David McCullough Urges BC Graduates To Speak Properly: Cut The "Like!"

NEWTON, Mass. — Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough has a suggestion for what young people can do for their country.

"Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation," McCullough implored Boston College's class of 2008 at commencement ceremonies Monday.

He said he's particularly troubled by the "relentless, wearisome use of words" such as like, awesome and actually.

"Just imagine if in his inaugural address John F. Kennedy had said, 'Ask not what your country can, you know, do for you, but what you can, like, do for your country actually," he said.

Graduates apparently thought his speech was, like, awesome. They gave him a standing ovation.

Comments

[realpolitic]

It does get annoying when those younger then say 35 use the word "awesome" to describe almost every experience. Very few experiences in life are awesome!

[ZimboChick]

I have seen and heard older than 35 ones do it. I had the misfortune of watching something called Fashionista Diaries once and they were were all competing to speak like zombies....I didn't know whether i was so yesterday or it was the new American fad....school me please (they were speaking at 5 miles/hr - if that makes sense)

[realpolitic]

Yes, I do not know. In the movies, zombies do not too do much speaking. They mostly extend their arms and stumble forward. But I have heard many in their 40's who use the word awesome in every other sentence, too. I guess 35 was an arbitrary cut off.

[ConnectTheDots]

Uhm.. if you had a teenager now -- you'd totally, like, know that the word "awesome" is SO out. "Awesome" is to a teen what "groovy" was to us as kids (something our hippie parents used).

[Smartey]

If you're going to enter this conversation, look up the correct usage of "then" and than". In your short, two-line comment, you used the wrong one. Your brain is, like, awesome, actually.

[realpolitic]

My mistake!

[realpolitic]

I have been making many mistakes like that lately. I guess I am preoccupied.

[realpolitic]

"Please, please do what you can to cure the verbal virus that seems increasingly rampant among your generation," McCullough implored..."

Has he spoken with President Bush lately? I hope not! He would really get discouraged.

[Pythia]

One more reason to adore David McCullough. Living in southern California, as others have noted, it is unbearable to count how often the word 'like' is used, often as noun, verb and adjective in the same sentence. I had the excruciating task of being required to watch Bravo's "Make Me a Supermodel" for business purposes. I swear if you removed the word from their vocabulary, they would have been rendered mute. The sad thing is, I wonder if anyone of them noticed, upon watching themselves speaking on television. You have my undying gratitude Mr. McCullough, if you made an impression on even a FEW of those from that graduating class.

[KarateKid]

I thought John Adams was awesome, actually.

[KarateKid]

Like, what is he talking about?

[RealityBaseCamp]

KarateKid said:

"Like, what is he talking about?"

I'm like, "What's the deal?"

[ResidentChimp]

Hopefully huffers will take his words to heart.

[knighthowl]

Like you would understand them.

[Hirnlego]

How about the president that you folks elected?

[DrDemon]

So you want us to follow in your footsteps? But we are more apt to be leaders; and not followers!

[TheRationalLeft]

This is a very interesting national story. The only question is: Why is it on Huffpost? Or is this Perezhilton.com?

www.rationalleft.com

[Halfwit]

Does Perez usually cover David McCullough?
I must have missed that.

[ZimboChick]

u still go to PerezHilton? You are sooo last year

[stringer]

No. Absolutely not.

And McCullough should know better. Having covered the significant part of American language transition (away from so-called proper British English) that the American Revoultion was McCullough should know as well as anyone how a constantly evolving and important American language is.

Furthermore I have to echo other posters. As in, "Like are we going to Iraq? Or, like, Iran if Hillary and McCain get there way?"

No offense, but this is an example of even prominent historians getting old and fuddy-duddy.

[milo9]

As in, "Like am I going to Iraq"?

