A snapshot of Illinois' DemocraticGovernor Pritzker giving his commencement address to Northwestern's graduating class.

[ancianita]

[blm]

1. My favorite governor

[ancianita]

2. Mine, too.

And very much like Joe Biden. He speaks to the hearts of Democrats, imo

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. Same here.

I'm happy to have him as my governor.

[leftieNanner]

3. WOW!

Brilliant.

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

Thanks for posting.

[nuxvomica]

5. Some interesting factoids to go along with Pritzker's speech

1) Empathy correlates with the ability to use sarcasm, according to one study. The theory being that the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes allows you to fine-tune humor so that others "get" that you're not serious, and to appreciate the same attempts at humor in others.
2) Empathy can be learned by reading literary fiction. One study found that reading literary fiction increased one's ability to empathize even weeks after the reading. Genre fiction did not have the same effect. The theory being that reading literary fiction forces you to get into the mind of someone else, the main character, and that exercise becomes useful in real life.

So if everyone read Joyce Carol Oates or Doris Lessing or Virginia Woolf, the world would be a better place, and a funnier one, too.

[ancianita]

6. Thank you! Everything you say points to what defines a civilization!