Arnold Schwarzenegger criticizes the current fragile generations of “weak people”
It is fashionable to criticize the new generations, complaints about Millennials and Centennials are often heard among Boomers, and the actor Arnold Schwarzenegger could not be left behind. The Austrian-American has always expressed his endless contempt for “the losers” and “the weak”, the opposite of what some of his progressive fans pursue, and in a new interview he has reiterated his conservative stance.
Schwarzenegger is promoting a self-improvement/self-help book called “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.” From the title we can already imagine the quality of the content, but if anyone has doubts, you can read what it says below The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday (via Insider):
Arnold Schwarzenegger on The Howard Stern Show
The human spirit can only grow through resistance. The more you fight, the further you go and the stronger you become. That’s how the world works. Anyone trying to take care of themselves, pamper themselves and protect themselves: “I don’t want to feel bad.” “I really don’t want to go through discomfort,” it was over. You’ll never get there.
Not only do his words say nothing that hasn’t been said before, but they also seem to address a caricatured version of current social struggles. It’s not that the “progressives” try to avoid a guilty conscience at all costs, but that we must try to reduce human suffering in general, but the boomers, trapped in their bubble, usually don’t argue arguments, but with “straw puppets”. “Mistakes.”
All Schwarzenegger, 76, is doing is promoting the ideology prevalent in the United States, in which individuals should overcome obstacles as if it were up to them alone, and not worry about the structural problems that create those obstacles (and certain social problems) groups don’t have it) because “that’s the way the world is.”
You have to learn to accept pain, suffering and discomfort, all the things you don’t like, because the more you experience the things you really don’t like, the more you can grow and the tougher you become and the more you can do take care of that. Many young children avoid this today.
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You have to learn to accept all the things you don’t like because trying to change the world is a mistake. Although this assessment is based solely on his statements in the interview, it is not difficult to imagine the rest of his book, since self-help is generally not a literature that enjoys prestige.
They were brave women and men who set out at five in the morning and fought and worked hard. That’s what made this country great. Keep it up. Don’t create a generation of weak and weak people where we constantly ask ourselves, ‘How are you feeling today?’ I don’t want to hurt your feelings.’
Why is Schwarzenegger wrong?
Arnold’s recent statements about the new generations are, to say the least, unfortunate and disconnected from contemporary reality. It is obvious that the actor and former governor of California is anchored in a nostalgic and simplistic vision of the past without recognizing the specific challenges facing today’s youth. Calling new generations “transparent” or implying that they are “weak” is a harmful generalization that ignores the unique adversities such as the climate crisis, growing inequalities and modern social constraints that they face every day.
Schwarzenegger glorifies a bygone era and suggests that people back then were naturally stronger or braver. However, this kind of romanticism ignores the realities and struggles of these generations while ignoring the struggles and challenges of today’s youth. Furthermore, the idea that pain and suffering are essential to personal development is not only reductionist but also potentially harmful. Not everyone can deal with pain in the same way, and what may be a surmountable challenge for some may be a traumatic experience for others.