Eric Schlosser’s Commencement Speech–DePauw University, 5.23.2005

A great commencement speech by a fantastic writer. Buy his books here and here.“It’s a real honor to be the commencement speaker at DePauw this year. Many of the students here have already heard me speak, and I’m flattered and surprised that they would want to hear me again. Every parent and every student here today deserves to feel proud. Today should be a day of celebration, of joy, and (looking up) I think the skies today reflect that fact. But for a few minutes, I’m going to talk about a serious subject. That’s why I had to take off that hat. And I’ll try to keep it brief.

Today, the class of 2005 is graduating at a time of war. American soldiers, your age, are risking their lives far away from home. That war may seem very distant from here, today, but this war will define the coming years of your lives, much like World War II defined the life of my father and his generation. We’re told now that America is fighting on behalf of freedom, that it is our mission to bring democracy to nations long ruled by tyranny and injustice. I have no doubt that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan have more political freedom today than they have had for generations, and spreading democracy throughout the world is a noble aim. But I worry that this war on behalf of freedom overseas has placed our own freedom in grave jeopardy. Indeed, ordinary Americans are now confronted by vast bureaucracies with unprecedented power over their lives. Liberals, traditionally, have criticized the power of big business. Conservatives, traditionally, have warned against the danger obig government. Today, both liberals and conservatives have much to fear. Every sector of the American economy is now controlled by a handful of corporations. You would have to go back a hundred years to find a time in our history when so much power was concentrated in the hands of so few. This kind of power threatens the freedom of workers, farmers, ranchers, consumers, and real entrepreneurs. A century ago, a pro-business Republican President, Teddy Roosevelt, spoke out against the danger of monopolies and the danger of concentrated economic power. Fifty years ago, another pro-business Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower, did the same. One of President Eisenhower’s first acts in office was to launch an anti-trust prosecution of America’s major oil companies. And one of his last acts in office was to warn about the danger of America’s military-industrial complex. Today, both the Democratic and the Republican parties have abandoned the effort to break up monopolies and to preserve real competition for all. Meanwhile, the federal government has more power today than at any other time in American history—thanks not only to new laws, but also to new technologies. Right now, without probable cause, without a warrant, without any sort of judicial review, government agents can obtain your medical and financial records, can search your home and your office, can eavesdrop on your phone conversations, and can read your e-mail—and can do all of these things without ever telling you that they’ve done it. Now I have no problem with a government doing that sort of thing to leading al-Qaeda members, but I have tremendous concern about the government doing that to whomever it wants, without any judicial oversight or accountability. We hear a great deal today about the dangers posed by activist federal judges, but much less has been said about the extraordinary power that federal prosecutors now have. They are the ones truly deciding who to punish, and how much punishment to give. In the federal criminal justice system, more than ninety percent of the people who are charged with a crime are persuaded to plead guilty. Their cases never go to trial before a judge or a jury. And prosecutors win the vast majority of cases that do go to trial. So that means that when the federal government decides to file charges against you, there is about a three percent chance that you will be found innocent. And, given the long prison sentences that prosecutors can now demand, the pressure upon you to cut a deal and plead guilty is enormous. And my research into our criminal justice system has convinced me that innocent people today are pleading guilty because of the great punishment they face if they don’t.

But today, the biggest threat to freedom, not just in the United States, but throughout the world, is fanaticism. Everywhere, fanatics are gaining influence. There’s a wonderful book called “The True Believer.” It was written by Eric Hoffer more than half a century ago. It describes the mindset of fanatics—of Nazis and Marxists and religious crusaders who believe that they have unique access to the truth—who believe that the world must be remade in their image. Reasonable people can disagree in good faith, but today we are facing a severe shortage of reasonable people. In their place is the true believer. Facts don’t matter to the true believer. Other people’s views don’t matter to the true believer. The fanatic is mentally cocky, Eric Hoffer pointed out, and at the root of his cockiness is the conviction that life and the universe conform to a simple formula—his formula. In Congress, bipartisanship has been replaced by bitterness and threats of a “nuclear option.” On television and on the radio, words like “traitor,” “war criminal,” and “anti-American” are used to describe political opponents. On campus, political correctness and the fear of controversy threaten free speech. Students are being encouraged to spy on their teachers, and legislation on behalf of, quote, academic freedom, unquote, promises to bring government monitoring into the classroom. Now, that idea has been tried before—by the Communists in China and the Soviet Union—and it didn’t improve anyone’s education much. At a time when our basic freedoms are endangered, it’s good to remember the words of a man most responsible for them in the first place. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He wrote the clause on religious freedom for the Virginia Constitution, the first of its kind the world had ever seen. Jefferson believed that America’s freedom depended on total separation of church and state. When asked what the Bill of Rights should include, Thomas Jefferson said, “By a declaration of rights, I mean one which shall stipulate freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce against monopolies, trial by jury in all cases, no suspension of habeas corpus, and no standing armies.” If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, I have no doubt that some radio talk show host would call him a traitor. Freedom is never important to the majority in power. It’s important to everyone who disagrees with the majority. It’s important because the majority often proves to be wrong. I hope all of you will never hesitate to speak out, and I hope you will always fight for the right of others to speak out—even if you don’t like them, and even if you don’t like their views. We must protect the right to seem stupid, to seem foolish, to seem wrong. Because the truth will finally emerge, not from the mouth of one great leader, but from the conflicting opinions and honest debate of people like you.

The men and women who lived through the Great Depression and World War II have been called “The Greatest Generation.” Despite everything, I am an optimist. I think the greatest generation is yet to come. In fact, I may be looking at it. I wish every single one of you much happiness, much courage, and much success. Thank you.”

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