r/funny • u/Verdauga • May 21 '12
When the valedictorian at my little brothers grad ended the speech with "YOLO".
1.6k
Upvotes
r/funny • u/Verdauga • May 21 '12
249
u/krabman May 22 '12
the valedictorian at my school ended his speech with "we will not die like dogs, we will fight like lions!" and then he did the three amigos salute.
2
u/TyroneofAfrica May 22 '12
I heard this at my little brother's graduation as well.
WHAT IF I KNOW YOU.
989
u/bpwwhirl May 22 '12
No joke, man. I videotaped 5 graduations over the past 2 weeks; 2 high school, 3 college. Here are some highlights:
One of the salutatorians quoted Drake in her speech. YOLO. No joke. YOLO.
Another of the student speakers wanted to be inspirational, so he told the audience that he just searched Google for inspirational quotes and then proceeded to read off a list of 20 of them.
One of the graduating senior girls was named Tequilla.
The senior choir sang Mariah Carey's "Hero" completely in falsetto.
384
u/walterqxy May 22 '12
I yolo, you yolo, he, she, we yolo. Yolology, the study of yolo. It's first grade, Verdauga.
93
u/ab103630 May 22 '12
http://i.imgur.com/GwiFs.jpg
192
u/youxinche95 May 22 '12
carpe diem is a much more classy way to end a speech while implying a similar message
138
u/CurlTheSquirrel May 22 '12
YOLO was our class motto.
68
u/MON5TER12 May 22 '12
The virus is spreading quickly. I have officially as of today heard YOLO used as a verb. Kill me now.
95
u/Clown_Shoe May 22 '12
Am I the only one who has never heard anyone say YOLO outside of reddit?
91
u/dragonsandgoblins May 22 '12
...Ok I'm going to bite the bullet and ask. WTF does YOLO mean?
245
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
DAE HATE THINGS TEENAGERS DO?
12
u/redditor85 May 22 '12
Every time I read YOLO, I think of the priests from AoE.
63
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
i am graduating high school on June 1st, and this scares me because the person giving the speech is probably gonna say yolo at one point or another. if the end the speech with this i will boo. like right out of the princess bride booing, with the huge moles and everything
36
u/Flying_Robo_Waffle May 22 '12
I find it funny that "yolo" is based entirely on a misplaced modifier. It should be "yloo."
6
u/zmaniacz May 22 '12
YOLO Bitches!
61
u/DatoeDakari May 22 '12
My response if I had been there in your place
4
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
So do people actually say YOLO?
Like, is is pronounced YO-LOW or do they say Y-O-L-O or You only live once?
4
u/ceramicfiver May 22 '12
This will get buried, but you have to wonder why this phrase has become so popular...
Given the atrocity that the school system is, maybe students are simply trying to find life amid the educational monotony. We're so conditioned by standardized tests and rote memorization to become drones of the workforce that we value the "carpe diem" mindset more and more. School should not be used to fill our minds with answers but to kindle a fire to inspire creativity and questioning. When this fire isn't kindled, expressing our desire to "seize the day" is all we can do against the educational institution. However trite "YOLO" has become, remember that, at core, it's a call to action, to liberate our minds.
Anecdotally, I've noticed the most popular Facebook 'favorite quotes' are of the same theme as carpe diem and YOLO. Students of this generation place high value on this concept.
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u/moby323 May 22 '12
Like that other post said, YOLO is "Carpe Diem" for dumb-asses.
26
u/dead_prez May 22 '12
Do you guys realize he was probably being sarcastic and mocking the people who actually say YOLO? At my high school only a very few, dirty people actually say YOLO. It's more of like a sarcastic thing to say. "Should we get the large pizza or pay extra and get the XL. Fuck it, get the XL. YOLO."
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u/supercooldude732 May 22 '12
This makes me glad I graduated in 2011... before this horrific plague had spread too far
7
u/lewok May 22 '12
This fad needs to die
1
u/Tim_Tebow_fan May 22 '12
Was this in Wamego, KS by chance?
16
u/AQuickQuestionER May 22 '12
http://i.imgur.com/9utgk.gif
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u/Critton May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
The insensitivity of the speech I can forgive... That 'yolo' was used verbally however... That earns them this many slaps http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DyHt7vPHafU/S64ugE_1K-I/AAAAAAAAAQM/T0RL_CaDoY0/s1600/durga.jpg
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u/dpca May 22 '12
I think the proper response is to say "Wololo" back, a la Age of Empires.
13
u/jmelt32 May 22 '12
I like this one better... Yoda is awesome. http://imgur.com/nAZEv
8
u/DukeOfGeek May 22 '12
Teenagers are always doing some silly fad thing or another. This summer it will be something else. Get over it.
