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Rob Schneider isn’t holding back about his pride as an American. The actor and comedian spoke with Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview after his speech at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, about the importance of not shying away from difficult conversations.
“How boring would it be to only have friends who agree with you? How boring will that be? That’s important. The way to get smooth is not other smooth. It’s friction,” said Schneider.
Schneider added that it is through discussing bad ideas that good ideas emerge.
“We need that friction to create a vibrant society where the best ideas come to the surface. And the only way to the best idea is to hear all the bad ideas. Because some of those bad ideas turn out to be not so bad and make us better.”
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As many people shy away from challenging conversations and situations, Schneider said these exchanges are essential.
“We must challenge each other. We should challenge each other, our friends, we must challenge each other and our families, and we must challenge each other as a nation so that we continue to be creative, to continue to be a force for good. And the only way to do that is to have messy disagreements, and that’s what comes from discourse, debate. It’s not silencing those who could have a bad idea,” Schneider said to Fox News Digital.
Schneider explained the significance of the freedoms Americans enjoy — and why they shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“This constitutional Republic is the greatest experiment in freedom that we’ve ever had…all you have to do is just go look at the military cemeteries. Go to Arlington Cemetery. Those people died for the rights that we have to express our opinions today… this American system of freedom, for expression, for the right to express our grievances against the government without fear of reprisals, that is worth dying for.”
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Schneider continued, “America First, to me, it’s about being proud of America and being unabashedly pro-American. To say, ‘Look, I can accept that this country is imperfect, but let’s not throw away all its incredible accomplishments and achievements.’ This is the creative, technological, and financial engine of the world for a reason. And it’s because we can disagree.”
Schneider elaborated further to Fox News Digital on what America First means to him.
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“People have the freedom to try new stuff, to try new technologies, to try to make a new business. So America First means putting America first, but also standing by the principles of what makes these incredible technological advancements possible. That only comes through freedom. That only comes through the right to disagree and to debate.”
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