Fan Appreciation or Condescension?

What does Arnold Schwarzenegger REALLY think of regular people?

by Phil Maxwell, October 2004

Is Arnold sticking out his tongue at his fans?

This unedited GIF image of Arnold's signature appears on each entry in his "Ask Arnold" section of his official website, Schwarzenegger.com, where from 1999 to early 2003, he answered a handful of fan letters every few months on average. On earlier entries (he answers 5 or 6 fan questions at a time), it only appears at the very bottom of the page, but on the later ones, it appears under each response. The above images are actual size, 3x, and 6x the original, respectively.

Is Arnold sticking his tongue out at his own fans after pandering to them with predictable flatteries? I'm sure the official version would be that "the tongue" is merely a smudge, and who could prove otherwise? Nevertheless, compared to other strokes in the signature and doodle, its a notable smudge near the center of what looks like two clean and unbroken strokes.

There is a larger question raised by this, however, and that is, what is Arnold's real attitude towards "regular" people outside the Hollywood and political aristocracies? His published fan mail responses seem predictably flattering, but most of us know the difference between a waitresses pre-tip friendliness and genuine respect; likewise for campaign superlatives like "I want to represent the people because the only thing that counts for me is the people." Really, now? The ONLY thing that counts is the people? I honestly don't know whether I'm more concerned about this being poorly rendered political flattery or, perhaps veiled behind a convenient image of sub-par verbal English skills, an honest expression of a megalomaniacal persona.

First of all, we're talking about a man who vigorously practices his own personal philosophy that "you have to do everything possible to win no matter what," and has a history proving that 'everything possible' means just that, no morality considerations implied or intended. He brags that he knows how to sell something, especially himself, and adds as a campaign appeal, "It's up to me to sell to the people and to convince the people that I can do the job." But let us consider some of the tactics he employed in the basis of this boast, that he sold "bodybuilding when nobody knew what bodybuilding was in this country."

In his 1977 Oui Magazine interview, he admits to saying "outrageous things in order to get the attention and all that stuff," with regard to the sexual hedonism he projected in the documentary movie "Pumping Iron", which more than anything he did personally (others orchestrated the production of the movie) elevated bodybuilding's stature, though he doesn't mind taking the full credit generally attributed to him for that. Further, in the 2002 re-release of the film, he reportedly (I haven't seen it) admits to lying about skipping his dad's funeral for the sake of his training in the original version, apparently another example of doing "everything possible to win no matter what." If there is anything remotely resembling remorse leading to higher regard for truthfulness in the record of his comments, it has thus eluded me, and I see no reason to think he has any higher regard for it now. In other words, he at least seems true to his philosophy, even at the expense of the truth.

So, when he says that the people are all that count for him, I am left wondering what, if anything beyond flattery, he meant. He has said, "I was born to be a leader. I love the fact that millions of people look up to me." Is that what counts to Arnold, the admiration of millions of people? I guess saying "the only thing that counts for me is the people" might be the way some would say they love being admired by millions. This is a man who has cited everyone from Hercules to Hitler to Jesus as idols because of their power over other people, and he sees himself as another incarnation of these "great" icons of power.

meg·a·lo·ma·ni·a

1 : a mania for great or grandiose performance
2 : a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur

Ref: Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary

"...paranoid grandiosity, or delusions of grandeur (also known as megalomania), [is] characterized by the false belief that one is a superlative person."

Ref: Encyclopedia Britannica

"I knew I was a winner back in the late sixties. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way - I hope it never will." (ref: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, 1979)

"I was always dreaming about very powerful people, dictators and things like that. I was always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years or like Jesus for thousands of years." (ref: "Pumping Iron" 1977)

"I admired Hitler, for instance, because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for what he did with it. [he wants to experience being].. like Hitler in the Nuremberg stadium and have all those people scream at you and just being total agreement whatever you say." (ref: ABC New report 10/3/2003)

"It is one thing to idolize heroes. It is quite another to visualize yourself in their place. When I saw great people, I said to myself, 'I can be there.'" (Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1979)

"When I was in Stay Hungry years ago, I said to myself, 'There is Clint Eastwood up there and Charles Bronson and Warren Beatty, so why not me too? It seems pretty empty up there, so what the hell? There is room for one more. I can squeeze in there'." (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

What does Arnold Schwarzenegger really think about regular, non-superstar type folks? In addition to considering himself capable of selling himself on virtually any level to the general population (a proven talent!), he aspires to the highest pinnacles of power over others possible. He covets the admiration of millions, and last but not least, he holds a very Nazi-like social view, evidenced by his comments in a 1990 interview with U.S. News: "My relationship to power and authority is that I'm all for it. People need somebody to watch over them. Ninety-five percent of the people in the world need to be told what to do and how to behave," and further in a NY Times article during the 2003 recall election (unverified):

"In many ways I admired people — It depends for what. I admired Hitler for instance because he came from being a little man with almost no formal education, up to power. And I admire him for being such a good public speaker and for his way of getting to the people and so on. But I didn't admire him for what he did with it. It is very hard to say who I admired and who are my heroes. And I admired basically people who are powerful people, like Kennedy. Who people listen to and just wait until he comes out with telling them what to do. People like that I admire a lot.

(Based on transcripts of the "Pumping Iron" interviews released by the Schwarzenegger campaign: )

Elsewhere in the transcript, Mr. Schwarzenegger said, "We can't live without authority. Because I feel that a certain amount of people who were meant to do this and control, and a large amount, like 95 percent of the people who we have to tell what to do and how to keep order. That is why I am all for it."

Mr. Schwarzenegger also reflected on the use of power in Germany during the war. "Yes, in Germany they used power and authority but it was used in the wrong way," Mr. Schwarzenegger said. But he added, "I feel if you want to create a strong nation and a strong country you cannot let everybody be an individual, because everybody has his own opinions and you can't just stick together as a strong nation. Then you have to tell people what to do and you can't just let them float away. In Germany there was a lot of unity. The German soldiers were the best, and with the police force and everything."

Still he said, "It was misused on the power. First, it started having, I mean, getting Germany out of the great recession and having everybody jobs and so on and then it was just misused. And they said, let's take this country, and let's wipe out this country, and let's wipe out whole Europe, and let's get America, and so on. That's bad."

Asked what system of government he preferred, Mr. Schwarzenegger said, "America," but he continued: 'Except there's only one thing I don't like here and that people go on their own little trips too much. The unity isn't there anymore. And I don't think it's too much the people's fault. I think it's because we don't have a strong leader here."

Whether the apparent outstretched tongue in his digital doodle means anything or not, the apparent and obviously intended meaning of Arnold's declaration that the people were the ONLY thing that mattered to him loses all credibility in the light of his well-documented high ambitions and total lack of scruples. However, since a king is only as powerful as his kingdom, another less obvious interpretation of his words is evident. I just wouldn't want to be counted amongst the greatly valued goats of his flock who need someone like him to tell me "what to do and how to behave."

Fan Appreciation?

What does Arnold Schwarzenegger REALLY think of regular people?

by Phil Maxwell, October 2004

Is Arnold sticking out his tongue at his fans?