Anyone who hasn’t heard of motivational speaker Eric Thomas is missing out on a pleasurable ride. He’ll hand your butt to you, and you’ll still thank him for the trouble. Thomas stopped by a St. Louis high school in February and was very displeased to be interrupted. He stopped his planned speech and went rogue, and that’s when this video gets real. Thomas lectured — in the most charismatic way — these students when they dropped some attitude, and he was brutally honest. This particular high school has some sobering statistics already. For instance, around 70% of these kids don’t read at grade level.
Thomas knew that he had a chance to actually make an impression on these kids, so he did not overlook their disrespect. They didn’t pay enough attention to his story of being a dropout and fighting his way back from homelessness to end up a success. Thomas rakes in anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 for regular paid appearances, but this high school visit was for free. He wanted these kids to realize this could be their last chance to have an adult care as much as he did, for no reason at all. This happened:
“When people love you, you don’t do them like dirt. When people care for you, don’t disrespect them. You ain’t got but a few people who care about you in this world. Didn’t you hear what I just said? If you’re in the wrong place, you’re going to get shot and killed. No one is going to jail for it. You got the nerve to act the fool when somebody cares about you? You’re talking when I’m talking … The only kids that disrespect me are black kids.
“That’s it, my own, are the only ones who disrespect me. I work in any other school and they’re taking notes. I come home, you’re talking. You’re capping jokes. You think something is funny. Look how we’re living. Ain’t nothing funny. Ain’t nothing funny y’all. I’m embarrassed. You want to know why? What they don’t know is that you’re not even trying when you take a test. You didn’t give your best. They think you’re dumb. You ain’t dumb. We survived slavery, and you can’t pass a test? Come on!”
Thomas went on for quite some time, and these kids began to listen reeeally quick like. They didn’t stop, and one would bet Thomas’ words never left their minds. Now, I’m not one for motivational speakers on a regular basis, but this guy is so catchy that his voice carries. One of his better known clips, “Overcoming Obstacles,” should be cheesy as hell with all the cinematic overtures, but Thomas makes it work, even with 300 and G.I. Jane imagery at the ready.
(Via Fox2Now in St Louis and BroBible)