“Up until recently, I would have said that the only proper response to our culture of BS is cynicism; that it would just get worse and worse. But I don’t believe that any more, and I think this matters for what comes next for you. I think we may have reached a critical turning point.
I’m going to say that word one last time. I believe we may have reached “peak bullshit.” And that increasingly, those who push back against the noise and nonsense; those who refuse to accept the untruths of politics and commerce and entertainment and government will be rewarded. That we are at the beginning of something important.
And what’s awesome is that you — the graduates of schools like Pitzer — will be the ones who are best prepared and most likely to lead this movement. What’s striking about the culture of this school is an unabashedly sincere desire to do good in this world; to be responsible for one another and to carry yourselves with integrity. And it’s exciting that, maybe — just maybe — those traits won’t just mean you do good; that this earnestness, this authenticity, will help you succeed in a society that is demanding those qualities with both hands.”
-TV writer and former President Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett, in his commencement speech to the 2013 graduates of Pitzer College.
