Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley issued a rather bizarre claim while speaking at the National Conservatism conference, a gathering of nationalists in Orlando, Florida.
Hawley accused "the Left" of hurting "the future of the American man" and went on to claim that the "deconstruction of America begins with and depends on the deconstruction of American men."
You can hear his remarks in the video below.
Josh Hawley says more men today are watching porn and playing video games because their masculinity has been criticized. pic.twitter.com/R0eXdRSYNT
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 1, 2021
He went further, saying:
"The Left know what they believe. They believe that America is a systemically racist, structurally oppressive, hopelessly patriarchal kind of place."
"It's a dystopia, if only Americans would get woke enough to see it. It's a nation that needs to be taught how unjust it truly is and after that, rebuilt from top to bottom."
In perhaps his speech's oddest moment, Hawley claimed that this line of thought has put the men of the country "in crisis":
"This is an effort the Left has been at for years now. And they have had // alarming success. American men are working less, getting married in fewer numbers; they're fathering fewer children."
"They are suffering more anxiety and depression. They are engaging in more substance abuse. Many men in this country are in crisis, and their ranks are swelling."
"And that's not just a crisis for men. It's a crisis for the republic."
"Because the problem with the Left's assault on the masculine virtues is that those self-same qualities, the very ones the Left now vilify as dangerous and toxic, have long been regarded as vital to self-government."
Hawley's comments garnered heavy criticism.
Republican men blame women for their problems. https://t.co/gEBdW57A5J
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) November 2, 2021
Do I detect more than a little projection here @HawleyMO? https://t.co/XPsYaq94vv
— The @Nationals Will Rise Again (@natzbandwagon) November 1, 2021
This motherfucker thinks I ain't manly?
I have one thicc ass beard and once pushed metallic shopping baskets in a parking lot for 12 hours straight.
I got more balls than anyone I know. https://t.co/7kb1ukt3l7
— Jon Hikari X (@JonHikariX) November 1, 2021
Men being losers also somehow women's fault https://t.co/NMI7nIDAqv
— rabia O'chaudry (@rabiasquared) November 1, 2021
Sounds like somebody's trying to get ahead of his own browser history https://t.co/1x3TbtkVTF
— andi zeisler (@andizeisler) November 1, 2021
Conservatives say liberals are anti-fun, while they themselves are now running against porn and video games. https://t.co/JQg6NWuCN8
— Trey007 (@Tresse007) November 1, 2021
When people tell you who they are... https://t.co/Hh2VvpkPfC
— Rokey *No Unity Without Accountability* 🇺🇸 (@rokeypdx) November 1, 2021
Real masculinity is going to work, get chewed out and fucked over by your boss, take out your anger on your wife and kids and drink a 6 pack of beer a day to numb the pain https://t.co/wSLo5Wdanv
— adult human chicken (@empathicwindow) November 1, 2021
I can't help but think that Josh Hawley's obsession with masculinity is driven by his insecurity over his very small shoulders. https://t.co/tmi3L85LQ3
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) November 1, 2021
Hawley has often assailed Democrats and members of the left, particularly where the insurrection of January 6 is concerned.
Hawley was the first Senator to object to the certification of President Joe Biden's electoral win. However, he has since claimed he doesn't agree with former President Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 general election was fraudulent.
He has referred to the former President as "a guy with a strong point of view, he's a former President and he's not going anywhere."
However, Hawley's comments don't take into account his own support for the lie.
Earlier this year, he was unrepentant in an interview with news channel KVTO, telling the outlet that his critics are part of a "woke mob," remarks that indicated he would not accept responsibility for the role he played on January 6, when he voted against the ceritification.
Hawley has also pushed back against any suggestion that those who participated in the insurrection are also guilty of sedition.
These criticisms are "not only crazy—it's a lie. It is simply false and I'm not going to give into it for a second," Hawley claimed, though in the same breath he rebuked the violence, saying those involved must be "punished to the fullest extent of the law."