Earlier this month, Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke plainly about the need for everyone who can to get vaccinated and wear a mask until we get this virus under control. He went far enough to call those who don’t wear masks “schmucks” and said “screw your freedom”. We applauded his comments. They hit just the right note of pointing out selfish behavior and poking holes in people’s righteous indignation. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned since 2016, people do not like that. And now Arnold is facing the inevitable backlash for speaking up. One of the sponsors for the annual bodybuilding competition Arnold Sports Festival is pulling its support because of his comments. The sports supplement RECON1 will no longer support the Sports Festival or any other Arnold event because of his “screw your freedom” comments.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual bodybuilding competition, the Arnold Sports Festival, has lost a sponsor… and it looks like they won’t be back.
Last week, REDCON1, a sports supplement company, announced that it would discontinue its support of the upcoming event — also known as the Arnold Classic — as well as all other Schwarzenegger-related events. The move followed an interview from earlier this month where the Kindergarten Cop star and former Governor of California firmly took anti-mask protestors to school.
Schwarzenegger’s interview quickly went viral and proved controversial among conservative circles. Days after the Aug. 10 interview was released online, REDCON1 announced its decision to pull out of the Arnold Classic, specifically citing his “Screw your freedom” remark. The company’s founder, Aaron Singerman, posted a response video on Instagram explaining his decision. “Me personally and everyone at REDCON1 has always loved Arnold,” Singerman said. “Over the years, I’ve overlooked a lot of stuff…because we love him so much.”
“When somebody says ‘Screw your freedom,’ I can’t and REDCON1 can’t in good conscience continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring that person or show,” he continued, adding that it wasn’t a “partisan” decision. (Prior to founding REDCON1, Singerman was part of Blackstone Labs, which was charged with distributing illegal dietary supplements in a Department of Justice lawsuit. That trial is set to begin in October and Singerman is named as defendant.)
In a statement later provided to Fox News, a REDCON1 spokesperson noted that Schwarzenegger’s pro-masking stance wasn’t at the root of their choice either. “To be clear we did not pull out of the event because of a mask issue. We understand the importance of public safety as well as the responsibilities all event organizers. These are unprecedented times and we’re aligned with public safety for all. We elected to discontinue support due to Arnold’s comment, ‘Screw Your Freedoms.'”
Following REDCON1 pulling out, the event picked up Mutant Nutrition as a sponsor. The press release noted “a sponsor” pulling out because of Arnold’s remarks. I appreciate that he’s standing by his statements. After he made them, he wrote a piece for the Atlantic clarifying them. It’s a thoughtful and level essay and I wish the people that need to read it would. He did admit that calling people schmucks and using “screw your freedom” was harsh. However, he then backs up that sentiment by stating why wearing a mask is part of our responsibility as Americans.
REDCON1, on the other hand, sounds like they weren’t prepared. They pulled out of the event with a big statement. But they had to slink back in to clarify they dropped out because of the comment thing, not the mask thing, which let a lot of air out their sails. And this Singerman was trying to sound magnanimous by saying he’s “overlooked a lot of stuff” re: Arnold while he’s awaiting trial for illegal supplement distribution. Yes, obviously you overlook a lot. And then they got replaced in a heartbeat by a competitor who stands by free speech. REDCON1 might want to redirect that sponsorship money to their PR department because it could use some help.
Photo credit: Instagram
First, not a partisan decision? Okay, sure. I absolutely buy that. /s
Second, while I may not be a big Arnold fan – and it’s frightening that he is now a *reasonable* Republican – I do appreciate that he’s speaking sense in this instance. The fact that a traditionally held “man’s man” in popular culture is not afraid of telling people to get over themselves and that wearing a mask is more important than their precious feelings is fantastic.
And third, I really wish I knew more details surrounding the photo of him on the sofa with the donkey – pony? mini-horse? IDK, I’m a city girl – very pretty dog. (Side note, if it’s a mini-horse, then please tell me it’s name is Sebastian!) What is he showing them on that tablet? I play videos for my cats, is there something similar for the equine? Inquiring minds want to know, lol.
