Good psycho-analysis. Wonder why Dr. Hatimuria didn't think of it before. OP-ED COLUMNIST Arnold's Biggest FanBy BOB HERBERT
Published: October 6, 2003 ARTICLE TOOLSE-Mail This ArticlePrinter-Friendly FormatMost E-Mailed Articles Columnist Page: Bob Herbert Forum: Discuss This Column E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] TIMES NEWS TRACKER Topics Alerts [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] [input] Schwarzenegger, Arnold [input] Governors (US) [input] California [input] e may once have admired Hitler for whatever reasons, but I'm sure if you asked Arnold Schwarzenegger whom he admires most, the honest answer would be, "Ah-nold!" Welcome to the world of undiluted narcissism. The man who is now the betting favorite to become the next governor of the crazy state of California has spent a lifetime pirouetting in front of cameras and mirrors, contemplating his navel and every other part of his once-buff bod. If there's a voter anywhere in the state who thinks this character will spend even a hot minute wrestling with the realities of budgets and such, that person should seek immediate counseling. There's a reason Mr. Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." He doesn't want to govern. He just wants to be adored. An article in The Times on Friday quoted the following telling passage attributed to Mr. Schwarzenegger in a book proposal: "The feeling like Kennedy had, you know, to speak to maybe 50,000 people at one time and having them cheer, or like Hitler in the Nuremberg stadium. And have all those people scream at you and just being in total agreement with whatever you say." The adoration is the thing. In the mad, mad world of Hollywood stardom the undiluted narcissist doesn't have to worry about what to say. The image is everything. The words come in a script. It's a splendid system. The mind � undisturbed by original thoughts � can remain focused on the most important matter, which is always the self. Mr. Schwarzenegger has given us several striking examples of the danger inherent in a character speaking without a script. When a farmer asked him why California needed a state Environmental Protection Agency when there is also a federal E.P.A., Mr. Schwarzenegger ad-libbed as follows: "What you just talked about is the waste � overlapping agencies. They cost a fortune. We have to strip that down and get rid of some of those agencies." Oops. Arnold's handlers � scriptwriters by any other name � were quick to say he didn't really want to eliminate the state agency, Cal/E.P.A. No, no, no. He definitely didn't want to abolish the agency, which just happened to have been founded by the co-chairman of Mr. Schwarzenegger's campaign, Pete Wilson, the former California governor. The man hasn't a clue. He's a real candidate, but he campaigns as if he's playing one on TV. In another unscripted moment, this one relating to his behavior with women, the candidate said, "I don't remember so many of the things that I was accused of having done." I believe him. For one thing, he's apparently been acting boorishly � or worse � for several decades. If you reach out and touch as many people as Arnold's supposed to have touched, it would be impossible to remember them all. Narcissism in its purist form is all-consuming. It leaves little or no room for the consideration of others. Life is all about that special individual: me. In the quote attributed to him in the book proposal, Mr. Schwarzenegger was unconcerned about the profound differences between a Kennedy and a Hitler. He was interested only in the wild applause, the unrestrained adulation � and how he might get a taste of that for himself. Narcisissm is about seduction, manipulation and the quest for power and control. There is no better breeding ground for it than Hollywood. But even in Hollywood, Arnold is an extraordinary case. He just grabs whatever he wants. In this case, if he wins tomorrow, it will be the governorship of the biggest state in the union. He can do this because the public allows him to do it. After all, he's a movie star. The Terminator. Why should anyone demand that he come up with some kind of program for a Schwarzenegger administration? Or even demonstrate a minimal understanding of the state's problems, or how its government works? Mr. Schwarzenegger is the favorite in California because, incredibly, he's perceived as a strong leader by many voters. In reality, he seems little more than an aging but still frisky goof-artist, a fun-loving egomaniac with a winning smile and very little understanding of what is appropriate behavior. But he's played spectacularly strong leaders in one cartoonish movie after another. As scary as it seems, for a lot of voters in California, that's reason enough to hand him the reins of their government. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam
