Host of Flecca Talks discusses media reliability and voter turnout at meeting

Liberty’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA) chapter hosted political activist Austen Fletcher from “Fleccas Talks” on March 5 to discuss his YouTube channel, political views and what Americans should work toward for the nation. 

TPUSA kicked off the semester with Fletcher as the first guest speaker. More than 80 students attended the event Thursday night. 

The members of the executive board for TPUSA donned safety vests like Fletcher wears in his popular YouTube videos. The microphone even had a wooden spoon taped to it as a nod to him. 

TPUSA’s treasurer, Hannah McDonald, explained the reasoning behind Fletcher’s visit. 

“(Austen Fletcher) is just a light spirited guy and he’s a big social media influence (with) his YouTube channel with Fleccas Talks and he also has a podcast, too,” McDonald said. “He’s cool because he goes out on the street and interviews random people at different political events and he also has a sense of humor.”

Fletcher introduced himself and told his history with TPUSA.

“I started giving speeches about a year and a half ago and Turning Point was the first group that ever invited me … since then, I’ve traveled around the whole country and met a ton of people. It’s been a fantastic experience,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher shared how he got involved with politics after the 2016 election when he began to lean away from the Democratic viewpoints and was introduced to conservative ideals. Once he started making videos, he wanted his content to appeal to the apolitical middle who were uninvolved with politics.

He explained the reasoning behind his casual attire and makeshift microphone in his videos.

“At the end of the day, it’s to show that just because the media has millions of dollars doesn’t mean that they have the truth. The truth can come from whoever wants to tell it, and in fact the media and the lies and the narrative they’re pushing will also be their downfall,” Fletcher said.

One of Fletcher’s talking points is that half of America’s population does not vote. That is why his focus is educating people on what each side represents and getting more people involved in politics. He explained that students need to take part in the fight to inform others and be more vocal about it even if it costs them temporarily. 

“When you do take a stand in your everyday lives you might lose some friends, who weren’t really your friends the whole time. You might be uncomfortable, but it actually makes it easier for everyone else to get involved too,”
Fletcher said.

McDonald said she hoped the event would inspire students to become more involved in the political process. 

Another big focus was the need for unity. He said if he can get the other side to admit Trump has done good things, then it prompts him to have an easier discussion. 

Fletcher said he tries to remember that no matter what the other side of a debate is doing, having respect and being kind is how everyone should handle the situation.

Fletcher said he was “awakened” in 2016, recounting that it was the behavior that has always stuck with him. 

“The love I’ve always received from the right has consistently outweighed the hate from the left,” Fletcher said. 

Following his speech was a Q&A session with the students. 

Haydon is a news reporter.