"The kindest person in the room is often the smartest."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

24. Because our culture has a very specific idea of what "smart" means, and it has little to do with

what a person's morals are. As well, Pritzker's language edges into eugenics, implying that some people are "more evolved" because of the way they live their lives. Linking intelligence and morality, especially in a speech given at a highly selective and insular university, simply reifies the unscientific idea that there is a link between intelligence and kindness, two social constructs.

It resonates because it's a populist idea: "We are good and so must be smart" feels really great. "We are smart and so must be good" leads to drone strikes and job cuts. "They are bad and so must be unintelligent" also feels great, and leads to no solutions. "They are unintelligent and so must be bad" leads to dehumanization.

Northwestern, a month after this speech, fired someone who was widely regarded as a "good" and "deeply caring" individual, for overseeing a sports program rife with hazing and humiliation, FWIW. We can think of dozens of examples that upend Pritzker's thesis. It's a feel-good address for commencement, but it's lacking in rigor.