“What did you think of Shonda?”
I heard that question more than once after attending the 2014 Commencement speech by Shonda Rhimes ’91. At first, the question caught me off guard. Her Commencement address had impressed me, and the question implied that the speech was controversial or disappointing. Each time I was asked I praised her speech, and more often than not I was met with a look of surprise. When pressed for specifics, however, I found myself at a loss for words. My simple and admittedly unsatisfactory response was that it made me feel good. Yet I came to realize that it was the overall tone of the speech, rather than any specific quote, that made it memorable. Criticisms of the Commencement address miss the purpose it truly serves. Commencement addresses should speak to the graduating class, as graduation is the perfect moment to provide students with closure and not some key to success in the “real world.”
Many complained about Rhimes’s informal register and use of expletives. While using language appropriate for the wide range of ages represented in the audience may have been more tactful, I doubt that many in the Class of 2014 interpreted Rhimes’s speech as vulgar or shocking. Rather, her tone made her relatable, somebody who had indeed once sat in the same spot as the graduates. A Commencement address does not require a vocabulary scrubbed clean of informal content. If anything, too much formality impedes a speaker’s ability to connect with students. Rhimes spoke without any pretense and made it clear that her speech had no moral truisms to offer. When she told the audience not to “be an asshole,” it came across as a piece of genuine advice, not an intentionally provocative statement.
Rhimes’s casual style boosted, not eroded, her credibility. Rhimes spoke of winter cross-campus treks that all Dartmouth students endure. I immediately perked up when I heard her mention EBAs. She even talked about drinking at Bones Gate fraternity and being hungover at her own graduation 23 years ago. Out of context, these appear to be poor topics for a Commencement speech. Rhimes glamorized some of the more unsavory habits of Dartmouth students, a fact that she herself conceded. But these small quips made me take her seriously. When Rhimes told the Class of 2014 that the next day was “going to be the worst day ever for you,” it resonated. Rhimes tailored her life lessons to Dartmouth students, and she allowed us to smile, laugh and reminisce along the way. That should be the aim of every Commencement speaker.
Although I do hope every member of the Class of 2014 takes to heart Rhimes’s advice to not “be an asshole,” a good Commencement speech goes beyond offering a laundry list of wisdom. Most of the content of any Commencement speech, including Rhimes’s, is soon forgotten by its audience. When a speaker takes the stage, they do not have the opportunity to make a significant difference in how the graduating class finds their way in the real world. A Commencement speaker should not try to hand Dartmouth students the mythical golden ticket to post-grad fulfillment, because no such ticket exists. A speaker can and should remind us that our time here is special, that the air we breathe is indeed “rare air.” It was refreshing to hear Rhimes conclude not with grandiose predictions of the graduates’ future success, but with “the only lesson you’ll ever need to know” – even as we leave the College, we should always be our true selves. Rhimes understood that her speech would make the greatest impact by focusing on how it feels to be a Dartmouth student for one last moment. Ultimately, Commencement is not the day we celebrate everything that lies ahead. It’s the day we celebrate our journey at Dartmouth.
So what did I think of Shonda? As I listened to Rhimes speak, I found myself appreciating my own time here. She almost made me feel like I were a member of the Class of 2014, too. I was happy to be breathing Hanover’s rare air that day, and I was thankful that I still have two years to do so.
