Iconic actor and the 38th Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger is standing by his assertion that if you do not get the coronavirus vaccination - "you're a schmuck."
Schwarzenegger addressed this assertion, which he made earlier this week, in an article published in The Atlantic Friday.
Speaking to those who claim that coronavirus measures and regulations such as masking and vaccination are disturbing their freedom, Schwarzenegger said "you have the freedom to wear no mask. But if you exercise that freedom you're a schmuck - because you're supposed to protect your fellow Americans."
Schwarzenegger went on to reference the constitution and the declaration of independence, as well as citing multiple examples from American history, to show that personal sacrifice and mutual responsibility are both important American traditions.
"Many people told me that the constitution gives them rights but not responsibilities. They feel no duty to protect their fellow citizens," said Schwarzenegger, who added that Americans need a civics lesson. "I am not an academic but I can tell you that selfishness and dereliction of duty did not make this country great [...] Its right there in our founding document [The Constitution]. We need to think beyond our selfish interests."
"Our country began with a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the collective good. It’s right there in the closing line of The Declaration of Independence: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
"Some people want to create an alternative America, where we have no responsibility to one another. That America has never existed."