Shit kicker

There might have been a path to redemption for placekicker Harrison Butker when he addressed the graduating class of Benedictine College in Kansas last week and told them to focus on their vocations whatever they may be. 

But he missed the mark with the words he selected specifically for the “ladies.”

The only ones applauding are rooting for chauvinism in an age when women are finally starting to see their representation reach some semblance of parity in the fields they pursue. 

There is no defending where his words trespassed after he singled out 51 percent of the graduates and told them they had been lied to … and explained with a back-handed compliment that all of their accomplishments up to this point would pale in comparison to what would come next: his advice that instead of seeking promotions and titles, they should “lean in” to their vocations as wives, mothers, and homemakers.

And as much as my flesh crawled as his words wormed their way through the commencement hall into the news cycle, I wished I could buck liberal leanings instilled in me by Catholic parents: God gave us life and the free will to live it.

And while I believe my father might have told this cad to kick rocks, it is painful to see so many young faces smile and fill the place with such raucous applause. Compelling Butker to pause his insult so that he might bask in its cacophony.

As the rebuke reverberated over the wider web of witnesses it showed the true weakness of a man who has not evolved.

Had I been a member of the commencement steering committee, I would have insisted they turn the vehicle around.

I find it odd that in his speech Butker cribbed from Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 book, Lean In.” He probably thinks it a clever twist to use a feminist slogan to imbue his trad-wife anthem. 

Though I suppose it somewhat ironic that Sandberg faced a similar (if not more nuanced) backlash for telling women all they had to do was work harder to succeed in business.

Sandberg’s detractors were quick to point out that the system, which was designed for men, was not so ready to yield to women. Butker’s will be told they belittle mothers. 

To be sure, freely made choices are intrinsic to the joys we seek in life. That Butker should acknowledge his wife’s sacrifice for their family might have bordered on laudable had he also mentioned his mother’s contributions to humanity.

In addition to raising a “good Catholic boy,” Elizabeth Keller Butker is also a clinical medical physicist specializing in radiation oncology at Emory University in Atlanta.

Or better yet, maybe the folks at Benedictine should have invited her to be their speaker. 

 Is she not also doing the work God intended?

It is a shame and a missed opportunity that they didn't value their women graduates enough to be embarrassed by their choice of such an offish homily. They've diminished their worth and credibility by allowing any of their graduates to be denigrated.