DAYS after Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a rousing video rant about masks where he said, “Screw your freedom,” one of his sponsors dropped him.
REDCON1, the sports supplement company, was set to sponsor the “Arnold Classic” bodybuilding competition headlined by the superstar actor and former California governor.
They have since parted ways with him following his viral video about Americans shirking mask mandates in a video interview with former National Security Council staffer Alexander Vindman and CNN’s Bianna Golodryga in a video interview, according to Vanity Fair.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
MASKING IS LIKE DRIVING
He then compared wearing a mask to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the country to the privilege of driving a car.
“You cannot say, ‘No one is going to tell me that I’m going to stop here, that I have to stop at this traffic light here. I’m going to go right through it,’” he said.
“Then you kill someone else, and then it is your doing.
“This is the same thing with the virus; you cannot go 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.”
Schwarzenegger’s pro-mask position didn’t square with REDCON1 founder Aaron Singerman.
“Making the public declaration, ‘screw your freedoms,’ is dangerous and anti-American,” read the release that was first reported by Daily Wire.
“REDCON1 is a patriotic pro-freedom brand and community. We support everyone’s individual freedoms.”
‘DON’T SUPPORT ARNOLD’
Separately Singerman recorded himself talking about why he is distancing himself from the one person he used to idolize since he was 13-years-old.
Singerman said he had “overlooked a lot of stuff” that Schwarzenegger said in the past.
But he looked past it.
He couldn’t this time.
“If you say screw your freedoms or you’re a shmuck or a moron anything else because you disagree with somebody – I’m not got cancelling anybody.
“Don’t cancel Arnold. But don’t support him if you’re me.”
AVOIDING ARNOLD CLASSIC
The head of the supplement company explained that the company had already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to be the top sponsor of the “Arnold Classic.”
He said the company planned to serve as the exclusive sponsor of this year’s bodybuilding competitions webcast.
It certainly showcased its presence during last year’s competition, which drew Sofia Vergara and her fellow actor husband, Joe Manganiello, according to Muscle & Fitness Magazine.
But Singerman insisted that his company had“diametrically opposed beliefs” with Schwarzenegger’s and isn’t about inhibiting American freedoms.
“We choose you and your rights over and above an organization led by Arnold, who isn’t aligned with American views,” the release states according to Daily Wire.
The statement also claimed the nutrition company’s tenets are “rooted in the uncompromising unapologetic belief that you are entitled to your opinion and should not be insulted or persecuted for having a varying view.”
