posted April 11, 2005 02:18 PM         

Gates' High School Address
TO MT. WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL in Visalia, CA.

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!

To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice. Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talked about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair -- get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait! till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping -- they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this -
Thank a teacher!
If you are reading it in English-
Thank a soldier!!

posted April 11, 2005 04:17 PM         

Essentially thi is saying is that you should forget about helping any causes, and just serve yourself. This is what's wrong with America, this post promotes the flagrant and primitive social darwinism that American culture is currently embracing. It's all about ME, and MY stuff, and what I'M doing. It's about MY SUV, and MY car phone. Other people can just go to hell. It's only good to be nice to nerds cause they will be your boss some day, NOT because you should out of the kindness of your heart or because you're a good Christian.

Before we listen to any of Bill Gates advice, I think a close analysis of him is absolutely necessary. I've seen the man speak at UC San Diego, and he is NOT happy. Bill Gates is depressed and the reason is that his focus in life is wrong. He represents a pinnacle of sorts in American consumption and greed.

posted April 11, 2005 04:49 PM         

Now if they lowered the school leaving age to 14 and reintroduced apprenticeships - the story might be different. Teenagers would have a chance to act like "responsible adults", assuming that's what they wanted.

But one size does not fit all, and some of us might not want to have to work so hard, might not want certain responsibilities. It's all relative.

posted April 11, 2005 08:35 PM         

Well BR, I think you may have misread # 7. I read it to mean "get your own sh*t together before you rush off to save the world." Who could take anyone seriously who cannot dress themselves, take care of a 15x15 bedroom and remember to do the things around the house they're responsible for. Who is going to listen to rants about management of the rain forest or any other from the irresponsible?

Hmmm, the fact you're reading this in English...more or less means neither the Germans, Japanese, Spanish, Russians, Mexicans or Italians managed to prevail against the US....soldiers. The English didn't prevail either but they would dispute that we speak English.

posted April 12, 2005 02:17 PM         

Don't make funny jokes when I'm drinking hot Chai tea... throat aflame.

I think Billy is on to something... we need a reaffirmed sense of reality in this world... I mean, who here had rubber chips under their swingset at school? NOT I, and I am better off for it. Live and learn, ya know?

posted April 12, 2005 07:21 PM         

Yes I'm sure all his donating to charities is ALL out of the goodness of his heart and has NOTHING to do with tax write offs. There are many other operating systems out there, Bill Gates just got in at the right time, and is an extremely good businessman. I DO NOT owe my computing "privelege" to Bill Gates, what about mac, Linux, Unix, etc??

posted April 12, 2005 11:30 PM         

"Yes I'm sure all his donating to charities is ALL out of the goodness of his heart and has NOTHING to do with tax write offs."

You are going to get along very well in the real world Blueroamer, you are already suspicious of people's motives, even if they are for a good cause. (Now let's see, I can either pay Uncle Sam all of the taxes a man of my wealth should and NOT know where it is being spent, or I can donate that money to a worthy cause that may not have all the resources it needs.) Indeed, a very greedy man!

"Bill Gates just got in at the right time, and is an extremely good businessman."

DUH!
God forbid you ever get really good at whatever it is that you do, because if you did, you might have to claim yourself an American!

posted April 13, 2005 04:34 AM         

Quite a piece of work BlueRoamer. Not only must Gates do the good deeds which meet with your approval but to meet your test of ideological purity, he must do them for the right reasons...according to you.

Somehow, I don't see the people on the receiving end of Gate's charitable donations drawing themselves up in righteous indignation and refusing them because his motives for giving weren't pure.

posted April 13, 2005 10:03 AM         

Can't we just see the humor in it? I'm sure if jwhop wanted this to be critically overanalyzed, he would have put it in GU... but seeing as how it's just a funny little list (albeit it's from the mouth of Bill Gates) for giggles.

Dude, I mean, come on...

posted April 13, 2005 03:53 PM         

It sounds as if you and Bill Gates are living here in my house with my fourteen you old son!!!

posted April 13, 2005 04:32 PM         

I apologize, Ghani, if I seem contrary and that you don't like to read my opinion. I'm sorry if I see the need for idealism as well as realism, and I'm sorry if I'm not willing to have consumerist values and advices crammed down my throat. Authoring a post telling me to stuff it, then ending it with a peace sign is a bit contrary don't you think?