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You may know actor Jon Voight from his roles in classic films like Midnight Cowboy and Deliverance or from his role on Showtime’s Ray Donovan. Or perhaps you know him as Angelina Jolie’s father thanks to their reportedly strained relationship.
Then again, perhaps you are like me and know him mostly for just this…
Regardless of how you know him (or don’t), the Ray Donovan star is today most known for a bizarre, rambling speech he posted on Twitter Tuesday night claiming racism was “solved long ago” which, it turns out, was news to basically everyone.
The video, titled “Jon Voight’s message for America” (because the country is in dire need of hearing the opinions on race of an 80-year-old white actor whose own daughter temporarily stopped speaking to him in 2004), begins with Voight saying, “This is not a race for color or fame. This is a journey that is for truth.” Or, at least the truth as he somehow sees it.
Voight then goes on to drop this bombshell, “My fellow Americans, too many are angry at the words of racism. This has been a big issue for the black community since the Civil War, but this has been solved long ago by our forefathers for peace, and love.
“It seems that the angered left and angered minorities want to hold President Trump accountable for past lives. You see, we have been gifted with truth and, as I see it, anger is among the old chains that were binding to the people of slavery, old wounds that still seem fresh.
“Let me talk about old wounds: the Holocaust. That, my friends, are wounds that live among the Jewish and non-Jewish that lost lives. But this is not about color, race, religion. This is the United States of America, a nation built on trust and liberty. A soil of greatness. A land of opportunities, where all can grow and succeed with freedom. A nation of greatness.
“These angry left-wingers preach love, but only pollute. We must understand that this is a nation of liberty, and this president is honouring all,” he continued. “He is not a racist, but a man who loves his country and has every intention to make this land great again. Let us vote for this country’s safety. And may all the angered left find truth, what truth stands for: God, liberty, love, justice, for all. God bless.”
It really is quite a performance.
Jon Voight’s message for America. pic.twitter.com/xCTOpLPDA4
— Jon Voight (@jonvoight) August 4, 2019
As one might expect, Voight’s speech didn’t exactly go over too well with the Twitter crowd.
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1158820845898350594Hey john voight! Did you ever get your pencil back from George Costanza? Well! If you did, you oughta write this shit down that you're saying. You need to have a record of it so you know what you said.
— Ivan (@Happydog23) August 6, 2019
Wow I didn’t know racism was solved a long time ago, I feel way better now we can all go home, thanks!
— Lee Seltzer (@lee_seltzer) August 6, 2019
Thanks for sharing your opinion with no examples, evidence or even concrete ideas. pic.twitter.com/yVvujLwid8
— Super-Observant Hag (@sarahford) August 7, 2019
Seriously ⁉️ In the words of the man who freed the slaves... pic.twitter.com/rUFUcjXJF5
— Nancy Mahony (@nancy_mahony) August 6, 2019
Shut the fuck up Voight
— Josh Lloyd (@redrock_bball) August 7, 2019
Well, that escalated quickly. I scrolled through about a third of the 4,400 comments on his video and I am still looking for the first one that agrees with him.