Arnold Schwarzenegger receives an honorary doctorate in Germany. At the ceremony, “Arnie” says in simple words what he wants to achieve.
As a native of Austria, he is one of the most famous Americans in the world and once won the governorship of the Democratic-leaning state of California as a politician for the Republican Party. The former bodybuilder and Hollywood star has now been awarded an honorary doctorate from the private Hertie School in Berlin. Schwarzenegger is also committed to environmental and climate protection.
The awarding of this honorary doctorate provided a small insight into his life. The 77-year-old appeared at the ceremony on Tuesday afternoon in the German capital. The laudator was none other than Economics Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck.
The audience there experienced how “Arnie”, as he was also known in the past, captivated them with a few simple words and what is currently particularly important to him when it comes to climate and environmental protection. The event was broadcast on YouTube.
Why did the people of California elect Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Many people in California voted for him because they thought they were voting for the “Terminator” or “Conan the Barbarian,” Schwarzenegger said in his acceptance speech.
They were words in the finest Austro-English, which remains the trademark of the native Styrian to this day. He started his short speech with a joke: after carefully sipping a glass of water, he said in German-Austrian: “Des is net Schnaps”.
An effective start to his speech, he immediately had everyone’s full attention at an event that can otherwise easily become quite stiff. Even in the digital distance of the YouTube broadcast, Schwarzenegger seemed charismatic.
But as relaxed and casual as much of this meeting was, it was also serious. Schwarzenegger received the award for his commitment to reducing CO2 emissions, among other things. He knows how to bring different players together to solve problems in practice, summed up university president Cornelia Woll, thus justifying the honorary title for Schwarzenegger, who heads a university institute back home in the States that works with the Hertie School. The focus of both institutions is shaping politics and political decisions.
“Character with character”
In his short speech, Schwarzenegger also addressed the topic of “climate” in a slightly different way than one might have expected in Germany with its heat pumps, climate glue and high electricity prices: Because for him it is – quite simply – about people’s health.
Millions of people die every year from air pollution, said Schwarzenegger. Preventing these deaths is one of his major goals.
The newly awarded honorary doctor spoke convincingly and easily achieved what the previous speaker, Habeck, had been less successful at. In his eulogy for Schwarzenegger, the laudator had resorted to a few platitudes.
Schwarzenegger is a “character with character” and someone who is admired because his life has not always been straight. He even described the guest of honor as a “climate activist”.
The Vice Chancellor informed the audience that the former bodybuilding world champion is vegan. For those who didn’t know, this was at least a source of information.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
