A friend of mine once asked me, "Does anyone have anything bad to say about Dolly Parton?" The answer always seemed to be "no," until recently. On Friday, UT awarded Dolly Parton an honorary doctorate of humane and musical letters. Opinions I've encountered on this matter are in disunity. There are those who believe "9 to 5"/dealing with Porter Wagoner/the Thunder Express/her boobs/etc. alone should have qualified her for the honor years ago, and then there are those who seem to feel this turn of events is some kind of sham. While my feelings lie somewhere between these points of view, I have to say I'm shocked that anyone would attempt to sully such a clearly positive, constructive event. Luckily, the bitchy camp are quiet and few.
It has been difficult to tell what the handful of naysayers are actually complaining about. Perhaps they are concerned that Dolly is going to, by placing "Honorary Doctorate" on a resume or application, land a job she is under-trained for? I would wager that most people are aware of what these degrees signify -- an award to a public figure, a way of lauding a person's specialized beneficence and significance. Or are they perhaps confusing a doctorate with an actual degree in medicine, afraid that Parton is now laboring under the delusion that she is qualified to perform surgeries in a willy-nilly spree across the state? Do keep up, y'all.
Negative gurgles that the honorary degree was given "for no reason" or "for nothing" I have found particularly nauseating. Arguments about the relative difficulty of graduating from UT aside, I will say that I find Dolly more than qualified for an honorary degree in the stated disciplines of music and humanitarianism. It would be ludricrous to list Parton's achievements here, as everyone within shouting distance of Sevier County is aware of her charitable work, and the world is familiar with (what I deem, anyway) one of the most uniquely beautiful singing voices in country music. I will just mention that the woman has registered six hundred songs with BMI. Six hundred! Note: I'm not implying that Dolly is to be canonized, worshipped or otherwise considered inhuman -- she's just a truly good person who has done much to improve the place she lives in, not to mention a badass at music and hilarious. Can't we just keep it a touch positive up in this?
Negative gurgles that the honorary degree was given "for no reason" or "for nothing" I have found particularly nauseating. Arguments about the relative difficulty of graduating from UT aside, I will say that I find Dolly more than qualified for an honorary degree in the stated disciplines of music and humanitarianism. It would be ludricrous to list Parton's achievements here, as everyone within shouting distance of Sevier County is aware of her charitable work, and the world is familiar with (what I deem, anyway) one of the most uniquely beautiful singing voices in country music. I will just mention that the woman has registered six hundred songs with BMI. Six hundred! Note: I'm not implying that Dolly is to be canonized, worshipped or otherwise considered inhuman -- she's just a truly good person who has done much to improve the place she lives in, not to mention a badass at music and hilarious. Can't we just keep it a touch positive up in this?
Here is a clip of Dr. Dolly receiving her degree:
(I died over this video, by the way. "Get it?! Double D?!" It is a delight to me that there are still people that still say "get it?!" in earnest after telling a joke. I also appreciate that she pronounces "regret" in such a way that it rhymes with "cigarette.)
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