Video: Fifth-grader’s speech offers valuable lessons for communicators

It’s not a mystery that children tend to see the world very differently from us stodgy adults. Show a blob of colors on a sheet of paper to an adult and ask them what they see, and chances are they’ll tell you it’s a blob of colors. Ask a kid and you’ll get all sorts of wild and whimsical answers. That’s what makes kids so freakin’ awesome. One such kid is fifth-grade graduate Casey. In a speech to his fellow graduates (presumably in the San Francisco Bay area), Casey—mighty Casey—decided to use the moment to declare himself an unapologetic Dodgers fan amid a sea of Giants lovers. Check out the video. It’s short—about a minute—but the lessons we can take from Casey’s “least favorite memory” are plenty: 1. Stand up for what you believe. Casey didn’t believe that he should capitulate to his Giants-loving classmates. Though it would have been easy to join the fray, Casey had the courage of his convictions that the Dodgers are much more worthy of his support. 2. Be true to yourself. Casey tells us, “True fans stand tall.” 3. It’s a fantastic feeling to go against the grain. There’s a class photo somewhere of Casey wearing Dodgers gear with everyone else in full Giants regalia. Nice. 4. Make ’em laugh. A fantastic punch to the end of a speech will leave your audience wanting more: “Oh, and one more thing: Go, Dodgers!” 5. Sometimes our least favorite memories can also be our favorites. Casey didn’t like watching the Giants win—that’s for sure—but with his speech he made the best of a bad situation. So next time you’re faced with a moral quandary, perhaps the question you should ask yourself is: What would Casey do?