Culture War
Many from both the right and the left bemoan the state of the American culture today. Whether it is the lack of positive images in TV, movies, music, politicians, sports figures, police in schools and more, freedom and morality are discussed as being in conflict with each other. Benjamin Franklin once wrote on the subject: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need for masters." This should ring true to you today as we debate not only our eroding culture, but the role of government in our lives. Are culture and the need for more government control more connected than we realize?
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Cultural Marxism

5/22/24
from The Gray Area:
5/22/24:
I have ignored this Harrison Butker 'controversy' for a while as the media & political elite responses are so predictable and laughable as to not warrant any comment. But, I saw a couple of things today that made me want to, at last, document the laughable and predictable points.

Following are articles of left-wing media reactions to the Harrison Butker commencement speech last week.

CBS roped Butker into their “Talk of the Table” segment with fill-in featured co-host Nancy Chen claiming Butker “seemed to dismiss women with career goals.” Oof. We’re already off to a bad start. Butker said, in fact, nothing of the sort of instead argued many of the female graduates would come to see motherhood and marriage as their greatest accomplishment. Co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King and co-host Nate Burleson went first, opining Butker shouldn’t lose his job. “I think everybody has the right to be wrong or hold opinions that others feel are wrong, but he has a right to say what he believes. But it is — it is — was very antiquated thinking, I think, in 2024. But a lot of people — a lot of people feel the way he does. The fact that he got a standing ovation, I think, says a lot,” King added. Co-host Tony Dokoupil made the necessary and obvious point: A Catholic guy at a Catholic college expressing deeply Catholic views...free speech...free religion, free assembly. I mean, when — inclusion in America includes that kind of American as well. And no one speaks up for the traditional family in public life that often...It’s a voice we had not heard in that way. Burleson weighed in again: “[F]ree speech also applies to the criticism that he’s facing because you’re speaking on that platform...[O]ver the 11 years I spent in the NFL, we h and inclusive organizations. And I would hope that the views of athletes represent what I felt in the ave had diverse locker room which we were accepting of everybody.” Burleson and company closed by proving they hadn’t read, watched, or understood the speech. MSNBC’s Alex Wagner continued the media tradition of spreading fake news about what exactly Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker told a Catholic college during a recent commencement address. Wagner falsely reported that Butker told the women graduates “their rightful place was in service to men” as her guest, law Prof. Leah Lithman, urged viewers to vote against GOP “misogyny.” What makes Wagner’s falsehoods even worse is that she previously played the clip of Butker saying that while some of them may get fancy jobs and promotions, he ventured to guess they were mostly looking forward to the families they would raise. That someone would value their family more than their job is not exactly a radical position. CNN host and self-appointed guardian of truth Jim Acosta welcomed sports reporter Rachel Nichols to Friday’s CNN Newsroom for a factually-challenged segment about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address to Benedictine College, where he declared that female graduates may get more satisfaction from their family lives than their careers. For Acosta, it was obvious Butker is benefiting from a double standard that the ostracized Colin Kaepernick is not. Acosta rambled, “Well, and is there a double standard here? I mean Colin Kaepernick. I mean, he takes a knee to protest police brutality and gets banned from the NFL, can't get a job in the NFL. Harrison Butker gives this speech, goes wide right so to speak and the NFL says, 'well, you know he was on his day off when he gave this speech, no big deal.' I'm sorry, what?” First, Kaepernick didn’t just “protest police brutality.” He went to Miami, of all places, and praised Fidel Castro and compared getting paid millions of dollars for a voluntary job to slavery. Second, the NFL went out of its way to appease him. You can’t watch an NFL game today without seeing something like “It takes all of us” or “end racism” on the back of the end zones. Finally, Kaepernick began his refusal to stand for the national anthem in August 2016, but he was benched for poor play the previous season and later that same season. NBC Ups Anti-Family Hate for ‘Controversial’, ‘Firebrand’ Butker Speech ...on NBC, Today co-host Savannah Guthrie reveled in tease over the “new outrage” and “uproar grow[ing] over that controversial graduation speech” with “[w]omen inside the NFL now weighing in.” Guthrie had a second tease and doubled down by calling Butker’s speech about God and parenthood — something Guthrie has written and spoken about extensively — a “firestorm”. Co-host Craig Melvin, a Christ follower who recently released a children’s book in part about parenthood, began the segment by touting the “new fallout surrounding that controversial commencement speech by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.” Correspondent Liz Kreutz had the report and immediately (and falsely) labeled Butker’s pro-family, pro-God remarks a “firebrand speech” triggering “growing backlash” for“encouraging women to become what he says is one of the most important roles, homemaker.” Kreutz conceded the wife of the current Chiefs owner voiced support for Butker by saying his remarks weren’t “bigoted”, but pushed her aside in favor of TikTok videos ABC reporter Karen Travers used her round of Q&A during Thursday’s White House press briefing to invite a willing accomplice in Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to join the liberal media mob against Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for his alleged crime of giving a pro-family, pro-life, pro-parenting commencement address at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. “I want to ask you about the topic that's getting a lot of attention,” Travers began, adding Butker’s “facing criticism for his recent commencement address where he told female graduates that the most important title a woman can hold is homemaker.” Fact-check: Pants on fire. Butker did not, in fact, say that. Here’s a transcript of his full speech, but here’s a key line: “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.” Travers’s softball wasn’t done: “He was critical about surrogacy, IVF, and Pride Month, and he also criticized the President for being a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Has the President seen those comments? Does he have a reaction to that?” Jean-Pierre pivoted to implicitly torching Butker and argued Biden won’t “back away from supporting women and reproductive rights, reproductive health care” because “it is important to fight for all of our freedoms”. Jean-Pierre’s rant dragged on, tying Butker to “extreme Republican”. And then you have extreme Republicans that continue to talk about — to talk about how they want to put national abortion ban. It's causing chaos. It's causing chaos for women. It’s causing chaos for families. When you're saying that a family can't make a decision on IVF, that's not what this President is about. He wants to make sure that women have the ...

