'But , Dave ," you cry, " Wait Whitman tells me I'm my own version perfection! Epictetus tells me I have the spark of Zeus!" And I don't disagree. So that makes 6.8 billion examples of perfection, 6.8 billion sparks of Zeus. You see, if everyone is special , then no one is . If everyone gets a trophy , trophies become meaningless.
. . . No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it. . . Now it's "So what does this get me?" As a consequence, we cheapen worthy endeavors, and building a Guatemalan medical clinic becomes more about me application to Bowdoin than the Well-being of Guatemalans. It's an epidemic -- and in its way , not even dear old Wellesley High is immune . . . one of the best of the 37,000 nationwide, Wellesley High school. . . where good is no longer good enough, where a B is the new C, and the midlevel curriculum is called Advanced College Placement. And I hope you caught me when I said "one of the best." I said 'one of the best." so we can feel better about ourselves, among the elite, whoever they might be, and enjoy a perceived leg up on the perceived competition. But the phrase defies logic. By definition there can be only one best. You're it or you're not.

In your response , give your opinion about how persuasive the speech is. Your response may be positive or negative, or a combination of both, as long as you are clear about your overall opinion. To support your argument, focus on McCullough's point of view , and his use of both evidence and rhetoric. Be sure to cite or describe specific evidence to support your ideas, organize ideas appropriately, use transitions to move from one idea to another, and end with a closing statement.

I believe this speech is very persuasive. In this speech, McCullough explains his views on the new ways of approaching education. I believe he does a good job of explaining why the pursuit to be the best has become meaningless and empty.

In the passage, the author argues that people are obsessed with being the "best." This is because they believe that they are special, and that they really can achieve things that are more incredible than those of the general population. However, the author argues successfully, not everyone can be special because that would lead you to the conclusion that no one is. Similarly, if every school is one of the best, then the category loses meaning. This is a very logical and persuasive argument.

Moreover, he argues that this belief leads people to have experiences that would normally be good and meaningful. However, they engage in them in a superficial way. They do so simply to have a better track record of accomplishments. This leads to experiences becoming cheap and meaningless, and to life being seen as a series of races and awards.