Video: In Speech to Liberty University, Youngkin Rails Against Right-Wing Bogeyman Like “Cancel Culture” and Supposedly Teaching Students They’re “Inherently Racist”; Refers to His Political Opponents as “The Enemy”

On Friday morning, Glenn Youngkin delivered a Convocation address at Liberty University (formerly led by Jerry Falwell, Jr., who last we heard was suing Liberty for defamation for supposedly trying “to destroy Mr. Falwell’s reputation through numerous defamatory statements that affirm the outrageous lies  of an unstable individual who attempted to extort the Falwells” – lol). In his speech, which you can watch in the video below, Youngkin had a lot of…er, “interesting” things to say. For instance, check out the following quotes by Youngkin, following by my comments in parentheses/green):

• According to Youngkin: “Today in America, there are voices in the far left that SO want to silence the voices on the right. They want to cancel conservative speakers on campuses. They want to silence voices who disagree with them. Impugning motives, claiming the mantle of science, assuming morality that’s superior. They do it in the name of tolerance, and yet they are actively spreading intolerance.”  (So other than bashing one of the right’s favorite bogeyman – so-called “cancel culture,” whatever that is exactly – who SPECIFICALLY is Youngkin talking about here? For instance, are there any Virginia Democratic elected officials who try to “silence the voices on the right?” Or is it actually Glenn Youngkin and his administration who are trying to tell teachers, librarians, etc. that there are all kinds of things that are not acceptable for students to learn (or might make them “uncomfortable”) such as the full history of our country, or classic works of literature that don’t agree with Youngkin and his allies’ right-wing worldview? Isn’t that pretty much the definition of “silencing voices” and “cancel culture?”)
• According to Youngkin, “We can teach all the history in our schools – the good and the bad, all of it, all of it. And we can remove divisive concepts from the classroom where students are taught.” (This, of course, is completely and wildly self contradictory. Because if you’re busy removing “divisive concepts” – how the heck are THOSE defined? and by whom? – then you are NOT going to be able to “teach all the history…the good and the bad.” There’s simply no way, given that it’s 100% certain that there will be SOME parents and students who will find the teaching of certain topics to be what they consider as “divisive.” So…where does that leave us? Who knows, but Youngkin doesn’t even try to resolve the massive contradiction in what he’s saying.)
• According to Youngkin, there are classrooms “where students are taught that they’re inherently racist because of their race or religion or sex, or that they bear the sins of the past.” (Of course, the purpose of teaching about topics like slavery, Jim Crow, etc. isn’t to make students feel that they are “inherently racist” or “bear the sins of the past,” but to understand what *actually happened in American history*, so they can learn and decide how they want to proceed going forward. As for what Youngkin charges, where’s he getting that from exactly? Are there widespread cases of this actually happening? Or is this just another talking point he picked up by watching Fox “News” and other right-wing media?)
• According to Youngkin, in our country today, “values like hard work, loyalty, love of our country are under attack…both in rhetoric and also in bad policies.” Also, according to Youngkin, “There are voices within Virginia and within America that don’t believe that America is a force for good” (Again, who exactly is espousing these values and views? Or is this just another talking point Youngkin picked up by watching Fox “News” and other right-wing media? Seems like the latter…)
• When he was running for governor, he and his wife “prayed every morning that the attacks of the enemy would fall-away like arrows hitting armor. And they did.” (Wait, so people who didn’t support Youngkin for governor were “the enemy,” not just people who have different ideas and values than Youngkin. Got it.)