These are some supercute photos of Ben Affleck accepting an honorary doctorate degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island over the weekend. (The same prestigious Ivy League school that Emma Watson may eventually graduate from.) We don’t have much of a story to go along with these, except for a little quip Ben made when he accepted his degree. According to PopSugar, the graduates in attendance were shouting “speech” and Ben joked “This is a spectacular honor for me. Not only for the education, but now I surpass Matt Damon.” Not in acting ability, but maybe as a director.
Ben did not have a bachelor’s degree prior to this, and neither did Matt. Ben dropped out of Occidental College in LA and the University of Vermont while Matt is a Harvard dropout. It only seems to be a matter of time before someone confers an honorary doctorate on Damon too. (I just saw “Behind the Candelabra” and am feeling a little competitive for Damon. He was amazing in that film.)
The other five honorary doctorate degrees given by Brown this year were to “author and MIT Professor Junot Diaz; retired Stanford University bacteriologist Stanley Falkow; Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan; medical doctor and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey; and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron.”
Anyway congratulations to Ben! He has his Oscar for Best Picture, and now he can add “Dr.” in front of his name too.
Photo credit: FameFlynet, Inc
Ugh, I hate honorary doctorates. Its minimizes the hard work and dedication it takes to actually get one. Now we will have to hear him introduced as Dr all the time.
Bre,
that is exactly what I was going to say. he did not earn it, did not pay for it(or still paying with creditors barking), and does not even have the respect to not look like a bum for it.
I never had an opinion before, but since I’m about 1/8 of the way through my degree; I’m irrationally angry about the whole thing!
Especially when I look at some of my lecturers who have doctorates, he’s not in the same league as them!
Bah. I’m nearly done with my masters and it was blood sweat and tears all the way through. He gets a Dr in front of his name for what? Ridiculous, I’m glad my country doesn’t do this.
I mostly agree on this. I don’t mind honorary degrees for candidates who have truly earned them – just look at the other people on that list. They are all amazingly accomplished in their fields and already have advanced degrees. Ben doesn’t even have a bachelor’s!
Geez. That really pisses me off. The celebrity culture really is getting to be too much.
It’s all in fun more than anything. No one with half a brain would believe it’s anything other than that. It’s pretty obvious that an “honorary doctorate” doesn’t mean you worked for it. He was obviously thrilled to be asked. Cut the guy some slack.
Er, it’s not really “in fun.” Just check out the other candidates on that list. It is a real honor to receive an honorary doctorate. Most people only get them after years of work and significant contributions.
I’m convinced institutions give out these degrees to celebs because they want them to be “alumni” and make big donations.
It would’ve been more justified had he actually contributed something useful to society. Directing and acting in a bunch of films isn’t life-changing no matter if the films are Oscar winners or not.
It’s even more absurd because he’s too young to be even given such an award.
Omg it’s not real and everyone knows it, it’s a nice honor that he obviously took very seriously. No one in the world views an honorary doctorate and a real one as the same.
Ben was honored and whether people agree or not arts make a major contribution to society. To me he seemed humbled and touched and that he understands what a real doctorate or even a bachelor degree means.
I agree with you Debbie….I’m sure he will be making a monetary contribution to Brown. He’s done charity work, he’s raising awareness about Congo, and contrary to popular belief getting to his critical status in acting/directing takes blood, sweat, and tears. If he was the ONLY one to receive I can see what the big deal was about. He’s not using that degree anyone to advance his career…if one is one has to work for it. That’s just my humble opinion.
He’s involved with 23 charities as well as founding the East Congo Initiative. The University was impressed enough to give him the degree and that’s all that matters, not uninformed people shooting their mouths off with nothing to back them up.
People who act like Ben Affleck’s honor diminishes their own accomplishments in anyway reminds me of people who act as if gay marriage is going to “ruin” marriage for hetero couples.
His honor does not impact anyone else’s accomplishments in anyway! You weren’t competing with Affleck for a job before, you aren’t going to now! If you tell people you have a PhD, they aren’t going to ask if you got an honorary one that you didnt have to work for like Ben Affleck.
Stop being so paranoid and navel gazing, people!
+1000
You know, that institutions want to give these out cheapens their diplomas but it’s their porblem what BAFFLES me is that people will ACCEPT these! I’d be embarrased to be collecting something I hvaen’t earned especially publicly. It says even more about the person receiving it. Truth is Ben Affleck is a really great director/story teller, an average actor but beyond all a total douche (doesn’t take away from his stellar directing-lol)
Surely you can’t call yourself Dr if you received an Honorary Doctorate?