Arnold has a TikTok account and his donkey is in a lot of the videos I’ve seen. Like it’s been awhile since I’ve seen one, so I don’t think he’s on there a lot, but he’s definitely not afraid to speak his mind. To the people. Or to his donkey. Lol.
Yeah, Arnold has been problematic to say the least but on this point he’s not wrong. It reminds me of the comments he made a few years ago about Nazis and the extreme right wing elements in the USA…that got under some people’s skin too, but again, he wasn’t wrong.
As for the donkey, I think it’s one of his pets? It makes me chuckle, considering that’s the ‘animal’ used to represent the Democractic party.
Singerman’s supplements haven’t done much for his ethical or cognitive abilities.
@ Who ARE these people?, yes, and why would anyone who is being charged by the Department of Justice for selling illegal supplements, be a trusted individual of morals or ethics?
Just STFU and wear a frikin’ mask, people!!! Freedumbs my ass…..
I don’t care if saying “screw your freedoms” is harsh. It’s time to be a little harsh with these people. Wear a mask, get the vaccine. It’s not the end of the pandemic because you want it to be the end. And we would be in a lot better place if everyone in every state just wore a freaking mask and every eligible person got the vaccine.
I’m gonna call it: REDCON1 is not, in fact, “aligned with public safety for all”, and is deliberately misinterpreting the “screw your freedom” remark because superfluous supplements companies tend to pander to a lot of toxic (both in mind and in probably COVID-ridden body) asshole men who REALLY don’t give a shit about freedom if what is said happens to contradict them or damages their fragile sense of masculinity.
I’m sure the more intelligent and rational among us were fully aware that what Arnold was talking about was what many are calling “freedumb”, the belief that personal liberty takes precedence over public safety. And I, for one, can’t wait for the freedumb fighters to get sick and/or lose their jobs because they’re too arrogant to mask up and get the damn vaccine.
your last sentence is happening. I’m in a lot of ahem “spiritual” circles (yoga, mindful parenting, coaching etc) online and many many many families who have a parent who is a teacher or first responder or otherwise works for a company requiring vaccination are basically nope-ing out.
look, my kid has PANDAS and has suffered vaccine injury that was terrifying and I’m getting the vaccine (I live in the third world at the moment but usually live in NYC) as soon as we know if our shots here transfer to the US database.
anyway, I think these people are going to opt out (while registering their protest) rather than cave. my entire family of origin is not getting it. we’ll see if they keep that stance when they book their next European trip tho…
it’s mind boggling
I also don’t see a lot of people changing their minds either. Especially the ones that have been especially vocal about being anti mask/vax. The ones who are constantly on SM reposting misinformation, going to rally’s, or literally harassing people who wear masks or got the vax.
Then there are the people like my elderly aunt who has diabetes and asthma and was convinced by her daughter that she didn’t need to get the microchip vaccine and that her husband’s (daughter’s husband) supplements would be all she needed in case she got told she had covid (because they don’t believe it’s real) and to build her immune system. That husband has a business built on telling people they don’t need modern medicine and how dangerous it is. Well that husband ended up calling an ambulance to take him to a hospital to be treated with modern medicine because he couldn’t breathe. He tested positive, was in the ICU for a week but still doesn’t believe it was covid. Meanwhile, my aunt’s daughter called her and told her to go get the vaccine now. Weird how suddenly it’s no longer microchipped or dangerous. So in conclusion, she didn’t believe in it until in came for one of her family members and he still doesn’t believe in it and will still be anti vax and mask.
I’m also out of sympathy for all of these people who suddenly regret not getting it and die but their last wishes are for people or their family to get vaccinated. How many stories do we see daily about this? Is this swaying anyone? I don’t think so because we’ve had over 600K people die and their stories didn’t do anything to convince these people. I’m exhausted and have little energy for everyday things at this point let alone the privileged willfully ignorant contrarians who didn’t care about the greater good until it happened to them.
