The Harrison Butker bruhaha seems to have died down, but I take this moment to remind you that Famous Hot Takes Are a Zero-Sum Game. Scott Adams made a fool of himself last year. Now, Harrison Butker does himself no favors – famous people waxing poetic about social issues? Yeah, just like a forward pass – three things can happen and two of them are bad. Either your words will be accepted and supported (maybe), or they won’t (more likely), or you’ll get dragged.
“I don’t see what the big crime is, I really don’t.” Uh, don’t you? “Harrison Butker, thank you for your courage. Don’t change, we need you.” Uh, do we? “Never settle for what is easy.” Uh, is that what he did?
Are we getting the hint yet? Some things shouldn’t be left to the experts, but when it comes to social issues – are you an expert? Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Is it BENEFICIAL to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Yeah, subjecting your hot takes to the Rotarian Four-Way test can go a long way in avoiding a self-induced public humiliation.
The Professional Opinion Industry is A Lawless Place
And look, I get it. Some of us aren’t trained public speakers and it’s hard for others to tell their story because of past trauma. Don’t believe me? Look at this Shunned Amish woman talk on Soft White Underbelly:
I’m saying all this to make a point: there are important things going on in the world, but sometimes you aren’t the guy to say it. Butker is ‘standing up for what he believes in,’ and I guess he believes believing in something is the same thing as making speeches. Hey, I believe in all kinds of things – I don’t need to make a speech to prove it.
No, Butker’s mistake – and yes, it was a mistake – was inserting himself into a conversation that no one invited him into. He didn’t have to make that speech, he didn’t have to make a speeches with that level of rhetoric. Just for funsies, he made a speech with similar themes last year at Georgia Tech, BTW, and nobody reported on it, so he doubled-down in 2024 with his Benedictine College commencement speech and woo-woo it’s viral!
I get it, Butker’s looking toward his post-football career – professional opinion givers make a lot of money these days. But still, is it the truth? Is it fair? Is it beneficial to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and friendships? Butker – from his perspective – can only maybe say ‘yes’ to one of those questions and yes, he’ll pay a deserved price.
Nothing Good Comes from Having Nothing Good to Say
Harrison Butker played a long gamble with his speeches and his public comments about social issues. He’s letting Main Character Syndrome drive his decisions. Maybe it works for him? Maybe it turns his wildly-successful career into a gold-plated example of what not to do. We’ll see.
The lessons for us in general and me in particular remains the same: Nobody needs to know what I think about everything all the time. Media attention feels good for a while, but eventually all that attention comes back around – especially when there are garbage parts of your personality that are better kept out of the limelight.We don’t have to give hot takes. We don’t have to open our mouths. ‘Keep your words soft and sweet, you never know which ones you’ll have to eat,’ right? Never skip an opportunity to shut up.
All we need to provide is what we’re here to provide – our best work, our best love, our best gifts. Anything else is a waste of time. Famous Hot Takes are a Zero Sum Game – just ask Scott Adams, and maybe Harrison Butker this time next year.