Technically, one could. But usually people don’t. And it’s recommended that honorary degrees be listed under awards and not the academic section in a cv or resume.
Maybe its a skew in coverage, but what abotu all the others who work hard for causes and/or who have education prior to a doctorate— do they get the attention and recognition they have earned, and not just the rich and famous? Or does their wealth and ability to garner recognition for causes and topics, play a bigger role (ie, before and after getting honored– their work is better ‘seen’ than the average educated laymans’, and their honor will be better effective in their later publicized work)? maybe another factor is free time- they have careers, but arent necessarily stuck in 9-5 like most hard working people and have more freedom in their choices and endeavors—- …I’m just thinking to myself, ‘how is this possible’ considering all the other qualified people out there too. Or are they just not shown because no one knows them…
Uhmmmm what’s that bottle under his chair?
That’s a freakin water bottle. You can see two of them on a table in the first picture. Stop trying to start something.
Lols!!! So sensitive!!!
I don’t understand this honorary doctorate crap. Is it IN something specifically? This is bogus to me.
this is such a stupid practice. you know, if Emma quits and just waits long enough she’ll get a doctorate as well without any hard work.
1. He’s looking older. Lose the salt and pepper scruff (tho in itself it’s not that bad) and the double chin and he’d be back to his old self.
2. The header pic, where he looks really jazzed, is kinda cute.
3. I still feel like he’s taking it a bit lightly- even if it’s funny- to say that now he’s got one up on Matt Damon- I’m with everyone else who finds it fairly lame that money and hollywood
celebrity can now confer academic glory as well… shite, is nothing sacred?
Some people had/ have to work hard to have them. If you could just stop give them away for free, that’d be great.
/end of rant
nowhere near worthy of the company he was in.
ugh
I agree.
What did he do? What a doofus
As someone who left school two years in, I feel some kind of way as well, at least if it’s somone who didn’t at least finish their BA. I don’t think it diminishes a student’s hard work (the economy has done more than its share reporting that a BA is the new Highschool diploma). I think at most, these Honorary degrees are based on “life experience”, which I wonder, would some make the same argument for college credit given for life expereince as a means of waiving requirements/pre-requisets (sp) and giving someone a boost over another student who doesn’t have the same experience?
So let me get this straight; Ben Affleck attended Scout Willis’ college graduation, but her own mother didn’t?
Haha ok that was funny and sad all at the same time.
Demi was prohibited from going. The girls didn’t want her there due to how she had been acting, if my memory serves me.
Can someone please explain this me??? I am working on my PhD and I don’t understand how someone can just get an “honorary doctorate”? And trust me, I do a lot for society. I may not be an actor, but this is ridiculous!
Makes me feel great about the 5 years I’ve dedicated to and countless sacrifices I’ve had to make so far to getting my PhD.
i am SO angry, i am working on my doctorate and it is SO much work …and this guy gets it despite being an undergraduate drop out, with no Masters degree and no hard work, and now he gets to call himself Dr.Affleck
People with honorary doctorates should not be able to use the title “Dr.” in front of their names because they didn’t actually earn the degree, imo.
Agreed.
He dosn´t even look humble or grateful in the pictures. He just looks like a stupid fratboy saying “YEAHHHH” in those pictures. I was pretty indeifferent to him, now I just hold him in contempt because he holds a degree without credible proof of the hard work that went into it
the look of a kick in the face, how I loathe thee.
Honorary degrees don’t mean much. Really. General Petraeus spoke at my college’s commencement ceremony last year (I graduated in 2010 so not my ceremony). My college (Dickinson College) gave him an honorary degree. Six months later, everything hit the fan when the affair with his biographer was revealed. My college is doing just fine and has not been hurt by the scandal or by giving the guy an honorary degree.
Everybody lighten up!
It’s, um, HONORARY.
Meanwhile, Dr. Affleck is truly a class act.
If you have an honorary degree, it doesn’t allow you to practice in a specific field or take a job requiring a doctorate. It’s simply an honor bestowed upon someone by a university. I don’t feel that it in any way cheapens anyone else’s degree.
I agree 100%.
I earned a legitimate doctorate, and honorary degrees anger me. I see from this thread I am not alone.
Can I get an Honorary Oscar, please?
This! I haven’t finished my PhD in genetics yet, but I would like to receive an honorary Oscar! 🙂
All the best to you, Miss M. My doctorate is in English, and it took me a looooong time to finish.
Having people call you “Dr.” is pretty great. It *almost* makes the whole miserable ordeal worth it (for me). I’m sure your degree will be very well worth it!
They do have those, they are called the Academy Honorary Award.
we are supposed to celebrate that this lug head dufus got a degree he did not earn?