Althouse: "The former Mr. Universe traces his detachment to his bodybuilding days, where he says emotions make athletes lose."

October 1, 2012

"The former Mr. Universe traces his detachment to his bodybuilding days, where he says emotions make athletes lose."

Arnold Schwarzenegger explains how and why he "became an expert in living in denial."

29 comments:

rhhardin said...: The great thing about Schwartzenegger is that lots of people can do the Austrian accent and slightly wrong word order.

So he enables great radio.; 10/1/12, 5:53 AM
virgil xenophon said...: @rhhardin/

So true! My son is living proof as he is legendary among his contemporaries for his ability to do a dead-on mimic our man "AHnald."; 10/1/12, 6:02 AM
edutcher said...: I have a feeling it started when he learned broadcasting the fact Dad was an SS trooper would not do him much good in the US of A.; 10/1/12, 6:07 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: The usual psychotherapeutic bullshit.

The guy was governor of CA, so what else can you expect?

This post is another in today's theme of psychotherapeutic bullshit centered on self-esteem quackery.; 10/1/12, 7:05 AM
wyo sis said...: More bullshit.; 10/1/12, 7:52 AM
Martha said...: Arnold denied more than emotions--he apparently denied acknowledging the son born to his housekeeper until even Maria could deny the resemblance no longer.; 10/1/12, 7:56 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Arnold denied more than emotions--he apparently denied acknowledging the son born to his housekeeper until even Maria could deny the resemblance no longer.

One of the uses of the bathetic psychotherapeutic truth telling session is the deflection of actual responsibility for what you did.

"I had a bad childhood!"

"Society made me do it!"; 10/1/12, 8:05 AM
Paddy O said...: "Shriver confronted him during a January 2011 counseling session and he finally acknowledged the boy"

She confronted him? For expressing his sexuality?

Good thing Arnold is heterosexual, otherwise such behavior would get Shriver thrown into prison now in California. Not just Shriver. The counselor too.; 10/1/12, 9:05 AM
ricpic said...: Girly man showed no backbone at all as governor. The important thing, the only thing, was to be accepted by the beautiful people. And if that meant California down the drain, so be it. Some tough guy.; 10/1/12, 9:10 AM
Anonymous said...: Ross Douthat, a Catholic, writes about the subject of religion, and what's replacing it in A Nation Of Heretics.

The Catholic Church has been in decline for a while, but people aren't any less religious, his argument goes, because that's human nature.

Instead you get Yoga, New Age, The Cult of Oprah, Prosperity preachers, Mega churches, Self-Help etc.

California, L.A. especially, is full of this kind of thinking. You see it in nearly every sitcom and movie that comes out.; 10/1/12, 9:13 AM
Anonymous said...: Actually, a lot of people who go to Hollywood come from somewhat religious backgrounds and stew in Lotus-land for a while.

That tension still drives a lot of what goes on there.

Arnold was just a small town Austrian boy with a cop father, who heard the call.; 10/1/12, 9:16 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: "The former Mr. Universe traces his detachment to his bodybuilding days, where he says emotions make athletes lose."

I'm actually buying this from Arnie because I knew there was something wrong with him after I first saw Pumping Iron. I was a huge fan of his as a kid but, after watching how he treated Lou Ferrigno, it was over. And I clearly remember him saying, then, it was what he had to do.

And, for all of you claiming "bullshit," let me ask you something:

When was the last time you stood before someone, other than a kid, and demanded they stop some behavior that was damaging or else?

As far as I'm concerned - because I certainly don't see cults getting the treatment from society for what they do (Hey - there's Mitt Romney!) - you're all to blame for all of it:

Adultery, lying, murder, con games, ponzi schemes, exploitation of all kinds, you name it.

This is now a lawless society of cowards who are only willing to step-up online,...; 10/1/12, 9:58 AM
Martha said...: Maria was also apparently an expert at living in denial. Arnold said on 60 Minutes that Maria confronted him several times BEFORE the Marital Counseling session the day after Arnold's term as Governor expired and each time Arnold lied to Maria and she chose to believe him......until his political career was over.

Was Maria's detachment from reality developed after years of body building too?; 10/1/12, 10:23 AM
Paddy O said...: "When was the last time you stood before someone, other than a kid, and demanded they stop some behavior that was damaging or else?"