Yep, this right here- Also, they may potentially need to save their money for that lawsuit
@Miranda: “the belief that personal liberty takes precedence over public safety”
Yes! There are any number of things that we cannot do as Americans.
I don’t have to right to knock back four shots of vodka and then get behind the wheel of a car. I can’t open up all of the cereal boxes at the grocery store to try handful before deciding which one to buy. I live in firearm-crazy Texas and if I bought a gun I’d still have to get a permit to carry it. If I have STI and don’t tell someone before purposefully having unprotected sex with them and they get sick I can be charged with any number of crimes. And even when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic I definitely can’t wander into a hospital downtown and pick up newborns in a neonatal unit just because I like to tickle babies tiny little toes.
US citizenship does not inherently give me the right to discount the safety of others. Why is so hard for some people to understand that? Every day makes me feel like I’m losing that much more of my mind!
These types of people forget that “freedom isn’t free.”
Sometimes I want to say that to certain people, like my SIL who just quit her job as a “frontline medical provider,” because she refuses to get the vaccine, but the inherent lack of critical thinking she continually displays makes me believe she will end up going full insurrectionist at some point.
Btw, she was a receptionist at a medical urgent care type facility. I don’t consider that a frontline medical provider, although maybe those jobs are wrapped in that term and that’s my ignorance. But she’s no doctor or nurse. And is not pursuing that either. She just likes to use that as legitimacy in her conspiracy postings.
Brought to you by the same folks who cry over the unfairness of cancel culture daily.
I need to know more about the picture with the donkey and dog. Is it animal story-time with pictures?
Yes these people are pandering to the worst of their customers, leave morals and ethics at the door for ca$h every time.
Is the supplement famous/popular? Did they take a look at their bottom line, saw sales plummet drastically, and then issue the half hearted retraction? I mean there are a lot of supplements out there, just saying. Would be a perfect opportunity to unseat a formerly well known/respectable brand.
I just KNOW that the dog is really saying “I iz a gud boi papa, can I haz some treats?!”
Ahnold is very problematic in many ways, but damn if he isn’t on the side of RIGHT this time.
I’m with Arnold’s original comments………..”screw your freedoms” shmucks. There is absolutely no need to dial it back. Now screw REDCON1 too (whoever they are).
I’m at the point where I’m giving up trying to convince anybody of anything. Anti-maskers have no shame. They have no empathy. They have no real love of country. They say they love America but the only thing they love is personal liberty, not protecting other Americans. But their choices will have consequences and I’m supportive of hospitals not giving resources to non-vaxxed adults. It’s the last way to get through to people.
The only love their liberty – not the liberty of others. They expect others to give up their liberties.
I’m glad that we’re starting to see companies requiring vaccinations – mine is going to announce in a few days that if you don’t get vaxxed, you can’t come into the office. I’m very happy they’re doing that. Even if a few people quit because of it, we’ll hire others. Also seeing some local sports/entertainment venues requiring it as well. So they’re going to have trouble finding/keeping their jobs and will have trouble going anywhere/doing anything.
Charging them more for their healthcare and prioritizing vaxed patients over non-vaxed ones are the next steps, I think. Especially now that Pfizer has officially been approved, there are no more excuses that we as a society should accept.
My doc still follows the covid protections he did before the vaccine. Call when you arrive and wait in your car until they call you in (which I love more than the waiting room and hope doesn’t go away) and wear a mask. I had an appointment yesterday for a shoulder issue and, when he finished, he asked me if I’d had my flu shot. I said yes and added I was vaccinated too. (I hot footed it down to Rite Aid as soon as I was eligible and could get an appointment) He smiled (I could tell by his eyes crinkling under the mask) and said thank you. I feel for medical workers who are put at risk by selfish asses and who also have to work extra after over a year of nonstop because of them. I’d be enraged at this point.