Fearlessly telling the people what they want to hear

On Friday conservative Senator John McCain gave the commencement address at the liberal New School. Predictable, in this time of heightened political and ideological tension, much of the student body and faculty were against his selection as speaker. Before McCain spoke, Jean Rohe, a student chosen to be part of the commencement program, diverged from her prepared remarks and harshly criticized McCain for being at odds with "the ideals the university was founded upon."

Fair enough. This kind of commencement-speaker-student-faculty-dance has been going on for about forty years. Students have every right to peaceably protest a speaker that they think misrepresents them on the night of their graduation.

Rohe's actions led commentator Arreine Huffington and New School President Bob Kerrey to refer her as being "fearless" and "brave" respectively.

Granted, Huffington and Kerrey had ulterior motives for unleashing such platitudes -- Huffington is selling a book titled "On Becoming Fearless," and Kerrey, in his capacity as university president, was attempting to smooth over a volatile situation that arose from his decision to offer the commencement spot to McCain.

Nevertheless, this represents a trend in misrepresenting the fortitude of those who speak out against an increasingly unpopular administration.

Over here at JSB we know very little of fearlessness or bravery. In fact, the closest we ever come to displaying these characteristics is occasionally getting really drunk and a little cheeky at strange establishments.

But we do know what isn't fearless or brave.

And speaking out when there is no risk of censure or consequence would be close to the top of that list.

Public speaking itself is scary, and may require a bit of the aforementioned characteristics, but what is brave or fearless about saying something that 90 percent of the audience wants to hear and nets you exposure in the press and thousands of pats on the back? Things I'm sure none of us would have minded on the night of our ceremonial entry into the real world.

That's not to say this was Rohe's motivation for saying what she did. And speaking out, when done thoughtfully, is always the right thing to do and usually admirable to boot.

It's just not usually fearless. Or brave.

Unless you say something that is truly un-PC it's hard for your words to be fearless or brave in a free society. Especially when your views are backed up be a good chunk of the population.

(I can think of some un-PC things that fit this bill, but I'll refrain from saying them. What I said earlier about my own level of fearlessness and bravery wasn't just charmingly self-deprecating. It was also true!)

Now this is the part where lesser commentators on lesser blogs and media outlets would go on about soldiers and astronauts and people who "go to work everyday."

That's just not how we roll.

Although I would be remiss if I didn't mention I think Lion Tamer's are the epitome of fearlessness and bravery.