Yesterday. And twice last week.

That's not counting college students, either (who got a few 'or elses" from me as well)

It was been a very confrontative September for me. My online persona leaks out from my real life persona.; 10/1/12, 10:26 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Paddy O,

It was been a very confrontative September for me. My online persona leaks out from my real life persona.

Why am I not surprised it would be you?

Because you don't treat me and what I try to do like a dick, that's why:

You're a good man Paddy-O,...; 10/1/12, 10:35 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Martha,

Maria was also apparently an expert at living in denial. Arnold said on 60 Minutes that Maria confronted him several times BEFORE the Marital Counseling session the day after Arnold's term as Governor expired and each time Arnold lied to Maria and she chose to believe him......until his political career was over.

Was Maria's detachment from reality developed after years of body building too?

No, that was from being a Kennedy.

Ghastly disease, that one is,...; 10/1/12, 10:37 AM
traditionalguy said...: I say correlation and not causation, because most body builders are introverted and shy men who want to attract attention for their muscles.

The best athletes are not muscle bound Charles Atlas freaks. But those freaks get noticed where ever they go like women with 44DDD breast implants gets noticed.; 10/1/12, 10:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Why does a dog lich his balls?; 10/1/12, 10:58 AM
McTriumph said...: Poor Arnold, he is still in denile, body builders are athletes?; 10/1/12, 11:03 AM
Mountain Maven said...: What a load!
Please don't post this tabloid stuff.; 10/1/12, 12:49 PM
Anonymous said...: Years ago, I remember reading an interview with Arnold in which he said that when he went back to Austria to visit his family, they asked him to shovel snow from the sidewalk in front of the house - and he did so, and got tired and sore "because bodybuilding uses different muscles."

"Athelete," my foot. Being able to run fast, or throw a ball (or spear) accurately conferred an evolutionary advantage to males. Being able to pose in a Speedo and lift heavy weights for a few moments at a time (which, apparently, does not transfer into being able to steadily use that strength for any length of time) does not.; 10/1/12, 2:02 PM
Methadras said...: Get to the choppah!!!; 10/1/12, 3:02 PM
Methadras said...: Arnold isn't wrong. The level of egotistical narcissism required to compete in the body building community is unbelievable on a scale that would keep psychiatrists and psychologists neck deep in what constitutes neurosis and psychosis. I know a lot of these guys. Outside the gym they are decent men just doing their thing, but inside the gym, they become gods and they know it.; 10/1/12, 3:05 PM
Anonymous said...: Being an asshole also helps.

The PA system got turned on once while a movie was being filmed and Arnie was getting his dick sucked by some idiot. (while he was married, of course.) This is one reason I did not vote for him. It was depressing how swept up even Dems got into his cult of celebrity.

I cannot believe Maria Shriver quit her kick ass job so he could be governor.; 10/1/12, 3:47 PM
Anonymous said...: My psycho sexual theory of Maria Shriver:

Maria Shriver said once that she went for Arnie because the hometown preppie boys were too boring and respectful to interest her. She needed something different. Preppie guys are NOT necessarily boring and respectful to girls outside their social class, but perhaps they were too intimidated by the Kennedy name and connection to treat her as badly/roughly as she apparently needed to be treated in her youth to register excitement. Enter Arnie.... and irony.; 10/1/12, 3:51 PM
Methadras said...: sleepless nights said...

My psycho sexual theory of Maria Shriver:

Maria Shriver said once that she went for Arnie because the hometown preppie boys were too boring and respectful to interest her. She needed something different. Preppie guys are NOT necessarily boring and respectful to girls outside their social class, but perhaps they were too intimidated by the Kennedy name and connection to treat her as badly/roughly as she apparently needed to be treated in her youth to register excitement. Enter Arnie.... and irony.

Ergo, badboy asshole syndrome hardwired programming strikes again.; 10/1/12, 4:00 PM
Paddy O said...: Crack, thanks. That genuinely means a lot coming from you.; 10/1/12, 11:03 PM
Paddy O said...: One more comment. It occurred to me that this very much fits with how Arnold governed. He makes commitments, but at the end, or the middle, or the beginning of the day, it's all about him and he'll take the easy route, screwing the maid or the people of California if it makes life easier for him.; 10/2/12, 7:21 AM
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