Athenian And Visigoths In My Graduation Speech By Neil Postman

In life we encounter people who we either admire or are repulsed by; people who we are inspired to be like or people whom we swear to never imitate. In his essay “My Graduation Speech” Neil Postman defines these two groups : Athenians and Visigoths. An Athenian is someone who has accomplishments, reasons and helps others and has the urge for knowledge for a greater good, they ill al While a Visigoth will only learn or help someone, if it benefits them with money or status. Visigoths help only for their sake and expect something in return. Of the two groups Athenians is the type Postman urges us to emulate. Athletes are also a group of people that we tend to admire and emulate. Some athletes help others and provide for the ones in need aligning

Lebron has founded a foundation called “The Lebron James Foundation” which helps support people in need. He regularly donates to charities and often pays young adults’s tuition fees, Lebron has donated more than 100 million U.S dollars up to date. He pays for others’ tuition because he “holds “knowledge in high esteem” and has a “quest for knowledge. Recently, Lebron’s Athenian efforts for societal betterment was noted by the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar states that Lebron’s efforts and thoughts are in tune with Martin Luther King Jr, who inspired millions of Americans to work on improving the social and racial divide that has plagued the nation’s history. Postman states that Athenians believe in political democracy. In order to have an effective and vibrant democracy, people need to be informed and educated. Lberon attempts and provides access to education to the people who are less fortunate which shows that he is a big believer in political democracy himself. His actions align with the characteristics and attributes of an

Lebron shows great restraint to people’s ignorance when he corrects them on their behavior caused by racist implicit bias. When a picture of the owner of the Dallas Cowboys surfaced of him yelling at Black students during integration mainstream sports media did not question Lebron about his thoughts on the picture that surfaced. However, the media most definitely asked him questions about Kyrie Irving. Like a true Athenian, Lebron demonstrated restraint and was calm and gracious in pointing out the disparity of treatment between Black and white people. When Black people and white people make errors on social justice issues, and issues of oppression, he asserts that society focuses on the errors of Black people while dismissing white people’s actions. He calmly overviewed that Jerry Jones did not receive the same treatment and questioning that Kyrie received. In fact, Kyrie apologized though he was not fully aware of the documentaries anti-Semetic implications while Jerry Jones has not yet apologized for his past actions against integration. Lebron’s tone and approach to the reporters illustrate his Athenian