Get woke, go broke, as they say.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the “Terminator,” just got terminated by one of his long-time sponsors after comments made during a recent appearance on CNN.
REDCON1, a sports supplement company, has withdrawn its sponsorship from the former California governor’s annual bodybuilding competition, the Arnold Classic, which will take place next month in Columbus, Ohio, according to USA Today.
The company’s founder, Aaron Singerman, explained in an Instagram post that his company could not, in good conscience, support an event that honors a man who would make such “dangerous” and “anti-American” remarks.
Two weeks ago, the erstwhile actor and bodybuilder joined CNN senior global affairs analyst Bianna Golodryga and the rabidly partisan star of the first impeachment proceeding against then-President Donald Trump, retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, to promote Vindman’s new memoir.
During a discussion about the Biden administration’s latest round of vaccine mandates and mask requirements, the former California governor said, “There is a virus here. It kills people, and the only way we prevent it is to get vaccinated, to wear masks, to 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,” Schwarzenegger said. “Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities.”
“We cannot just say, ‘I have the right to do X, Y and Z.’ When you affect other people, that is when it gets serious.”
He equated the refusal to wear a mask to running a red light. It could get someone killed, he said.
“Yeah, you have the freedom to wear no mask, but you know something? You’re a schmuck for not wearing a mask because you’re supposed to protect your fellow members around you. It’s just that simple.”
Yesterday while I was talking with @AVindman and @biannagolodryga about Alex’s new book, I was asked about my comment about COVID misinformation that all of you are sharing. Here was my answer: pic.twitter.com/8LKhPIJ1Eu
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) August 11, 2021
Singerman informed his Instagram followers of his company’s decision in the classiest manner possible.
He wrote, “For the last 15 years I’ve been attending the Arnold Classic, and for at least a decade I’ve been a sponsor of the contest. I’ve loved Arnold as long as I remember, and credit him for my initial interest in bodybuilding and fitness. I’ve looked at him as a role model.”
He praised Schwarzenegger’s story and said, “It’s with a heavy heart and some genuine sadness, that REDCON1 has decided to discontinue any and all support for the Arnold Classic and the other Arnold related events around the world.”
“We’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars being a top sponsor of the event, and this year the exclusive sponsor of the webcast, but we can’t in good Conscience continue to support & be involved with someone who has such diametrically opposed beliefs,” Singerman wrote.
“Anyone who says ‘screw your freedoms’ is un-American, and REDCON1 is a patriotic pro-freedom brand. We support freedom of choice. We don’t want Arnold censored or cancelled. We just can’t support his opinion with our dollars.”
Can you imagine Coca-Cola or American Airlines treating a conservative with this level of respect? REDCON1 deserves a lot of credit for how it handled this situation.
Following his comments on CNN, Schwarzenegger was widely criticized by his right-leaning fans. This prompted him to pen an Op-Ed in The Atlantic several days later.
In the piece, Schwarzenegger conceded he may have gone too far in his rhetoric, however, he made it clear that he stands by “the sentiment” he expressed in the controversial interview.
“I’ll admit, calling people schmucks and saying ‘Screw your freedom’ was a little much, even if I stand by the sentiment,” he wrote. “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 it didn’t take long for Schwarzenegger to revert to type. He wrote, “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,” he noted. And he was happy to provide us with one.
Actually, we don’t need a civics lesson — particularly from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Why do so many celebrities believe that their elevated status gives them moral authority over ordinary Americans?
Talk to the hand, Arnold, because we are not listening.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
