When people ask me, “Where are you from?” their reaction to my answer is always the same. “Aaaaaaaaaahhh,” and then they list the names of famous people from Austria. 90% of the time it’s, Hitler and Schwarzenegger.
Correct, both are from Austria, but there are more famous, crazy and gorgeous people who are worth mentioning. Sigmund Freud, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Nikki Lauda, Romy Schneider, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Kafka, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Wolfgang Puck, Falco and yes, me, the Happy Quitter.
Just the other day I wrote my shopping list on the computer, and to my surprise, the computer didn’t know the word BRAUNSCHWEIGER. It puzzled me, and I clicked on the underlined word, curious I waited to see the correction. How can the computer not know the famous smoked liver sausage?
Are you kidding me? The computer suggested I should replace BRAUNSCHWEIGER with Schwarzenegger?
“Honey, come here you have to see this?” I laughed so hard, it felt like the computer was teasing me.
To make a long story short, I don’t like Arnold Schwarzenegger -just in case you didn’t guess it.
Yesterday, however, I listened to him and I was surprised to see the similarity in our childhood. He talked about his guilt-struck dad, who came home drunk, and I made me think about my parents, who had decided to spend their lives in a constant alcohol delirium.
My father had served in World War II and I often wondered what he had seen or done. The Nazi regime and all the crimes that were committed by ‘normal’ people. So many have followed Hitler’s command, so many have believed his lies, even in our small village. A few years later many of the former soldiers and civilians had a hard time coming to terms with the past.
I was ten or eleven years old when I learned in school about the crimes of the Nazi regime, and for a while, I asked almost every adult that came along, “Did you not know?” The innocent question of a little girl must have rattled many.
Did they not see what was going on? Where the ok with the crimes that were committed so openly? Did they not know what the concentration camps were for? Did they approve of the violence and the hate?
Yesterday, my husband showed me a YouTube video and for the first time, I liked Arnold Schwarzenegger. What he said made sense and I wish from the bottom of my heart, that this clip would be played now every day, on every channel until everybody is as tired of Schwarzenegger as I am. 😂
On a serious note, perhaps the message had to come from somebody like me, someone who has chosen to be an American.
I was impressed with his speech.
Me too. He made so much sense, it surprised me.
[…] Schwarzenegger and I […]
I wasn’t a fan of Schwarzenegger when he was the governor here in California, but I was moved to tears by his words this past week. CNN played the entire long clip, and I was spell-bound. Sometimes I really do think it takes people who have chosen this country to tell the rest of us why we shouldn’t take our liberties for granted. Your voice is very strong, and important, Bridget.
It’s hard for people from Europe to understand what’s going on here right now. Have we not learned from history? How quickly a country can fall apart and literally and figuratively be divided?
I actually saw this posted on Facebook by some of my friends. It is a powerful message and the more people (especially republicans) stand up against him, the better. The 6th was such a sad day for our nation!
Such an important message
Thank you for posting this video of Arnie giving his wonderful speech. I agree with Hilary who wrote that she “was moved and grateful that a republican with a ‘big’ reputation had spoken so movingly and with such statesmanship.” And as Peter responded, I, too, “hope that more well known Republicans come forward with similar messages and stop defending the indefensible.”
Hello Jan, I am glad you like the post and you took your time to watch the movie.
I hope that a lot of people on both sides of the aisle will get up and demand to have him removed.
I hope so, too. <3
Thank you for posting this. My grandmother was from Austria. She was born in 1898, and she came to this country as a very young girl. her dad came here to work in the 1904 world’s fair in St louis. So, I am from Missouri. I stand with all the other Missourians who are asking for Josh Hawley to resign.
My husband is from Missouri too and I am glad that voices get loud and louder.
Thank you for sharing this Bridget. That is a very powerful message from Mr S. Let’s hope that more well known Republicans come forward with similar messages and stop defending the indefensible.
Interesting. Schwarzenegger meant very little to me except as the name of an actor I have never seen, but I watched his video on the BBC early this morning and was moved and grateful that a republican with a ‘big’ reputation had spoken so movingly and with such statesmanship. It is only when high profile republicans speak the truth that some of those who have followed lies and conspiracies blindly may hear and begin to believe the truth.