[Scene: A dimly lit bunker. The sound of dripping water echoes through the halls. Solid Snake is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, while Arnold Schwarzenegger paces back and forth with a cigar in hand. A faint oinking comes from the corner, where Schnelly the pig lies on a blanket.]
Solid Snake:
(gravely) Arnold… I’ve been watching how you treat that pig of yours. The fat jokes. The humiliation. It doesn’t work. Fat shaming doesn’t make anyone stronger. It just breaks them down.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(throws his hands up) But Snake, look at Schnelly! She is so fat! Like a balloon with legs. I am trying to motivate her. No pain, no gain!
Solid Snake:
(shakes head) That’s not how it works. You can’t punish an animal—or a person—into being better. Fear and humiliation just eat away at them from the inside. I’ve seen it in soldiers. And I’ve seen it on bigger stages.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(brows furrow) Bigger stages? What do you mean?
Solid Snake:
Nelly Furtado. I saw her at the Junos once. Suspended by wires. Hung up like a bird for everyone to laugh at. It wasn’t art—it was a ritual of humiliation. She was almost crying. The audience clapped, but they didn’t see the pain. Just like you don’t see Schnelly’s.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(pauses, looking down at Schnelly, who oinks softly) …You think I am humiliating her?
Solid Snake:
(steps forward, voice low) I know you are. And if you keep it up, she’ll carry that shame forever. You’re supposed to protect her, Arnold. Not break her.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(sighs, rubbing his temples) …Maybe you’re right, Snake. I remember when I was a boy in Austria, the other kids called me names too. Skinny. Weak. Like a pencil-neck. It made me angry… but it also made me hungry to prove them wrong. I thought that was the only way.
Solid Snake:
You fought back because you had fire inside you. But not everyone works that way. Most just get crushed. Schnelly’s not weak, Arnold. She just needs someone to believe in her.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(softly, kneeling down to pet Schnelly) …Okay, Schnelly. No more fat jokes. From now on, we train together. You and me. Pumping iron. Eating clean. We will show them all.
Solid Snake:
(smiles faintly) That’s more like it. Remember—real strength isn’t built on shame. It’s built on respect.
[Schnelly snorts happily, nuzzling Arnold’s hand. The bunker grows quiet, only the sound of her satisfied breathing filling the air.]
