A video released by famous action movie hero, and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has gone viral.
The video is actually addressed to the Russian people, and Schwarzenegger does actually address Russian President Vladimir Putin directly in the video, as well. He was actually quite moving, explaining how he greatly admired a Russian weightlifter when growing up, and faced extreme pressure from his father to pick a German or Austrian to admire, instead. Schwarzenegger spoke about how his father an Austrian, had fought in the Nazi army near the city that was then known as Leningrad (now known as St Petersberg), and how he sustained injuries and held a grudge against Russia ever since the war had ended.
But Schwarzenegger ignored his father and continued to admire the Russian weightlifter, whom he met later in life. He felt that he had been a great man, and embodied the best values and spirit of Russians.
Later in the video, Schwarzenegger tells Russians that they have been lied to, misled regarding the war in Ukraine. He said that it was an incredibly destructive war, and not being fought for good reasons. Then, he turned his attention to Putin, and stated that Putin had started the war, that it was not going well, and that he needed to end it.
It was actually a very decent address, and I must say that I have actually been impressed with Schwarzenegger since his days as California governor. At the time, I kind of admittedly had the impression that he was little more than a mindless jock, full of himself and his Hollywood success. But he seems in fact to be a decent and intelligent man. He was honest about his family's own past serving in the army of Nazi Germany, something that many Germans tend to try and hide, if anything. And he spoke eloquently, not demonizing Russians, but in fact, heaping praise on them. He has spoken similarly impressively in the past, against Trump as well as against racism and for environmental causes. It is enough for me to have completely changed my mind about the man, and to view him as one of the most thoughtful and intelligent public voices in the United States today.
Above is the video clip, and below is an article by BBC that elaborates on the speech.
Ukraine: Arnold Schwarzenegger's anti-war video trends on Russian social media published by BBC News, 18 March 2022:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60794809.amp?fbclid=IwAR2-oXiPeE6LNVftXB4Ie8RNMuvV01ufbI2p-J3fr90yPJ22IcvBgV3lZ8g
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