Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win
But for all the media focus on Butker’s regressive attitudes toward women, one particularly disturbing aspect of his speech has flown under the radar—his comments related to antisemitism and Catholic theology. And at a time of rising anti-Jewish hatred from all sides of the political spectrum, it merits greater attention than it has received.
In his commencement address, Butker said, “Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.” (For those of you not familiar with age-old antisemitic tropes, the “who” in this sentence is almost certainly the “Jews.”)
More specifically, Butker is referring to the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which was passed this month in the House, but not the Senate, and isn’t law. Contrary to Butker’s description, the bill does not include criminal sanctions and only applies to educational institutions that receive federal funding. In a nutshell, the bill provides guidance to the Department of Education in determining whether certain speech on college campuses is antisemitic.
But what is most bizarre and disturbing about Butker’s comment is the idea that he believes needs to be defended from Congress: namely, the right of Catholics to suggest that the Jews killed Jesus.
Putting aside the fact that Butker would still be allowed to make this toxic antisemitic argument—why would he want to?
The false assertion that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus is a long-standing and deadly accusation that has spurred hatred and violence against Jewish communities for centuries.
To be sure, Butker is not alone in making false allegations about the legislation. Disgraced former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said it would, in effect, ban the New Testament. A handful of Republican lawmakers who voted against the bill cited the potential restriction on biblical speech. According to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), it "could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews."
news.yahoo.com
In his commencement address, Butker said, “Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.” (For those of you not familiar with age-old antisemitic tropes, the “who” in this sentence is almost certainly the “Jews.”)
More specifically, Butker is referring to the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which was passed this month in the House, but not the Senate, and isn’t law. Contrary to Butker’s description, the bill does not include criminal sanctions and only applies to educational institutions that receive federal funding. In a nutshell, the bill provides guidance to the Department of Education in determining whether certain speech on college campuses is antisemitic.
But what is most bizarre and disturbing about Butker’s comment is the idea that he believes needs to be defended from Congress: namely, the right of Catholics to suggest that the Jews killed Jesus.
Putting aside the fact that Butker would still be allowed to make this toxic antisemitic argument—why would he want to?
The false assertion that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus is a long-standing and deadly accusation that has spurred hatred and violence against Jewish communities for centuries.
To be sure, Butker is not alone in making false allegations about the legislation. Disgraced former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said it would, in effect, ban the New Testament. A handful of Republican lawmakers who voted against the bill cited the potential restriction on biblical speech. According to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), it "could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews."
Opinion: The Antisemitic Innuendo in Harrison Butker’s College Commencement Speech
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/ReutersEarlier this month, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker briefly emerged from the cave he calls home to tell the female graduates of Benedictine College that their most rewarding experience in life will come from serving a man...
