NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Why Kurt Vonnegut's advice to college graduates still matters today

  • Written by Susan Farrell, Professor of English, College of Charleston
imageA generation told not to trust anyone over 30 nevertheless adored Vonnegut.Ulf Andersen/Getty Images

Kurt Vonnegut didn’t deliver the famous “Wear Sunscreen” graduation speech published in the Chicago Tribune that was often mistakenly attributed to the celebrated author. But he could have.

Over his lifetime, he gave dozens of...

Read more: Why Kurt Vonnegut's advice to college graduates still matters today

More Articles ...

  1. 'Got polio?' messaging underscores a vaccine campaign's success but creates false sense of security as memories of the disease fade in US
  2. AI is exciting – and an ethical minefield: 4 essential reads on the risks and concerns about this technology
  3. Cognitive flexibility is essential to navigating a changing world – new research in mice shows how your brain learns new rules
  4. Harry Belafonte leveraged stardom for social change, his powerful voice always singing a song for justice
  5. Leprosy-causing bacteria found in armadillo specimens highlight value of museum collections for tracking pathogens
  6. Arctic sea ice loss and fierce storms leave Kivalina Search and Rescue fighting to protect their island from climate disasters
  7. A tweak to the University of Nebraska's logo shows how the once benign 'OK' sign has entered a 'purgatory of meaning'
  8. Mifepristone is under scrutiny in the courts, but it has been used safely and effectively around the world for decades
  9. Challenging the FDA's authority isn't new – the agency's history shows what's at stake when drug regulation is in limbo
  10. The invasion of Iraq defined US' foreign relations – but in popular Iraqi literature, the war is just a piece of the country's complex history
  11. In protecting land for wildlife, size matters – here's what it takes to conserve very large areas
  12. Willie Nelson at 90: Country music's elder statesman still on the road again
  13. What Socrates' 'know nothing' wisdom can teach a polarized America
  14. White power movements in US history have often relied on veterans -- and not on lone wolves
  15. In centennial year, Turkish voters will choose between Erdoğan’s conservative path and the founder’s modernist vision
  16. South Korea, US presidents to meet in Washington – amid wary glances in the direction of Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow
  17. Social media scatters your brain, and then you buy stuff you don't need
  18. 80 is different in 2023 than in 1776 – but even back then, a grizzled Franklin led alongside a young Hamilton
  19. Fast fashion still comes with deadly risks, 10 years after the Rana Plaza disaster – the industry's many moving pieces make it easy to cut corners
  20. The Supreme Court rules mifepristone can remain available – here's how 2 conflicting federal court decisions led to this point
  21. 'Stand your ground' laws empower armed citizens to defend property with violence – a simple mistake can get you shot, or killed
  22. Watch out for dangerous combinations of over-the-counter cold medicine and prescription drugs – two pharmacoepidemiology experts explain the risks
  23. Boy Scouts of America can now create $2.4 billion fund to pay claims for Scouts who survived abuse – a bankruptcy expert explains what's next
  24. What's going on when the Virgin Mary appears and statues weep? The answers aren't just about science or the supernatural
  25. Keeping NBA players on the court is no small 'feet'
  26. Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension
  27. Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment
  28. Emergency contraception is often confused with abortion pills – here's how Plan B and other generic versions work to prevent pregnancy
  29. The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea – but naval rivalry with Beijing is very real and growing
  30. US giving to Israeli nonprofits – how much Jews and Christians donate and where the money goes
  31. Sudan crisis explained: What's behind the latest fighting and how it fits nation's troubled past
  32. The complex relationship between Black gamers and Hogwarts Legacy
  33. Plans for religious charter school, though rejected for now, are already pushing church-state debates into new territory
  34. Anti-mifepristone court decisions rely on medical misinformation about abortion and questionable legal reasoning
  35. 'Effective altruism' has caught on with billionaire donors – but is the world's most headline-making one on board?
  36. Low-cost, high-quality public transportation will serve the public better than free rides
  37. Parents tend to choose their children's schools based on their own educational experience
  38. Social Security may be failing well over a million people with disabilities – and COVID-19 is making the problem worse
  39. Why is Tax Day on April 18 this year? And how did early spring become tax season, anyhow?
  40. Wooded grasslands flourished in Africa 21 million years ago – new research forces a rethink of ape evolution
  41. What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge
  42. Boosting EV market share to 67% of US car sales is a huge leap – but automakers can meet EPA's tough new standards
  43. Arab Americans are a much more diverse group than many of their neighbors mistakenly assume
  44. Through role play and simulation, this course teaches strategic ways to strike business deals that do more than just make money
  45. Israel's judicial reform efforts could complicate its relationship with US – but the countries have faced other bumps along the road
  46. 4 ways that AI can help students
  47. Why more and more Americans are painting their lawns
  48. What causes motion sickness? Here's how to reconcile the mismatch in what your senses are telling your brain
  49. Anyone can claim to be a journalist or a news organization, and publish lies with almost total impunity
  50. Defying the Holocaust didn't just mean uprising and revolt: Remembering Jews' everyday resistance on Yom HaShoah and year-round