Remember what Butker actually said: 

“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,” he said. “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 her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man that 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.” ...it’s a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it,” and specifically pointed to Biden’s “delusional” stance on abortion. “He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice”. “He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns, to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common — they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it.” His use of the word 'homemaker' as a vocation. His description of how 'it has benefited his (a man's) career' to have his wife at home, are trigger phrases for the radical left. They do not indicate anything other than their are other admirable choices that women have always had, and some people want to eliminate. Isn't a 'woman's choice' a good thing?

Right wing media predictably supported Butker's speech and the free speech rights he has in this country to state his views.

More From Outkick: More From TMZ (a left wing news source): More From The Christian Post: More From Fox Sports: More From NewsMax: More From NewsMax: As noted by MRCTV’s Tierin-Rose Mandelburg who appeared on One America News Network’s 'In Focus' with Alison Steinberg , Butker never said women couldn't have successful careers; he simply noted, with which most normal women would agree, that most women desire marriage, tradition, and starting a family. Butker also never said it was one or the other - but remember, the left thinks anything that has the slightest bit of Jesus or tradition rooted in it needs to be shut down. Two ladies, or “feminist hags” as Mandelburg called them, insisted that what Butker said was “disrespectful” to women. “I hope that he is canceled to hell and back and I feel so sorry that his wife has to sleep with him,” one of the old ladies on the “I’ve Had It Podcast” exclaimed. Both Mandelburg and Steinberg agreed that the take against Butker was “truly laughable," noting that it was insane for women to bash a man praising a woman for literally growing and birthing life. Mandelburg said that the “feminist hags" are professional victims who spend their lives doing nothing more than virtue signaling and complaining, and their complaints against Butker are rooted in jealousy. Funnily enough, as Steinberg noted, the NFL sold out of Butker's women’s jerseys shortly following his speech. All of this HATE is very telling to anyone paying close attention. Probably the best example of all this, is this quote from Change.org: The harmful remarks made by Harrison Butker,... were unacceptable. His comments were sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti- abortion and racist. These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights. These comments re-inforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress. They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. We demand accountability from our sports figures who should be role models promoting respect for all people regardless of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation. We call upon the Kansas City Chiefs management to dismiss Harrison Butker immediately for his inappropriate conduct. Lets examine this as a whole, but first, specifically.
  • Specific statements bolded above for context: - harmful - what is harmful?  Who is it harmful to? Maybe, the 'as a whole' summary below explains this. - unacceptable - why is it 'unacceptable' to discuss option with women? Again, maybe, the 'as a whole' summary below explains this, too. - sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti- abortion and racist - Well, he was certainly anti-abortion. And was less than supportive of the left's 'gender ideology' agenda. Is it wrong to have a different opinion in America anymore?  He did focus on women, but focusing on women is not sexist.  But, he did use that trigger phrase, 'homemaker'.  So this part of his speech was 'unacceptable' to the political left's agenda.  That doesn't make it unacceptable for everyone.  And, it doesn't make those who hold such opinions extremist.

- dehumanizing - in what way?  Because a 'homemaker' choice and bringing up children is dehumanizing? - attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination - again, political agenda oriented criticism, not values based. - perpetuate division and undermine human rights. - does anyone think realistically, that women making a home with children is 'divisive' or undermines 'human rights'? This is a unifying principle in this country and always has been. Those who dislike marriage and family find it offensive, divisive and dehumanizing.  It would appear these are the extremists. - reinforce harmful stereotypes - Mothers and the family are not harmful stereotypes, except to the leftist agenda. - toxic environment -Why is wife, motherhood, and family a toxic environment? Helps explain why the left went so viciously after Sen. Katie Britt, who gave the GOP rebuttal to Biden's SOTU from her kitchen. They do not respect any of these values. Curious, Marxism says you must destroy, wife, motherhood and family. - equality, diversity and inclusion. Why did they change 'equity' in DEI to 'equality'? Is it that everyone understand the difference now? - should be role models. So, this family values position is not a role model? Got it, those who destroy families are role models. (unless they are LGBTQ+ families I guess) Talk about exclusion!

  • As a whole. What does this message say? 'Threaten social progress', 'hinders our collective', 'we demand accountability', 'dismiss Harrison Butker immediately for his inappropriate conduct.'  Wow. The authoritarian elite have spoken. The issue is not what Harrison Butker said. The issue is that the social progress (meaning revolution) must not be impeded. And, if you don't follow the political narratives, you are exhibiting inappropriate conduct, and will be punished.
Does that sound like America, where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are cornerstone principles? No. It sounds like every dictatorship you can find throughout history. It is interesting to note that ABCNews, and others, think we need to have the President of the United States 'react' to an individual citizen's personal views. That is the point here. They are outraged because they believe it is necessary for everyone in the country to fall in line with preferred thought, speech and narratives. If not, the political hierarchy, the President of the United States, will come down on you. Do you see what that represents? This is the authoritarianism the left says they fear. This is an 'opposite 'narrative. The authoritarianism comes from their own ideology. This is not conspiracy. It is fact. More From MRC:


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