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Ali G Harvard Commencement Speech

10 Aug 2004 by Jason Fried

Continuing down the temporary path of more Noise than Signal on SvN, enjoy Ali G’s 2004 Harvard Commencement Speech. Highlights include:

“As I stand here today lookin at all of you, on this, your first day of university… To fink dat so many great people has been educated ere like Lyndon Banes Johnson, or as he is better known - JFK… A lot of you is probably feminists, or as we call them in england ‘lezzies’… iz also well clever - me was so brainy dat me finished me education 6 years before any of u… what did Lincoln give America, apart from the Towncar?… Let’s rap dis up now, coz I fink me feels somethin movin down below… Anyways I digest… it is important never to forget where u all came from - becoz black, white, brown or pakistani we all come from de same place - de punani… bigupyaself Princeton…and keep it real… wesside.”

So, how does this compare to the others we’ve featured on SvN in the past?

17 comments so far (Post a Comment)

10 Aug 2004 | SH said...

"You lot will become powerful people who can change de future - and you need to, coz de world at de moment iz totally f-blank-blank-blank-ucked. Yeknow de word - I been told I ain't allowed to say it - u know [MIME FUCKING]"

10 Aug 2004 | beto said...

Dat's da bomb fo'shizzle, muh nizzle! :D

10 Aug 2004 | lisa said...

what i want to know is, how did this guy get picked to give a speech at harvard? seems like an odd selection to me.

10 Aug 2004 | Steve from Denver, now in FLA said...

If I was a parent of a Harvard grad, I'd be pissed. $50,000 plus a year to send my kid to Harvard and you insult me with this jerk? Or maybe I'm just getting old.

10 Aug 2004 | Didier Hilhorst said...

Lisa: The selection is not that odd. Sasha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G) studied history at Cambridge and has a pretty solid acadamic background. Though most will miss those small references in shows, Ali G certainly is not all about being a silly rapper. In 2002 The Observer published a good article with background information on the person behind Ali G: Mutha of invention. His humor is undoubtedly crude at times, but there's some intelligence behind it all.

10 Aug 2004 | noodlebrain said...

If I was a parent of a Harvard grad, I'd be pissed.

Relax, they also got Kofi Anan, Lawrence Summers, and other luminaries.

11 Aug 2004 | Josh said...

Personally, my favorite education-related speech is John Cleese's rectorial address at St. Andrew's.

"And so to those of you who elected me may I say 'Thank you'. And to those of you who, while not actually casting your votes in my direction, have since treated me with such kindness and courtesy, may I simply say 'Ha ha ha'. "

11 Aug 2004 | p8 said...

So is Ali G also Super Greg?

11 Aug 2004 | SH said...

p8: NO, Ali G is not to be even remotely compared to "Super Greg." Super Greg is a poor, poor, unsuccessful and insulting imitation, like Sweet N Low.

Ali G is sugar. MMmm, sugar from the cane...

12 Aug 2004 | p8 said...

I don't know Sarah, they look very similiar especially when Super Greg is scratching.

12 Aug 2004 | Kitty said...

Also, this wasn't the official commencement speech - Ali G's speech was given on Class Day, a less-formal event the day before actual commencement: article about it

29 Aug 2004 | claude said...

you people need to relax, it's just a joke. I think he's a riot and if i was a parent of a harvard grad i would laugh. The world is way to serious. Americans need to see the humor, you can all be such drama queens sometimes.

30 Aug 2004 | Dan Semaya said...

This was for Class Day, not commencement. Class Day is an informal day, 2 days before graduation (at least it is at Princeton) in which a speaker (usually a comedian) is invited by the graduating class (not the university) to speak and is not paid or given any sort of honorary doctorate. At Princeton all the speaker gets is a novelty orange and black jacket.

This year's class day speaker at Princeton was John Stewart. Yale wanted Stewart but he picked Princeton. I don't know if Yale or Princeton had wanted Ali G, or if Harvard wanted Stewart.

01 Sep 2004 | eeej said...

if you didnt get it, you are too old!..or maybe your a female...most i know hate ali g..and do me a favor...STOP COMPARING HOW FUNNY THIS GUY IS TO DAVE CHAPPEL..all i ever hear from people is "dave chappel, dave chappel..WHOOP-IE ..honestly, he may be chuckle worthy but no way does it measure up to doing comedy on-the-fly like G does. although they are both black, ali g is way more talented..nothing compares to his interviewing skills...not even daves best WRITERS for his somewhat funny "skits", even compare. this dude is hilarious and you need to listen up and LEARN about the comedic genius that iz ALI G.

04 Sep 2004 | tom sherman said...

If I was a parent of a Harvard grad, I'd be pissed. $50,000 plus a year to send my kid to Harvard and you insult me with this jerk? Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Yep, you're just getting old.

30 Jan 2005 | compatelius said...

bocigalingus must be something funny.

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