Arnold Schwarzenegger is “worried about the future” following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The 74-year-old actor recently hit out at those who are "living in denial" and don't think they need to take precautions against coronavirus, and slammed those who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated as “schmucks”.
And now, the ‘Terminator’ star has expanded on his thoughts in a piece written for The Atlantic in which he said the response to the pandemic, particularly in the US, has been “selfish”.
He wrote: “Our country became great because every generation before us knew that liberty and duty go hand in hand. I am worried that many of my fellow Americans have now lost sight of that.
“When I look at the response to this pandemic, I really worry about the future of our country. We have lost more than 600,000 Americans to COVID-19. Are we really this selfish and angry?”
Arnold admitted he may have gone a little too far with his initial wording, but said he was shocked to discover many people don’t believe they have any “responsibility” toward their “fellow citizens”.
He added: “I’ll admit, calling people schmucks and saying ‘Screw your freedom’ was a little much, even if I stand by the sentiment. But there is nothing that I’m more passionate about than keeping America great, and it’s the only subject that can make me lose my temper.
“But some of the responses really worried me. Many people told me that the Constitution gives them rights, but not responsibilities. They feel no duty to protect their fellow citizens.
“That’s when I realized we all need a civics lesson. I can’t help but wonder how much better off we’d be if Americans took a step back from politics and spent a minute thinking about how lucky we are to call this country home.”
In his initial comments, Arnold urged people to listen to the experts when it comes to the health crisis.
He said: “A year and a half later, we are still in a mess and there are still people living in denial, there are still people that don’t believe in masks, there are still people out there who say, ‘Well, we don’t have to do social distancing’, and all this kind of stuff.
"I think people should know there is a virus here, it kills people. And the only way we prevent it is, we get vaccinated, we wear masks, we do social distancing, washing your hands all of 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. You cannot just say, ‘I have the right to do x, y and z,’ when you affect other people. That is when it gets serious...
"You cannot go and not put the mask on because when you breathe you can infect someone else, and you can infect someone that then gets sick and may die. So this is why I think we all have to work together on this.
“We have to come together rather than fighting and always just saying, ‘According to my principles this is a free country and I have the freedom to wear no mask.’ Yeah, you have the freedom to wear no mask, but you know something? You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask.”
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