High school student turns Valedictorian speech into abortion rant

I can't believe the gall in ordering individual females what to do/what not to do with their own selves. That is what her speech was about. She had the gall to speak her truth. If I knew her, I would tell her how proud I am, and to go forward in her life with the same courage, thoughtfulness & wisdom she displayed that day.
 
Pepper said:
The point is, you called it a rant, not a break from tradition and what is expected.
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She was to deliver a speech outlined pre-speech and she did not, I don't care what the personal comment was about.
 
Pepper said:
Then why call it a rant? Words matter. I see your point, btw.
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Well when I said Rant it was not meant the way you think I meant it. You would think it would be a reflection of hkgh school memories etc. I would have felt the same if she talked about roller derby.
 
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"speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way." def.
"Rant definition, to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave: The demagogue ranted for hours."

She didn't do that. This is a matter of interest for all women. She was quite persuasive, IMO, and proved herself to be mature & capable and a credit to her school.
 
ohioboy said:
She was to deliver a speech outlined pre-speech and she did not, I don't care what the personal comment was about.
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Wow! The audacity of a young lady to give a heartfelt speech when she was celebrating her accomplishments. And, give it in a state that is one of the foremost taking away the rights of females. Probably wouldn't be having this discussion if she had championed 2nd Amendment rights or suppression of voting rights. She stood up for and spoke from the heart about a major issue her generation will be dealing with.
 
I understand why some do not appreciate the introduction of controversial topics, into what is mostly a formulaic speech. And, even though she was obviously passionate about her views, she sprang this on her unsuspecting faculty. Yes, it's a youthful expression of her concerns, in an unusual, mildly disconcerting way, but I don't think she should be burnt at the stake for it
 
Patch said:
Wow! The audacity of a young lady to give a heartfelt speech when she was celebrating her accomplishments. And, give it in a state that is one of the foremost taking away the rights of females. Probably wouldn't be having this discussion if she had championed 2nd Amendment rights or suppression of voting rights. She stood up for and spoke from the heart about a major issue her generation will be dealing with.
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This!
 
Well done! As I listened to her speak I said to myself, "here is a woman that will go far in politics." It is high time we had some people in politics that raised important issues that concern a lot of people. There are just too many people in politics who just "beat around the bush" when they speak and a lot of them are in there for the money and the big fat pensions; especially for those who are reelected at least once. I bet she would make a good president; better than some of the presidents of the past in the USA! I am not mentioning names in order to "protect the guilty" but I'm sure you know who I mean!
 
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Kudos to Ms. Paxton Smith. She obviously expected that if she submitted this speech for approval it would have been shot down, so she forged her own path and chose this moment to speak about something of great importance rather than delivering the standard valedictorian fluff.

Hoping others in her generation will be inspired by her bravery.
 
Just wondering, would it have been ok if she had chucked her approved speech text and delivered impassioned comments about, say, why we need a balanced budget amendment to forestall fiscal catastrophe.

Most everyone on this thread approves of what this young woman did and said (and please note that I don't disagree personally with what she said).

But if she had spoken out from the right rather than the left side of the aisle, would you still approve? Or is your approval conditioned on agreeing with her on what she said?
 
JimBob1952 said:
Just wondering, would it have been ok if she had chucked her approved speech text and delivered impassioned comments about, say, why we need a balanced budget amendment to forestall fiscal catastrophe.

Most everyone on this thread approves of what this young woman did and said (and please note that I don't disagree personally with what she said).

But if she had spoken out from the right rather than the left side of the aisle, would you still approve? Or is your approval conditioned on agreeing with her on what she said?
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If she'd delivered a speech from the right rather than the left in Texas it wouldn't have been newsworthy.
 
Your questions at the end are pertinent, @JimBob1952. That is a whole other discussion, but I personally reacted to the use of the word "rant" when she was not ranting at all. Ohioboy set up the topic in a biased way by using "rant" and that was my objection, based on my own bias, but then again, I'm female. That is another whole other discussion.

There is a question of her betraying trust on the content of her speech, but hey, she worked the hardest at her school, showed incredible guts given where she is located, so Congratulations, Paxton!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And..........that is a third whole other discussion.
 

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