Arnold Schwarzenegger has lived a very interesting life. And while the bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-politician is well-liked by many, but a comment he made regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and people who refuse to wear masks last month sparked polarizing reactions.
In an interview with Bianna Golodrya and Alexander Vindman, Schwarzenegger said he did not agree with people who claim their freedom is being “disturbed” during the pandemic.
“People should know there is a virus here. It kills people, and the only way we prevent it is to get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom, because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities. We cannot just say, ‘I have the right to do X, Y and Z.’ When you infect other people, that is when it gets serious,” Schwarzenegger said.
The former governor acknowledged that his comment was “harsh,” but he defended his opinion and its context. He said in a blog post that he was referring to the “whiny babies… who think that being asked to put on a mask is a perfect reason to throw a toddler fit in a grocery store and look like an absolute child.”
Schwarzenegger again explained his view of freedom and why he believes being an American means helping and caring for others.
These are people who yell “FREEDOM” in their American flag hats while not taking any time to study the history of our nation and how freedom and duty have ALWAYS gone hand in hand. They think being an American means not caring about their fellow Americans, and I’m sorry, I can’t accept that,” Schwarzenegger said.
Whether Schwarzenegger ends up getting any more backlash from these comments remains to be seen, but it appears that even if he does, the former Terminator will not really change his mind on the issue.