About 20 years ago, Mike Vanderjagt, the placekicker for the Indianapolis Colts, was quoted criticizing the team’s star quarterback Peyton Manning and its coach Tony Dungy.
When asked about the situation, Manning famously said, “… we’re talking about our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off.”
I have no doubt our latest idiot kicker – Harrison Butker – was sober when, apparently seeing himself as representing all things Catholic, attacked the LGBTQ+ community, President Joe Biden, and even some of those in the hierarchy of his own church. But the kicker (no pun intended) was his delegation of all women to the role of homemaker and babymaker.
I do know his comments were sobering not just for their stupidity and that he got to make them at a college graduation ceremony, but that they are merely echoing the hate emanating from some corners of the Catholic Church.
What’s up with that, Catholics?
Butker is a very good kicker, and I’m sad to say he’s a member of my favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs. To be honest, I’m not sad about all the big kicks he’s made over the years. I’m sad because my team has a player with this perverted outlook on life and the role of women in our society. I’m sad my team now has it’s own idiot kicker.
Earlier this month, Butker spoke at the commencement ceremonies at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school with an enrollment of 2,100 located in Atchison, Kansas. He advocated for a more conservative brand of Catholicism, the New York Times reported.
In pontificating on the role of women, he said his wife has embraced “one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker.”
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he said.
“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 started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
Diabolical lies aside, I wouldn’t be surprised if Isabelle is a very nice person. I imagine she agrees with her husband’s various positions because I assume that’s part of the chemistry between them. And since she shares his views about women, you’d have to figure she isn’t interested in opposing her man’s stereotype of what a woman should do with her life.
So, I’ll do it.
What Butker is basically doing is telling women that their hopes, dreams, and goals don’t matter. He’s saying to half the population that no matter what your do, what you accomplish, how many lives you save or change or touch, job number one is being subservient to your husband and bearing his children.
In a sickening condescending manner, Butker told the woman graduates, in a way, that it’s nice that you want to become a doctor to fight the disease that killed your father, or a lawyer to defend the poor and oppressed, or even a congresswoman to push for policies for the greater good of the country.
Yeah, that’s all well and good, but the only thing that really matters is that you’re focused on keeping a good home and being ready when your husband feels like having sex with you because producing and raising kids is the only thing that really matters.
We need to breed more Catholics, and that doesn’t require you dreaming of accomplishing great things, or looking at women who have gone before you and striving to follow in their footstep, or being willing to work twice as hard as any man to get ahead.
Needless to say, Butker’s full of shit.
Look, the most important job a woman will ever have is that of being a mother, because of that little living thing depending on you. And if being a homemaker is your thing then go for it. But it’s not the only path that a woman can be proud of taking.
Not all women want to get married. Not all of them want children. Some want to focus on a career. A lot of them believe they can have a family and a career at the same time. Whatever they decide they shouldn’t be made to feel they’re somehow failing their Catholic faith if that’s their choice.
Let’s stop here for a moment and look at another topic Butker touched on in his manifesto on morality.
He denounced “people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.” Scary, but not true. No one is trying to turn heterosexual kids into homosexuals. That’s just a line of bullshit guys like Butker spew to try to get you to hate and fear homosexuals as much as they do.
Parents, counselors, even clergymen trying to help a young person find his or her identity in these challenging conditions that include clowns like Butker demonizing them and making laws to target them isn’t “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”
It’s called compassion, empathy, kindness, and understanding. I guess Butker couldn’t find those words in his Bible.
A story on the National Catholic Register website said Butker’s speech was well-received by some prominent Catholics.
Kansas City Bishop James Johnston, priest and author Father Donald Calloway, Bishop Joseph Strickland, Catholic League President Bill Donohue, Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life group Students for Life of America, even former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, were over the moon about Butker’s speech.
Actually, I’m glad these folks said what they believe. It just makes it easier see the Catholic Church for what it is. The propaganda – sorry, I mean story -- said Butker’s comments are “causing outrage among the left-leaning media and commentators.”
Left-leaning media and commentators. That’s’ a game these “Christians” play. They want you to hate the Left. To see them as your enemy. As ungodly creatures who’ll destroy the moral fabric of our society if you let them.
To be fair, I’m sure there are many Catholics who don’t agree with Butker’s interpretation of their faith. Here’s one example:
A group of nuns – The Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, who describe themselves as a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College – released a statement that said Butker’s comments don’t represent “the Catholic Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested,” according to a story on the Today Show website.
“Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”
I like these gals. The Catholic Church doesn’t allow women to be priests. I think that’s dumb, but I can see why the men who run it feel that way. You allow women to climb too far up the pecking order, and they’ll show up men so fast it’ll make your head spin. Yes, better to keep them subservient to the men who call the shots. Pathetic
One female graduate praised Butker for saying things that “people are scared to say.”
No, most people don’t say those things because they’re a pile homophobic, misogynistic, Republican-talking-points horseshit.
There’s a big picture aspect to this. Butker is just another prop in the Republican-driven culture wars waged to try to swing the Christian vote to their party, as well as convincing people who don’t benefit from their policies to vote for them.
When it comes to the GOP, the wealthy are motivated by greed, and the poor and middle class are turned on by hate and fear.
That’s the greatest danger presented by guys like Butker. They perpetrate the turmoil the Right needs in its quest for power.
Harrison Butker is a useful idiot (kicker) for the GOP. He’s entitled to his own opinions, and he has a right to talk about them, too. Still, if this guy is representative of the Catholic Church, then I want no part of it.
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