A certain John Waters, also known as the Pope of Trash, is in the news. I have never heard of him, but he appears to be quite famous in the world of movies. According to the World Wide Web, a few of his trashy gems from the Seventies and Eighties are classics by now. Born only five days after me, albeit in the States, he is my generation for true. He just gave the commencement speech at Rhode Island School of Design, where my No. 1 son spent some time while at Brown in the Nineties, and thus his daredevil advice to the graduates attracted my attention. And here are all the headings from his speech, all of which are instructions for a life worth living according to him: do not get a real job, do not be afraid of failure, stay culturally aware, do not toe the line, subvert from within, make them laugh, scorn trigger warnings, redefine the concept of wealth, be patient with your children, and count your blessings. Fair enough. I was especially attracted to his instruction about subversion, but it disappointed me on closer reading. “Refuse to isolate yourself,” he warned, for instance. “Separatism is for losers.” What does this have to do with subversion, though? But the Pope of Trash still struck me as subversive enough, and especially in the commencement context. And his admonishment about laughter is well worth remembering: “Nobody likes a bore on a soapbox.” How very true.