People drew a chilling resemblance betweenHarrison Butker, the kicker for the Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs, andThe Handmaid’s Tale’sCommander Waterford following his supercontroversialspeech, where he reduced women to motherhood along with other questionable remarks.
Taking the stage at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, the NFL athlete criticized US President Joe Biden for “delusionally” expressing pride in hisCatholic faithyet supporting “the murder of innocent babies” at pro-abortion rallies.
HighlightsHarrison Butker’s speech at Benedictine College drew comparisons to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ for controversial views on women.Butker criticized President Biden for supporting abortion, contrasting it with his own conservative Catholic beliefs.The speech, focusing largely on women’s roles as mothers and homemakers, sparked widespread criticism and backlash.
In his speech, which was relayed on theNational Catholic Register, Harrison, who’s made his conservative Catholic beliefs well known, addressed the “ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2024” before turning to “the ladies present.”
The 28-year-old sportsman told the female graduates: “You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives.”
Harrison Butker was compared toThe Handmaid’s Tale’sCommander Waterford
Image credits:Benedictine College
“I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, thewomen, 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 yourcareer?
“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.”
Harrison went on to acknowledge that his life’s trajectory changed when he met hiswife, Isabelle, a former basketball athlete who he described as his source of strength and support.
Thereligiousspeaker attributed his success to her dedication to their family and her role as a homemaker and primary educator to their children.
“I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will in their life,” Harrison added.
The Super Bowl champion kicker made a controversial speech where he reduced women to motherhood
Image credits:PlowOn
“Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, ‘Heck, no.’”
Harrisson then encouraged the male graduates to “be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.”
Clips of his speech quickly became viral on social media, with many people accusing him of being misogynistic and even labeling him “one of the most hated men in North America.”
But perhaps one of the most compelling criticisms against Harrison was the parallel people drew between him andThe Handmaid’s Tale’sCommander Waterford.
Image credits:IMDB/Hulu
Offred’s name signifies her position as belonging to Commander Fred Waterford, a high-ranking official in the authoritarian regime of Gilead.
The commander is portrayed as a complex and manipulative figure who wields significant power within the society. Moreover, he represents the hypocrisy and corruption inherent in the oppressive regime of Gilead.
“I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children,” Harrison said
Image credits:RABBITISH1
“Please keep Harrison Butker aka Fred Waterford quiet. Although we love the mansplaining we prefer he just stfu,” someone wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Another X user wrote: “No, Harrison Butker didn’t praise women or promote family values with his sexist bigoted speech, he told women that serving a man like a Handmaid is all they should aspire to do in life, this whilst attackingLGBTQ+ peoplein the process.
“What a small s*bag piece of st he is.”
A person commented: “This speech is straight out ofThe Handmaid’s Tale. Creepy AF.
“It is 2024 and the misogyny and homophobia is still evidently loud & proud. So disgusting.”
“If I hadn’t readThe Handmaid’s Tale, I would have thought that Harrison Butker’s commencement speech was a passage fromThe Handmaid’s Tale. But it’s not,” an observer noted.
An additional commentator penned: “Harrison Butker is the kind of guy who watchesThe Handmaid’s Taleand thinks ‘that June character is a real nuisance, but such a well-written villain.’”
In the dystopia, Offred’s real name is June Osbourne.
Commander Waterford is a high-ranking official in Gilead, where Handmaids bear children for the ruling class through mandated rapes
A separate individual chimed in: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Harrison Butker takes off this NFL season to star as a Gilead commander in season six ofThe Handmaid’s Tale.”
The backlash prompted a petition calling for the Kansas City Chiefs to kick Harrison off the team.
ive seen people saying that Butker’s speech sounds like something out of the Handmaid’s Tale, so as a fan of the sho, I had to edit it as such. fits perfectly tbhpic.twitter.com/iiEcI0UW2m
— mint (@Mintea111)May 15, 2024
“These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights, and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights.”
The petitioner went on to argue that the athlete perpetuated harmful stereotypes and hindered progress toward equality and inclusion.
He consequently demanded accountability, urging the Kansas City Chiefs management to take immediate action.
On Thursday (May 16), former First Lady of California Maria Shriver slammed the speech, joining a growing celebrity chorus of those who are standing up for women’s rights, including rapper Flavor Flav,Peoplereported.
“Handmaid’s Taleis coming, ladies,” a reader commented
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