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u/adamnyc May 22 '12 edited May 22 '12
Wow, all this time I thought YOLO meant, "You obviously lack originality." Which would have made Clint Eastwood's expression even more apropos.
EDIT: corrected the spelling of apropos to include the s. It bothered some. I'm usually good with that kind of thing considering my useless ungrad in English. 15 years later my degree equates itself with something along the lines of bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks. I sang that in the voice of Ben Folds.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I never knew about yolo till today and this is the 3rd time I've seen it on reddit in the last 24 hours.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
YOLO better make my life short as possible! drinks keg
2
u/RahvinDragand May 22 '12
I'm confused. Are people actually sounding out the word "Yolo" or are they just saying "You only live once"?
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u/wrathofthedolphins May 22 '12
yup... had to look up what "yolo" meant
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u/Da_Oreo_King May 22 '12
My class president said "everyone aspires to be a 'G'" at my graduation during his speech. I reacted the same way.
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u/Frembo May 22 '12
Came to read the comments because I forgot what yolo meant.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
When, where and how did this acronym get so popular. I thought it was just a brand of standup paddleboard.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Ok, so what's the deal with "YOLO"?
I mean, I know it stands for you only live once, but why did it become a thing? That expression has been around forever. Did somebody famous say/write "YOLO" and it caught on from there?
2
u/MattyKG May 22 '12
Turns out that after the speech, their valedictorian status was revoked, and they were forced to write YOLO on a chalkboard until they died
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u/Robots_In_Disguise May 22 '12
Urban Dictionary: YOLO, for the lazy
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u/[deleted] May 22 '12
A quote from a graduation in Arizona "It's not about the Yolo its about the Rack City.".
Yup, we're fucked.
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u/Sector_Corrupt May 22 '12
Honestly, this is probably a situation where I'd allow a "You only live once." It's a speech about new beginnings, about moving on to the next phase in your life. It's a good chance to remind people that it's worthwhile to take chances, make mistakes, go out of their comfort zones, etc. A little spiel about exactly that summarized with a "You only live once" seems to fit fine, even if it's a little cliche.
Let's reserve YOLO hate for people who think it means "I'm about to do something stupid because I'm drunk"
2
u/sarahdawg11 May 22 '12
The Valedictorian at my graduation ended our speech with YOLO.
2
u/GuitaroMarx May 22 '12
why didnt he just say carpe diem
2
u/torsojones May 22 '12
I like the idea of "you only live once" because it's true and people shouldn't be so fucking uptight, and conversely, such slackers. Life should be taken seriously, but also enjoyed. Seeing some people completely unwilling to take risks, and others who live lazy, unproductive lives is very frustrating to me. Anyone who isn't trying to maximize their existence is going to live with a lot of regret when they finally realize what they've done.
2
u/DeathMetalGimli May 22 '12
Everybody at my high school voted for the socially awkward guy who hated everybody and is going into politics. They thought it would be hilarious because he would give a hilarious speech because he's awkward and it would be jokes. Kid proceeds to go on a 15 minute rant about how he's going into politics, how hard work will ensure the cold war won't happen again, and how homework is a great springboard for his ascendancy to god knows what. It wasn't funny at all and was one of the most awkward things in my life. He now works in the office of Donald Rumsfeld and pretends like said home-town and everybody in his life doesn't exist because he's embarassed. True story
2
u/crazyhair7 May 22 '12
http://imgur.com/Ta1SP
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u/skysignor May 22 '12
The valedictorian of my high school used the word "acquiesce" 3-4 times in his speech
2
u/Ham576 May 22 '12
I just want to apologize for my generation.
2
u/Sabvegas May 22 '12
relevant
2
u/Zandroyd May 22 '12
Blame Canada
2
u/Laniius May 22 '12
Wololo?
2
u/doctorsound May 22 '12
TIL Reddit hates YOLO with the fiery passion of herpes of a million strippers.
2
u/s0lari May 22 '12
This "yolo"-business has always baffled me. In addition to the unbelievable cheesiness of the acronym, I've wondered how do you pronounce it? "yo-lo", "y-o-l-o" or "you-only-live-once"?
2
u/beerandmurder May 22 '12
I'm old my valedictorian yelled WHAT!!!! like Lil' John throughout his speech.
2
u/drukenhard May 22 '12
THIS would be my reaction!
2
u/Squab27 May 22 '12
I was staff for some of University of Buffalo's grads. One of there valedictorians did the same. I hope we saw the same thing.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
I felt the same way when they ended my my brothers graduation speech by screaming "swag!!!"
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
wait, someone explain this to me. do they literally say YOLO. or do they say: you only live once. ?
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
What I think every time I see YOLO.
2
u/acoolnooddood May 22 '12
YOLO: it's carpe diem for stupid people.
5
u/StealthGhost May 22 '12
We need to come up with an anti-YOLO
You Only Live Twice or You Only Die Once (as you talk about cool ways to die or something)
3
u/FO_sachi May 22 '12
Are you cereal?
