Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Delivers Commencement Address at Benedictine University.
In a recent event at Benedictine University in Kansas, Harrison Butker, the devout Catholic placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, delivered a commencement address to the university’s graduating class. As a Catholic addressing a Catholic institution, many of his remarks were intended for a predominantly Catholic audience, such as his expressed preference for the traditional Latin Mass.
However, some points Butker made had broader applicability and sparked controversy. His reference to the “tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion” led to significant backlash, with the NFL distancing itself from the player’s comments. Jonathan Beane, NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, stated that “the NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.
It should be noted that (a) the NFL is not a Catholic organization, and (b) the league has had its share of players facing legal issues, such as those convicted of various crimes like wire fraud, forgery, money laundering, counterfeiting, tax evasion, drug trafficking, driving while intoxicated, burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape, manslaughter, and murder. Considering this context, it may be worth questioning the appropriateness of criticizing a player who advocates for men to be God-fearing, responsible husbands, and fathers.
This incident provides an opportunity to examine how the terms “diversity” and “inclusion,” as well as other contemporary buzzwords like “choice,” can lose their meaning without proper context. For example, in Europe, the arrival of large numbers of migrants from cultures where women’s rights are not respected has led to a surge in violent crime rates, particularly sexual assault. Similarly, the Biden administration has encouraged migration to the United States despite concerns about drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other crimes committed by some illegal immigrants.
The qualities that have made the United States a peaceful and prosperous nation—initiative, industry, self-reliance, honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, respect for others, property, and the rule of law, as well as the protection of families and children—have been experienced by people from nearly every race, ethnicity, and culture on Earth.
Yet, those controlling today’s cultural narrative are pushing for a more fluid understanding of values, with “virtue” being dismissed as outdated. In its place, we now have empty platitudes like “diversity,” “inclusion,” and “compassion,” which are used as accusations whenever anyone points out the negative consequences of certain choices or cultural attitudes that run counter to human flourishing.
On the contrary, we can see the results when we abandon these principles: discord, violence, societal breakdown. Chaos.