The kindest person in the room is often the smartest

h/t Sunil Malhotra, Open Global Mind Google Group

J. B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois Northwestern University Commencement 2023, 2023-06-12 Ryan Field Stadium, 1501 Central Street Evanston, Illinois, US

Program

https://www.northwestern.edu/graduation/images/2023commencementprogram.pdf

Recordings

https://www.northwestern.edu/graduation/families-and-guests/2023-webcasts/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4r2unSTYI8

Governor Pritzker's remarks start at 1h36m27s, https://www.youtube.com/live/y4r2unSTYI8?t=5787

His story, "the kindest person in the room is often the smartest," starts at 1h46m42s, https://www.youtube.com/live/y4r2unSTYI8?t=6402

Pritzker's remarks include references to the TV show "The Office"; in this story, he starts with a quote from the character Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson.

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"Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would, I do not do that thing." Dwight Schrute.

The entire efficacy of this incredibly useful piece of information hinges upon your ability to pick the right idiot.

I wish there was a foolproof way to spot idiots, but counter-intuitively some idiots are very smart.

They can dazzle you with words and misdirection. They can get promoted above you at work. They can even be elected president.

If you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system.

As part of the responsibilities of being your commencement speaker, I'm going to share mine.

Sure, I'm naturally suspicious of people who never saw the original Star Wars movies; and even more cautious of people who loved the prequels and the sequels.

But I admit this is not a reliable idiot indicator.

No. The best way to spot an idiot: look for the person who is cruel.

Let me explain. When we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us, the first thought that crosses almost everyone's brain is rooted in either fear or judgment, or both.

That's evolution.

We survived as a species by being suspicious of things that we aren't familiar with.

In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct, and force our brain to travel a different pathway.

Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being.

They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges.

This may be a surprising assessment, because somewhere along the way in the last few years our society has come to believe that weaponized cruelty is part of some well-thought-out master plan.

Cruelty is seen by some as an adroit cudgel to gain power.

Empathy and kindness are considered weak.

Many important people look at the vulnerable only as rungs on a ladder to the top.

I'm here to tell you that, when someone's path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society.

They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct.

They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears.

And so, their thinking and problem solving will lack the imagination and creativity that the kindest people have in spades.

Over my many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true: the kindest person in the room is often the smartest.

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Machine-generated analysis (ChatGPT, GPT 4, May 24 (2023) version), given the prompt, "Consider the following, then list the superlatives, anaphora, and any other notable devices the speaker uses."

The speaker uses several rhetorical and literary devices to make their point. Here's a list:

Superlatives:

1. "The entire efficacy of this incredibly useful piece of information" - 'Incredibly' emphasizes the level of usefulness.
2. "The best way to spot an idiot" - 'Best' is a superlative suggesting the speaker's method is superior to others.

Anaphora:

1. "They can dazzle you with words and misdirection. They can get promoted above you at work. They can even be elected president." - The repeated use of 'They can' at the beginning of each sentence creates a rhythm and emphasis.
2. "They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their own instinctual fears." - The 'They never' phrase is repeated to emphasize the failing of the described individuals.

Antithesis:

1. "Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being. They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges." - This sets up a contrast between primal instincts and higher evolved states.
2. "Empathy and kindness are considered weak. Many important people look at the vulnerable only as rungs on a ladder to the top." - This contrasts the perception of empathy and kindness as weakness, with the behavior of using others for personal advancement.

Metaphor:

1. "If you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system." - 'Idiot detection system' is a metaphorical way to describe discernment.
2. "Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being." - This metaphor implies that empathy and compassion represent a more advanced level of human development.
3. "They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct." - The 'animal brain' is a metaphor for basic, primal instincts.
4. "Many important people look at the vulnerable only as rungs on a ladder to the top." - 'Rungs on a ladder' metaphorically describes how people may use others for personal gain.

Irony:

1. "I wish there was a foolproof way to spot idiots, but counter-intuitively some idiots are very smart." - It's ironic because people typically perceive 'idiots' as unintelligent, but the speaker notes that some are very smart.

Hyperbole:

1. "Over my many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true: the kindest person in the room is often the smartest." - The phrase 'universally true' is an exaggeration to emphasize the speaker's point.

Paralipsis:

1. "This may be a surprising assessment, because somewhere along the way in the last few years our society has come to believe that weaponized cruelty is part of some well-thought-out master plan." - By stating that weaponized cruelty is not part of a master plan, the speaker indirectly criticizes those who believe it is.

Alliteration:

1. "When we see someone who doesn't look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us" - The repetition of the 'l' sound in 'look', 'like', 'love', and 'live' provides a rhythm to the sentence.

Parallelism:

1. "We survived as a species by being suspicious of things that we aren't familiar with. In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct, and force our brain to travel a different pathway." - These sentences mirror each other in structure and create a contrast between survival instincts and kindness.

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