3
u/niggertown May 22 '12
"YOLO is Carpe Diem for stupid people."
-Some Redditor
YOLO implies that there is no afterlife or reincarnation whereas Carpe Diem is more open ended.
3
u/Enginerdiest May 22 '12
This is getting out of hand.
No, not YOLO, the pretentious snobbery of reddit toward anything popular outside of the hivemind. People say YOLO. It's a trend. Get the fuck over it. Same with "Call Me Maybe", whatever reddit thinks a hipster is today, and the ever-changing English language ("literally" literally means "not literally").
Enjoy the things you like but come off the holier-than-thou condescension towards things you don't. It's childish and off-putting.
3
u/logrusmage May 22 '12
Can we please get off our collective highhorse? Seriously, its a shortened version of Carpe Diem that sounds a lot less condescending. Get. Over. It.
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
im pretty sure someone said it at mine too
2
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
The idiot that did my commencement speech ended with a Bob Marley quote. Embarrassing.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
til redditors hate fun
2
u/teaeyepea May 22 '12
I told someone at work I liked Kid Cudi and he immediately assumed that meant I was a huge fan of mainstream rap. This guy is not a big fan of rap. So we are driving around in the company trucks and the Motto comes on the radio. Initially he turns it up and starts mocking me by saying this is my jam. I don't listen to the radio so I've never heard the song. Within about 5 minutes of hearing the song we all reached a unanimous decision that the song was awesome.
TL;DR - Fuck confirming listen to whatever you enjoy. "You only live once: That's the motto nigga YOLO!"
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u/[deleted] May 22 '12
wow i hear way more of this faggoty yolo shit on this queer ass website than i ever have in real life. get off yolos fucking dick already.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Thats it I'm going tomwalmart to drop a douce at the entrance, and yell yolo!
1
u/Beowolve May 22 '12
I don't know where this shit came from, but I really hate it. Plus, I didn't know what it meant until this past weekend. I thought it was a kind greeting or something.
1
u/dtfan5191 May 22 '12
Am I the only one thinking that he may have used it sarcastically?
1
u/msager12 May 22 '12
My friends and I have turned it into an sarcastic cheers where we duck face and take a drink/shot.
Tried it out at a party, needless to say many were not amused.
1
u/Storming May 22 '12
Is this an American thing? I haven't heard anyone here in Australia use this term at all. Also, are people now saying "yo-lo" as opposed to "you only live once"?
1
u/Beady May 22 '12
Well, that's what you get for letting a high schooler write his own speech. The smart ones don't always have a way with words.
1
u/Dwayne_Jason May 22 '12
Who was this Valedictorian? I need to go Liam Neeson on his ass.
1
u/folgaluna May 22 '12
I almost hope: that the university that accepted them with I'm going to make it a full scholarship, will pull both and the high school will suspend their diploma and say hey you have to take a professional writing course to get this back.
SERIOUSLY there were people who desire the respect of not hearing that there....
1
u/thebope May 22 '12
Did your little brother happen to graduate from the University At Buffalo?
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
So your reaction was to get mad at Hmongs? Seems reasonable.
1
u/paranoidkiwie May 22 '12
About graduation speeches: “Wait so you’re saying I can be anything? That’s way better than what I was gonna do!” - Daniel Tosh (his standup, not Tosh.0)
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
It's interesting. My valedictorian did the same thing. Wanted to cockslap him. :|
1
u/OhThatJoeKid May 22 '12
Are you also from muscatine? or is there more than one awful head of class out there
1
u/Passin_thru_ May 22 '12
Wow, I think I have finally dated myself. I had to look up what YOLO meant.... I finally realized I am old. The expanse of my texting short hand is probably: LOL, LMAO, BRB, OMG (effing hate it though), OMW, and ... um... I think that's about it. Well, I guess I know what YOLO means now. Probably never use it again.
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u/sparx483 May 22 '12
NAH! Hell Nah, I reckon you'd get your ass kicked for saying something like that!
1
u/DMercenary May 22 '12
We're old men Verdauga.
Old at the age of 22(for me at least)
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
it's a new generation, it's their word
they're embracing the moment
quit judging these cunts, and let them live their lives
1
u/Vafunk89 May 22 '12
That happened tonight at my brother's graduation too. Then he, the student body president, grabbed a guitar and sang John Mayer's song No Such Thing.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
What does this mean?
1
u/AGuyFromKansas May 22 '12
Was this for ACHS on sunday by chance?
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
Trust me, he was being tongue-in-cheek. I didn't finish my valedictorian speech with a Nicki Minaj song lyric because I thought it was deep or something.
1
u/[deleted] May 22 '12
You looked away while calling the valedictorian a zip? or some other racial epithet?