"I am a salesman by nature," the former Mr. Universe and film star said in his first State of the State address to the California legislature, an address that wound up being televised around the world.
"And now most of my energies will go to selling California," he said before mentioning two of his box office duds. "If I can sell tickets to my movies like 'Red Sonja' or 'The Last Action Hero', you know I can sell just about anything."
Hardy, har, har. I know we're far from having a philosopher king ever ruling any form of human civilization (and maybe that's a good thing), but why do we celebrate being gregarious (and in this case, not even a witty form of it) over all other forms of being (contemplation, judicious decision-making, practical experience, and so on)? People would rather have a weightlifting moron in office because he seems to be sociable, and certainly looks strong. The fact that he has no experience with holding office (let's remember this isn't city hall he's running), no credentials that suggest he is learned enough to understand the variety and complexity of issues facing a governor, and no credentials that even suggest he can think on his feet, means nothing?
Add to all of that the cynical truth about Schwarzenegger's rise to power amid accusations of sexism and racism: He probably gained more approval than he lost for his sexism and racism. People say stupid things like, "Well, at least he had the fortitude to admit to his past actions." Well, sure, but wouldn't it be better if he weren't a racist, misogynist asshole? Instead, people read his openness about being a misogynist asshole as some kind of virtue, because it shows that he's up-front about things, he's direct, he's a straight shooter. The valorization of extroverted behaviour for its own sake ("he's a salesman") is indicative of a culture that has stopped thinking and is voting on name recognition alone.
He's a salesman? What's he selling? That's the real issue, not his willingness to promote himself. In this case, Schwarzenegger is selling out the state of California by letting Enron off the hook for the tens of billions of dollars it cost the state.
Self-promotion is easy; just watch wrestling for some tips. The hard part is introspection and humility.