[ZimboChick]

"Am I like going to like (not as in enjoying but as in inquiring) Iraq

[dukeitout]

David McCullough is so smart, sophisticated and such a superior writer and historian. He's concerned with the " "relentless, wearisome use of words such as -"like, awesome and actually." " Youngsters, don't think you are the first generation to overuse these words. Generations ago my contemporaries and I were abusing the same words. Oh yes, another thing that is still so tiresome and abused is the question "you know what I mean?" used way too much by too many people. But, hey -we get over this kind of talk as we grow old and grouchy. Remember---you'll be more awesome if you don't use these words and phrases.

[RobertAndropolis]

Jack Nicholson used "you know what I mean" in his early films, especially "Cuckoo's Nest." Bruce Dern claimed Jack stole the phrase from him during "The King of Marvin Gardens."

[Kimgelle]

Right on man..... I ,uummmm, agree with David ,umm, on the offensive words ,uumm, but listening to ,umm, the older generation ,uumm,their way through a sentence ,ummm, is just as bad.

[robertlockwoodmills]

For Tonygumbrell: Maybe you were kidding. If not, please take heed; McCullough is dead right and you are dead wrong. He's asking us to honor our language at the same time we honor our ideals.

We have a president who doesn't know the difference between "dissemble" and "disassemble," and warns us about Iran's nuclear arsenal without being able to pronounce the word "nuclear." I suppose that's like, all right actually, to you. Maybe it's even, you know, like awesome. No, it ain't. I'm like, let's get a guy in there who kind of, you know, talks good.

[tonygumbrell]

So I'm like, who is this old man and where does he get off telling us how to talk? I mean like that was so totally off the wall. Somebody should tell him this is like 2008, not 1988 or something. This old man is not cool. Back in like 1988 that's the way valley girls talked saying "like" and "awesome" and I mean like that was 'then'. Somebody tell that old man; we're all valley girls now!!!

[GeoLee]

I guess you will never earn a Pulitzer Prize and this old man has...do you even know what that prize is?

[hiNY]

tony, Lee does not get that you are heading the same direction as the old guy with your Jokes! right? Lee lighten up, all societies have street vernaculars, and as these kids move up the social ladder and become more responsible, they will pick up the proper lexicon. let us allow proper societal growth to take place. By the way, what you think of proper English today used to be street language in the 1200th century!!!

[rleroygordon]

"Somebody tell that old man; we're all valley girls now!!!" [Posted 11:21 PM on 05/19/2008]

And in your case, probably a really UGLY one. :}

[RobertAndropolis]

Senator Clinton uses "Y'know" at the beginning of some sentences as a way to ramp up to what she is about to say. Irritating as hell. McCain uses "My friends" in a similar manner; both are stalls, substitues to "um" or "uh" while they formulate what words to use to make their point. Much smoother, ironically, to simply pause before talking.

[Michael7843853]

Read '1776' by McCullough. Very entertaining and informative. He puts the suspense back into history
. It took several 'miracles' for the revolution to survive that first year.

[Boadicea]

THanks for the tip, I'm going to pick it up!

[GeoLee]

Add Truman and John Adams to your list to really get a wonderful view of several important people in our country's life. I wonder how many criticizing his comments have read any of his books. For that matter I wonder how many read more than one of two books a year. I am sure Obama and both Clintons read regularly. Of course Bill Clinton can typically finish the New York Times Sunday Crossword puzzle in less than 10 minutes, so we know how well read he has to be. I would bet Dubya has never completed one.

[faretheewell]

I guess that I'm getting old. I can stand about three "ya know"s in a sentence before I tell the speaker that if I knew the information they were attempting to communicate, the entire painful experience would be a horrible waste of time for both of us. This has received more than a few perplexed stares.

[AfzaalKhan]

I hear u man, its specially frusturating and infuriating when training someone for a job, they keep saying I know, I know and then turn around and make a complete mess. May be like u Im getting too old lol

[jas1984]

I have a 13 year old son and sometimes I dont even know what he is saying. omg