Last weekend, Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered a commencement speech for the 2019 graduates of Tulane University in New Orleans. Recently he was also lauded as an even better leader than the late Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple. While that may be a stretch and a tip of the hat to the gay community, the performance of Apple for product introductions lately has been lacking. Market share has continued to decline, but I digress. This is not about Tim Cook’s job performance or lack of, it is about his comments.
He commented about his generation (whatever generation to which he belongs); “In some important ways, my generation has failed you. We spent too much time debating, too focused on the fight and not enough on progress. You don’t need to look far to find an example of that failure,” he continued, pointing to an example that no one understands better than those living in the natural disaster-dogged New Orleans: climate change.
He blathered on about coastal communities that are already making plans to leave for higher ground. This sounds like complete common sense to me. If you live in a location beset by water problems every time it rains or when water surges from tropical storms and hurricanes, it is only prudent to seek higher elevations for your family.
I need to inform Mr. Cook, most of the coastline in the Gulf, and southern East Coast is susceptible to severe flooding due to hurricane storm surge and/or high water from tropical rains. Flooding happens to low area flood plains; just a fact. But somehow, building permits are issued year after year to those areas for huge homes, developments, commercial retail and paved areas exacerbate the flooding conditions and the total cost for replacement/restoration. And people are surprised when flooding happens when they live on the coastline?
Have you ever visited New Orleans? You want to see the Mississippi River when touring Bourbon Street? Go a few blocks west and climb the stairs of the levee and look down on the river… it is higher than the streets you were walking to get to it! The only thing keeping the river from flooding the city is the levee. And you wonder why New Orleans floods in a hurricane? When you are lower than the water level, you are essentially underwater. New Orleans has been this way for decades with suspect levees.
The disaster that was New Orleans during Katrina was a disaster that didn’t need to be. Yes, it struck the city, but there was ample warning to evacuate and Mayor Ray Nagin had the ability and right to demand evacuation by city and area school buses, but he neglected to give the order and by the time he did, it was too late. Many had been in other hurricanes and felt leaving their homes would encourage looting and destruction of their homes. They were told the levees would hold — all that water and nothing was going to hold it back. Then it was decided the Super Dome would be the place to ride out the storm by those left to defend for themselves. A bad situation made worse. And Nagin blamed everyone except the storm and his poor decision making.
Next, Mr. Cook decided to veer into politics, in a touchy-feely philosophic way.
“If you find yourself spending more time fighting than getting to work, stop and ask yourself, “Who benefits from all the chaos”? He continued, “There are some who would like to believe the only way you can be strong is by bulldozing those who disagree with you… We forget sometimes that our pre-existing beliefs have their own forces of gravity. Today, certain algorithms pull toward you things you already know, believe or like. And they push away everything else. Push back! It shouldn’t be this way.”
Spoken like the committed liberal he is. He is one of the first to bulldoze back against those who disagree with him.
Tulane University graduates deserved better, but such are the characters decidedly liberal administrations choose to address students on graduation day. Instead of uplifting and forward thinking comments, they bring their own viewpoints and political persuasions for everyone to suffer through.
Mr. Cook, please stay on the West Coast and spread your blather, they appreciate it there.
The rotting of America from within continues…
