The Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker delivered a commencement speech discussing “family values” like the traditional roles of men and women at Benedictine College, which led to a significant surge in his jersey sales.
Criticism and Praise
Throughout the speech, Butker criticized Pride month, working women, abortion rights activists, and more, which has now received a great deal of both criticism and praise.
Past Travis Kelce
After the speech, Butker’s jersey sales were only surpassed by Travis Kelce, who hasn’t recently risen past NFL stardom thanks to his ongoing relationship with Taylor Swift.
Passing the Quarterback
After their latest Superbowl win, Butker’s sales surpassed those of Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City quarterback and one of the most famous players in the NFL.
Selling out the Jersey
One Rally House store manager, Aaron Lewis, told the Guardian that he completely sold out of the Jersey shortly after the speech.
Traditional Values
The main idea Butker pushed toward the graduating class from his 20 minute speech was for the graduates to stand up against ideologies he disagreed with and emphasized the need for more traditional family values.
A Different Generation
“We need a different generation of kids that are willing to say no that’s not right, there is such a thing as right and wrong, I’m not going to in for all of this lefty garbage and I just thought that his calls for folks to stand up and be bold was great.”
Speaking to the Women
However, Butker’s controversial messages didn’t end there. He also had some less-than-modern views to share with the women in the graduating class.
The Most Important Title
Looking out into the crowd of well-educated women ready to join the workforce, Butker said, “Homemaker should be the most important title [women] hold.”
Lied to the Most
Butker began by congratulating the young women for what they accomplished and then told them, “…I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”
Most Excited
Butker then went on to say, “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.”
Traditional Men’s Values
When addressing the male graduates he urged them to embrace traditional masculinity, become more active in their families lives, and fight cultural emasculation.
Men’s Role in Society
Butker sold his point by explaining, “Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities.”
A Societal Disorder
Butker also took some time to criticize various aspects of the political landscape, targeting various modern policies and cultural trends that he likened to a societal disorder.
Pervasiveness of Disorder
“The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.”
Backlash From Institutions
As you can imagine, the backlash towards Butker from institutions after his speech was even swifter than the rise in jersey sales.
A Clear Miss
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) condemned his speech as “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people, and women.”
Reflecting the Values of the School
The School’s local paper, the Benedictine Sisters of Mount Saint Scholastica, issued a statement disavowing Butker’s comments and emphasized that they did not reflect the values of Benedictine College.
What the Founders Envisioned
“The sisters … do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments … represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested.”
Fostered Division
The conclusion of their statement said, “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”
The post Harrison Butker’s Anti-Abortion, Anti-LGBTQ Speech Causes Uproar and Skyrockets Jersey Sales first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
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