Politics as Media Spectacle - Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California recall election gubernatorial victory demonstrates the
increasing collapse of the boundaries between entertainment and politics in an era of media
spectacle.
Over the past decades, major struggles around politics, race, gender, and sexuality have
played out in the media. In the 1990s, the O.J. Simpson trial, the Clinton sex scandals, and
the proliferation of tabloid journalism made serious political issues and conflicts the stuff of
popular entertainment and culture.
Moreover, presidential politics on the level of campaigns and governing have also exhibited
a growing politics of the image and spectacle. In our media-saturated society, politicians
become celebrities who fine tune their image through daily photo opportunities, spin out
their message of the day, and, like celebrities, employ image management firms to make
sure that their performance is playing well with the public.
In an era of media politics, celebrities can become politicians and take on increasingly
political roles. Hollywood stars of film and television were prominent opponents of the
Bush administration’s 2003 Iraq war, while teams of celebrities were employed by both
sides in the California recall election.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had a familiar role to play in the California recall election scenario.
The people were angry at higher taxes, energy costs, and what appeared to be a deteriorating
economy and were looking for a savior. Arnold presented himself as the hero on the white
horse who would ride into California and solve the problems.
His “Rescue California” ...
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media present his policies, actions, and colorful past. Schwarzenegger has allegedly paid
over a million dollars to purchase the original and outtakes from his 1976 film Stay Hungry
that allegedly has him singing “Springtime for Hitler” and prancing about in Nazi regalia
and poses, and there are Nazi poses of Schwarzenegger floating through the Internet. In an
era of political spectacle, image is all and negative images can produce critical views of
politicians and their policies as George W. Bush is learning from images of daily carnage
and mayhem in Iraq that put in question his foreign policy decisions. Schwarzenegger too
will become an important part of the spectacle of contemporary politics and what role he
plays will be determined by his policies and politics, the media, and how a volatile and
fickle public perceives him.
Stephen Skowronek writes about political time and how one can determine the legacy president will leave behind at the time their presidency is done. The president has immense powers when he comes to office but the challenges they each face vary depending on the time they take office. Skowronek analyzes and demonstrates that the most essential factor for a president to attempt to legitimize his actions and orders will be the actions of the president before him. According to the actions of George W. Bush is how we can determine where Barack Obama falls under and following the chain the next president. If Hillary Clinton were to win the 2016 election she would fall under the politics of articulation and Barack Obama would fall under the politics
Bush opens his speech by acknowledging the events of September 11, and those that lost the lives of loved ones and to those that gave their life trying to save others in the buildings. He appeals to those that remain strong by saying that, “These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong.” His use of pathos helps Bush to calm and control the public in order to keep the country together. This
Richard C. Nelson, the author, is a professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and the Planning Degree program at the University of Arizona. He has made substantial contributions in real estate analysis and urban growth trends. Nelson also created the term ‘megapolitan’ which he predicts the United States will have over twenty by 2040. These megapolitans are the result of the reverse sprawl and creating major economic centers, which will make America globally competitive. Nelson’s background ties in to many of his ideas in the book, with the main points focusing on demographic changes, housing trends, more space for future jobs and the benefits of reshaping metropolitan America. Changing demographics support the notion that more people are choosing an urban lifestyle over sprawl, which means a higher preference of
On November 8, 1966 California voters elected Republican candidate Ronald Reagan as the states 33rd Governor. Reagan defeated then two-term Governor, Democrat Edmund G. “Pat” Brown. This would be the first elected political office Ronald Reagan would hold in his long public career. Reagan would serve two terms as the Governor of California before going on to achieve greater heights serving as a two term President.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can be defined as having repetitive, unwanted, urges and thoughts that raise the need for excessive amounts of time or energy spent on the unwanted urges. OCD typically involved ritualistic like tendencies that result in two types of characteristics, obsessions and compulsions. Obsession can be characterized by the actions and thoughts that intrude one’s mind. As well as the uncontrollable and irrational impulses one must face with OCD. Compulsions can be defined as the act of doing excessive things related to behaviors. People feel the need to act on these compulsions for the sole purposes of releasing the anxiety they feel by the compulsive and reoccurring thoughts. In essence,...
Urban sprawl is a widespread concern that impacts land use, transportation, social and economic development, and most importantly our health. Poorly planned development is threatening our health, our environment and our quality of life. Sprawl is blamed for many things such as asthma and global warming, flooding and erosion, extinction of wildlife, and most importantly the public health such as social isolation and obesity due to people driving everywhere. Building offices, homes, shops, schools and other buildings influences the building of roads, transit and other transportation modes. This relationship that can lead to safe, walkable, diverse and lively communities or out of control, poorly planned urban sprawl. Unfortunately sprawl has been winning and the public health is at risk.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder involves a chemical imbalance in the brain. This chemical imbalance is thought to be the main reason for obsessions and compulsions, although there may be other factors as well. Nearly one in every fifty people suffers from symptoms of OCD ("Escape"), and approximately 5 million Americans are affected by it (George 82+). To be diagnosed with OCD, an individual must suffer from obsessions and compulsions that actually interfere with their daily lives (Lanning 58+).
