Arnold Schwarzenegger to Americans Refusing Vaccinations & Masks: “Screw Your Freedoms”

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a message for Americans who argue that face masks encroach on their rights: "Screw your freedom."

"Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities," the Republican former California governor said in a YouTube video released Wednesday. The action movie-star-turned-politician's remarks were part of a discussion with CNN's Bianna Golodryga and Alexander Vindman to promote Vindman's new book, "Here, Right Matters."

"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," Schwarzenegger, 74, said.

The ex-bodybuilder likened opposition to face masks to bucking traffic laws.

"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.' Then you kill someone else, and then it is your doing," he said.

In an interview on Tuesday, Schwarzenegger told former National Security Council staffer Alexander Vindman and CNN’s Bianna Golodryga that he’s disgusted with (1) the coronavirus misinformation out there and (2) the Americans who think their actions don’t affect others. “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. And I just think that people ought to be reminded over and over that the experts are saying that we have to wear masks, especially when you go indoors, the experts are saying that you should still wash your hands regularly, you should still do social distancing, especially now with this new comeback of the virus, which is the fourth round now, that we have to really go and work together,” the Terminator turned California governor turned unlikely voice of reason said. “Look, I am an expert on how to build a bicep…there’s no one who knows more about a bicep than I do because I studied this issue for 50 years. And the same is also with the virus. There are people out there who are experts that studied this year after year after year…Dr. [Anthony] Fauci [has studied viruses] for his entire life, why would you not believe someone like that?”

He added: “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. It’s like, no different than a traffic light. They put the traffic light in the intersection so someone doesn’t kill someone else by accident. You cannot say, ‘No one is going to tell me that I’m going to stop here, I’m going to go right through it.’ Yeah, then you kill someone else. It is the same thing with the virus. 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.”