Movie legend Clint Eastwood has blasted America as a place filled with overly sympathetic, over-analyzing whimps in the January issue of Esquire Magazine.The 78-year old Oscar winner, who makes his last acting turn in the film Gran Torino, blames the rising fascination with the "meaning of life" for people losing their toughness.
In the article, Eastwood says, "Everyone's become used to saying, 'Well, how do we handle it psychologically?' In those days, you punched the bully back and duked it out." He also decries America's apparent obsession with worrying: "You can't stop everything from happening. But we've gotten to a point where we're certainly trying. If a car doesn't have 400 air bags in it, then it's no good."
Eastwood's childhood, as he recounts, was more defensive than it is now: "I was a shy kid, but a lot of my childhood was spent punching the bullies out." Speaking of his youth, he explains, "People barely got by. People were tougher then."
Despite his belief that America is getting soft, he doesn't appreciate the idea of body piercings, an endeavor that requires a pretty thick skin (no pun intended). "What kind of masochism is that? Is it to show you can take it?"
It seems like Eastwood's tough skin will help him through the current awards season; despite being an awards darling, his film Gran Torino was snubbed by the Foreign Press Association for a Golden Globe nod.
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