Graduation speakers and their commencement addresses are not always the stuff memories are made of.
Typically, when ceremonies end, graduates head off to celebrate their accomplishments with family and friends. After all, it’s their big day.
But the aftermath of graduation has been different for students who graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, on May 11.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s graduation address made immediate headlines, and it still is riding high in the news cycle.
Butker was critical of Jews, abortion rights, Pride Month, COVID-19 lockdowns and more. He also discouraged female graduates from embarking on professional careers and suggested they would be happier as homemakers.
His message about women and homemakers provided a good reason to reach back a few decades to find this week’s Sharp Notes Monday selection. “I’m Gonna Be An Enginneer” is a Peggy Seeger song about a woman who wants to be an engineer but is told — in no uncerain terms — that a career as a professional is not in the cards:
You only need to learn to be a lady
The duty isn’t yours for to try and run the world
An engineer could never have a baby
Remember, dear, that you’re a girl.
In some circles, the placekicker’s comments have resonated. His No. 7 Chiefs jersey has become one of the NFL’s topsellers. On the other hand, the league has distanced itself from Butker’s reamarks. Women’s and religious groups have denounced his remarks.
You can watch the video recording of Butker’s speech and make up your own mind about his remarks.
As part of our “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” music and social media project, we share a song every Monday to start your week.
View previous Sharp Notes Monday selections.
Categories: Jandoli Institute, Music and Social Justice, Sharp Notes Monday, Sharp Notes Sharp Thoughts
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