Robert Oberst is the latest to comment on the recent news surrounding Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger said “screw your freedom” in an interview with CNN regarding anti-maskers, this caused quite the uproar. Schwarzenegger was commenting on people who do not wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and went as far as to call them “schmucks.” There have been plenty of moves made following these comments and strongman Robert Oberst was the latest to respond.
Oberst posted a video on his “American Monster Productions” YouTube page. In this video, Oberst shares his view on the comments made by Schwarzenegger and the recent moves made by different companies.
“In his kind of little upset screaming rant thing that he was doing, which seemed very, you know, for the cameras,” Oberst said.
“First, “I looked up to Arnold as a kid, grew up loving him, watching him. I met him a bunch of times he’s a very nice guy. He’s just one of my heroes. So I had no malice or anything towards him before any of this stuff or even now.”
Robert Oberst, who is a two-time World’s Strongest Man finalist, was as laid back as can be in the video and state how he felt like he was walking on eggshells when discussing this topic. Ultimately, Oberst admitted that the comments made by Arnold Schwarzenegger did not sit well with him either.
“Arnold spoke out about how he felt with certain regulations and how he doesn’t like that some people don’t like being regulated so much. And that some people don’t like millionaires and billionaires telling them what to do right before they do the opposite and have private parties with hundreds of thousands of people and travel overseas to do huge engagements as Arnold is doing these next couple of weeks,” Oberst said.
“Then also going further than that and specifically speaking to those people and saying “screw your freedom” doesn’t sit well with a lot of people.”
It has become the opinion of many that Schwarzenegger’s comments were taken out of context. The video has been seen by many and the context is clear. This is why different organizations have made decisions regarding Arnold and his events.
It began with REDCON1, who has been one of the top sponsors of the Arnold Classic for years. CEO Aaron Singerman recently announced that the company will no longer be a sponsor for the Arnold Classic or any other of his events. Brian Shaw also made a move when he removed posters of Schwarzenegger from his gym.
“I’m fully 100 million percent behind Brian Shaw. I don’t think there’s any room for people that don’t respect other people’s beliefs and other people’s values,” Oberst said.
“It’s the only country that offers something else. The only country that exists, even to this day, with the freedoms that we are born with. A lot of people hold that in high regard and I am one of them. And I’m proud that Brian Shaw is one of them and I’m proud that REDCON1 is also one of them.”
Robert Oberst ended his video by expressing his love for this country and thanking those who have fought for and died for freedom.
It has been over a week now since Arnold Schwarzenegger made his initial comments. This is clearly an issue that is not going to go away easily and one that has caused some action already. It will be interesting to see how it plays out moving forward.
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