colbert mixed jokes about the terrible job market and his own college experience with earnest advice about following dreams and helping others. As one might not expect, he also talked about brothels.

Since Colbert did, after all, attend Northwestern, the speech contained some insider Northwestern references – drunken campus events showcasing “humanity at its worst” and the apparent prevalence of brothels Evanston, Ill., where Northwestern is located. (That one got some big applause.) But there were also more universal themes, like bleak job prospects (“In this economy, running a brothel may be the most reliable work out there”), and graduating late…which Colbert actually had experience doing. Apparently, receiving a yellow piece of paper with “See me” scrawled on it is no match for a diploma.

Although Colbert gave the speech as himself, he occasionally sounded like his TV character, though the Colbert of The Colbert Report would never refer to himself as humbly as “basic cable’s second-most-popular fake newsman.” And he definitely wouldn’t urge you to remember that “you cannot win your life,” and that “if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself, and you will have only yourself.” An inspiring effort from Colbert, but it was undeniably depressing to still hear commencement addresses talking about the awful economy. Video below.

[h/t Gawker]

commencement speech, Northwestern University, stephen colbert

fghiinn

Ladies and gentlemen,Hello everybody,
input this URL: === http://globalsell.org/ ===
shirts, bags, hat and the decorations.
you can find many cheap and fashion stuff (jor dan shoes)
(NBA NFL NHL MLB jersey)
( lv handbag)
(cha nel wallet)
(D&G sunglasses)
(ed har dy jacket)
(UGG boot)
and so on..welcome to our website:
( http://globalsell.org/)
we sincerely hope to establish the business relation with you.
Looking forward your visit.
Laddy Go-Rod

Imagine shelling out $320K for your kid’s education and THIS idiot shows up to send off him or her.

-welcome to 0bamaville-
Yoda002

Laddy Go-Rod said:
Imagine shelling out $320K for your kid’s education and THIS idiot shows up to send off him or her.

-welcome to 0bamaville-

I thought he was pretty good!
The Lantern of Truth

They could at least have gotten Carrot Top .
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

Conan O’Brien’s commencement speech was really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ELC_e2QBQMk
david r

sarainitaly said:
Conan O’Brien’s commencement speech was really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ELC_e2QBQMk

The Harvard commencement has long been a fave. He was really on at Dartmouth. He had the pres in stitches.
http://www.perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ skoorbekim

sarainitaly said:
Conan O’Brien’s

david r said:
at Dartmouth.

good stuff…
liberalandproud

The brothel joke was in reference to a city ordinance that bans 3 strangers from living together. It’s nicknamed the brothel law because that’s what it was intended to stop.
CosmosDan

That serious part reflects some of who Steven Colbert really is as a person. A decent caring person.
mldfg

Ladies and gentlemen,Hello everybody,
input this URL: === http://globalsell.org/ ===
shirts, bags, hat and the decorations.
you can find many cheap and fashion stuff (jor dan shoes)
(NBA NFL NHL MLB jersey)
( lv handbag)
(cha nel wallet)
(D&G sunglasses)
(ed har dy jacket)
(UGG boot)
and so on..welcome to our website:
( http://globalsell.org/)
we sincerely hope to establish the business relation with you.
Looking forward your visit.