Throughout the nation catastrophes occur on a daily basis; however there are a few catastrophes that have taken national precedence and left a traumatized nation. Most usually these catastrophes are an act of terrorism. Michael Nelson (2010) describes the nature of such terrorism catastrophes as disconcerting, unanticipated and that unnerve “the country’s sense of safety and identity” (p. 20). When such “a traumatic event results in the death of civilians” and “calls the nation’s institutions or values into question” the nation as a whole looks to their leader, our president, to offer solace and calm through a responsive speech (Campbell and Jamieson, 2008, p. 102). In Presidents Creating the Presidency, (2008) the authors have labeled these speeches as a national eulogy in which they usually occur at the sight of the
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder that can be best characterized by the recurrent or disturbing thoughts that are labeled as obsessions. Sometime these obsessions can take on the form of intrusive images or the unwanted impulses. The compulsions can come from the repetitive or ritualized behaviors that a person feels driven to perform on a daily basis. The majority of people with the diagnosis of OCD can have both obsessions and compulsions, but most of the times about 20% have obsessions alone while 10% may have the compulsions alone (Goodman M.D., 2013) . Common types that have been illustrated in individual’s diagnoses with OCD can be characterized with concerns of contamination, safety or harm to themselves, unwanted acts of aggression, the unacceptable sexual or religious thoughts, and the need for symmetry or exactness. While some of the most common compulsion can be characterized as excessive cleaning, checking, ordering, and arranging rituals or the counting and repeating routines activities that are done sometimes on a daily basis multiple times in a day.
Have you ever had a dream of moving outside the city and living with your wife, husband or kids with about an acre of land. Well if your dream becomes reality, than you are participating in Urban Sprawl. Urban Sprawl is the expanding of a city over its rural land with single-family homes in low-density neighborhoods. Low-density neighborhoods, with no transportation options are increasing energy costs. My cure is multiple story housing inside the city. Urban Sprawl is negative, because it causes bad health and environmental effects on society.
There are several things that are included in OCD, including its symptoms, treatments and its involvement with the brain. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder recognize their symptoms to be ego-dystonic which are thoughts one would not usually have and not within one’s control but is still a product of one’s mind. The two common symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions take the form of persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, worries, fears or doubts. An anonymous writer wrote about his/her images, “These images included hitting, stabbing, poisoning and shooting people, even the people I loved the most…” However, compulsions are either repetitive physical behaviors or mental thought rituals that are performed over and over again to help relieve a person’s anxiety. Over time compulsions can become more elaborate and time- consuming. Shirley Brinkerhoff mentions in her book Amanda, a high school girl facing OCD, said, “Then I started having to count my steps. Like, 387 steps to the bus stop, and if missed...
Always checking the door to make sure it is locked or the oven to make sure it is off? Or washing your hands constantly? You might have a psychological disorder known as an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It has recently been found that 2.2 million Americans have been tested and diagnosed with OCD and is a common disorder affecting 1-3% of children and adolescents (Thomsen 5). OCD is known to be hereditary and the symptoms may spread out and begin to get worse at different times (Thomsen 2). So what is OCD? What causes it, what are the treatments and symptoms of this behavior? How this disorder can affect a human’s life? I will answer all these questions throughout this paper.
Liberalism, formed in the latter part of the 18th Century from opposition to existing political monarchies in Europe, was based on rights of individuals and the responsibility of government to protect those rights. Conservative philosophy was born as a reaction to dangerous tendencies detected within the liberal movement toward excessive governmental control. While conservatives form the base of their beliefs on traditional values, respect for authority, and maintaining custom, liberals fought government tendencies to diminish, ignore, or abuse individual human rights. Both beliefs balanced each other until liberalism shifted its emphasis from protecting individual rights from government to using government as a source for supplying basic life necessities. The modern liberal agenda began as President Johnson's Great Society to wipe out poverty and enhance the quality of life for all Americans.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is a mental illness which affects a person’s thoughts and actions. It is categorized as an anxiety disorder. People with obsessive compulsive disorder are known to have reoccurring thoughts and/or engage in the same behaviors multiple times throughout the day which they feel compelled to do. Sometimes, obsessions become disturbing images or uncontrollable impulses. A person with this disorder most often tries to get rid of obsessive thoughts by pe...
Foa, Edna B. How do treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder compare?. (July 1995). Harvard Mental Health Letter v12 n1 pg.8