Graduation Ceremonies

Do you remember your graduation ceremony? Either high school or college will do, since they are all so similar. I was thinking the other day about how graduation ceremonies are different from when the day when I graduated so long ago. In general, I think the whole concept of the graduation ceremony is much better today. The grads have choices, even the choice in many schools of whether they want to participate "on stage" or just have the school mail their diploma to them. In my day they threatened to hold your diploma if you didn't attend you graduation. My school used that erasable ink on my diploma after seeing my grades and debating whether they school wanted to be embarrassed by giving a moron like me a diploma.  So I shut up and attended without complaint.

I went to my daughter's graduation ceremony a couple of years ago and actually enjoyed the show. I did write "show" because it wasn't the stodgy sit down, boring speech ceremony that we all squirmed through when attending.  There was a lot of music of all styles, not the stale graduation march music they have been playing for decades. Her graduation had several student performances which displayed student grad talent. One of which was a Vietnamese rap group. Yep! I wrote 'Vietnamese rap'. I don't know about you but I never associated Vietnamese culture with rap music. It was four Vietnamese grads who performed a very amusing rap song.  I wonder what they will do at that school's graduation next time. Maybe some of the black grads will do a ballet performance.....anything is possible these days.

Today's high school and college graduations ceremonies are more informal than in the past. Those Valedictorian speeches we all hate are shorter and more relevant than in past decades. They still wear those funny caps and gowns in a tribute to tradition, but the grads dress underneath the gowns is very informal. Some wear pajamas or T shirts with obscene slogans, personal messages or  wear protest garb etc.  And some grads let those underneath statements outfits show a bit by loosening their gowns. No one seems to object too much because everyone is glad the grads finally are finished with school. But in my day, the school searched each student's clothes to make sure he or she wore "appropriate clothing".

The parents and others in the audience are also much more informal (rude sometimes) today. Some make noise and play with their cell phones, just like they do in every other situation of their lives. Rudeness today is consistent.  Quite a few parents and guests also show up late. It used to be the school would lock the doors to the ceremony when the graduation ceremony began and make the late comers wait until the diplomas were to be given out before letting them enter and sit.  But parents are too aware of "their rights" now for the school to try to duplicate that sensible strategy.  Many parents get out of their seats when their child parades to the stage for his or her diploma, so they can take a picture and block the view as well as annoy every other parent trying to see the ceremony. It's an affirmation of the "me, me, me world" in which the individual doesn't give a damn about anyone else when in pursuit of his or her own desires. But then, this is the age of rudeness/the cell age.  We should expect that.

I think most people have more fun at graduation day/night ceremonies today. The informal nature of them now reflects the informal society in which we live. It's probably a good thing that it is that way now. Graduation ceremonies are sure a lot more fun than they were in the past.