Varney: Statue toppling is the tip of the iceberg
'These scenes are part of an attempted cultural revolution'
FOX Business’ Stuart Varney, in his latest “My Take,” argues nationwide attempts to take down historical statues and monuments are just the "tip of the iceberg."
“Last night, a demonstration in Washington turned ugly,” Varney said. “The mob tried to take down the statue of Andrew Jackson. They vandalized a church. They tried to set up their own ‘autonomous zone’ just like Seattle, right outside the White House.”
Varney said these actions are part of an attempted“cultural revolution” and a “rejection of the past and the present.”
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The White House is visible behind a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Washington, with the word "Killer" spray painted on its base. Protesters tried to topple the statue Monday night. (AP Photo/Andrew Ha
“This revolution cannot be criticized. Strict political conformity is the rule. No deviation allowed,” he said. “If you're not on board, you're out. Banished. Shamed. It amounts to a lockdown on free speech and political debate. There are statements you may not make. There are opinions you may not share.”
Varney believes "gross intolerance" is a threat to all parts of society.
“Statue toppling is the tip of the iceberg. They make the visual headlines, which we have to look at every morning. Below the surface is the censorship that threatens anyone who doesn't conform,” Varney said. “Whatever you have said or written, even in the distant past, can and will be used against you."
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Varney pointed to examples of people who have been “canceled,” including a Federal Reserve economist, leaders of a poetry society, a principal in Vermont, an NBA announcer, an MIT chaplain, a coach at Oklahoma State, business executives and the editor of The New York Times opinion page.
“All of them either forced out or forced to apologize,” Varney said. “They didn't conform to the demands of the cultural revolutionaries.”
Varney noted an opinion piece from Tuesday’s The Wall Street Journal editorialized, “someone has to stop this."
“Dead right,” Varney said. “We know where the president stands: he's a free speaker and his message to the anarchists is clear: knock it off, or else. But where are the Democrats? They won't step out of their comfort zone. They'll happily blame Trump for talking about ‘law and order,’ but they don't step up for free speech and free debate. They won't say a word the revolutionaries don't like.”
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Varney believes this is a mistake on the Democrats’ part.
“With five months to the election, it is vital that our country freely address the chaos that we wake up to each morning,” he said. “This is no time to suppress free speech. It is no time to walk away from the debate. Freedom is written into our constitution, and both sides of the aisle should support it openly and forcefully.”
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