A Graduation Address - A Shot Fired In The Culture War

Once again it rears its ugly head. There isn’t a day that goes by but we must deal with another battle in the culture war. It’s us against them, Right vs. Left, in what seems a never-ending arduous slog. Yes, we are a divided nation, ideologically, politically, religiously, and socially, and to borrow from biblical history, these are the Four Horsemen of the Culture War. And without being too overly dramatic, if we as a nation cannot find peace, then we may face an apocalypse.

Recently another conflict emerged, which epitomizes the stark difference in the way people of various groups react to opinionated dialogue. It clearly makes manifest the Right’s respect and acceptance for the conservative traditional values and institutions they hold as sacred, especially the family and religious observance. The Left, however, reveals once again its secular, modernist, and godless mores that are antithetical to those of the Right.

This is how it all began. In a commencement address, Harrison Butker, a winning placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs football team, appeared at Benedictine College, a Catholic institution. Butker is a true believer and devout pro-life Catholic who worships at the Latin Tridentine mass. His address to the female graduates exemplified his beliefs in the Judeo-Christian ethic, traditional marriage, family, religious values, and above all motherhood.

Butker spoke out against the sinfulness of LGBTQ and June Pride month, and how male masculinity was threatened and emasculated by cultural depravity. He also mentioned how President Biden’s practice of his faith is incompatible with Catholic tenets, and was disturbed by Biden’s making the sign of the cross at a pro-abortion Planned Parenthood event.

These are Harrison Butker’s words in his address that created all the hoopla. 

"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”

The message to the graduates was they might find their true calling in the home as a wife and mother, and not necessarily in the business world and boardroom.

There was hysteria and virtue signaling, and the repercussions and backlash following the address were intense. In newsprint, talk radio, cable and network news outlets, and especially on social media - there was fire - Harrison Butker was vilified and condemned. The successful 28-year-old American had to bear the brunt of the slings and arrows of the self-righteous outrage of the Left’s anti-God and anti-family elites. He was accused of being a misogynist, homophobe, racist - you name it, he was it. Democrats, the media, academia, big business, Hollywood, feminists, and even some members of the clergy, were aggrieved and beside themselves. 

The National Football League (NFL) distanced itself from the star kicker; their spokesman stated “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.” This is the same organization that is usually rather laidback, and even neutral when it comes to certain of their players that engage in criminal activity, like sexual abuse, domestic violence, driving under the influence, child abuse, gambling, etc.

So vociferous was the outcry, you would have thought Harrison Butker was the devil himself, speaking words to entice the innocent into lives of sinfulness. Any reasonable, commonsense individual who was secure in his or her beliefs would have approached the speech with an open mind and either agreed or disagreed. 

The social media X account of Kansas City “Doxxed” Harrison Butker, “just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in”.... and then provided his home address. For those unfamiliar with the term Doxxing; it is used to punish or seek revenge on an individual by making private, personal information available to the public, possibly endangering the one being Doxxed.

This nefarious attempt to punish Harrison Butker was quickly denounced on social media, which led to Kansas City apologizing for the original tweet on X. However, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was not satisfied and issued a statement condemning the Kansas City government. He accused it of punishing Butker for his deeply held Christian religious beliefs, and added, “Stay tuned.” This could indicate Mr. Bailey may take further legal action. Good!

Whatever your opinion, Harrison Butker delivered an inspiring and faith-filled commencement address to the graduates, whereas President Biden appeared at Morehouse College. His address to the all-male graduates of the storied black institution was not meant to inspire. He did not express how they should face the future with optimism and hope, and persevere in the face of adversity. 

Mr. Biden spoke with anger about systemic racism and white supremacy with words like “It’s natural to wonder if democracy actually works for you.” He was divisive and condescending, and ranted about how black Americans “Have to be 10 times better than anyone else to get a fair shot.” He went on and on and on, making a number of mistakes that the White House had to correct.

The entirety of Mr. Biden’s address had not an iota of positivity. I would venture to guess that many in the assemblage, graduates and parents, will look back on this special day in their lives, and want to forget it.