my experience with an Arnold supporter

[Gingersnap]

Even though I live in CA, I don't often interact with people who are pro-recall (working at home may have something to do with it). Yesterday I had a horrible, infuriating encounter that made me feel really hopeless about the recall.

I went to my hairstylist's for a haircut. As usual, he was running behind and I waited and chatted with him and his current client. The topic turned to the recall and the client--a Romanian immigrant, wealthy Botox doctor--suddenly got excited and said "Arnie's gonna kick some ass! I hate Grey Davis." My hairstylist said, "what makes you think Arnold is qualified to be governor?" I chimed in with, "if you're a republican, why aren't you supporting McClintock, who actually has political experience?"

Anyway, the guy had no answers and then my hairstylist (who works in movies) said that all the allegations of inappropriate behavior to women are true. To which this guy replied: "Who cares, all of them do that. Name me one man who wouldn't grab a woman's ass if he could get away with it." :puke: Fortunately my hairstylist said, "I wouldn't, most men I know wouldn't" (He's NOT gay).

Things got worse when I asked what he didn't like about Davis or the other candidates and he said they all are owned by special interests. I asked him which he had in mind (he obviously didn't know what special interests means) and he attacked me and said that I am "ignorant."

I was so mad, I told him, "I'm going to end this conversation now because you are starting to treat women the way your candidate does."
:mad:

I'm still angry. It looks like not only does Arnold have the ignorant vote, but also that some people are drawn to him by the sexist shit.

So, is this guy a "Freeper" or are freepers only the stupid, redneck conservatives? Can a Freeper wear a suit and be a doctor?

[Loyal]

1. Nah, I don't think a freeper can wear a suit

and be a doctor. Freepers are generally stupid, and you can't become a doctor without being intelligent.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Sure He's a REAL Doctor?

There are a lot of "mail order" doctors in this country...especially from former Soviet Bloc Countries.

Sadly, there are a lot of Neandertal immigrants in this country...from patrician cultures where women are still considered property or second class breeding machines, at best. And this includes many of the largest immigrant groups in California...Iranians, Koreans, Hispanics (the macho culture) and Japanese.

In some eyes a man who is put down by a woman (this includes rebuffs for sex) are considered less than a man; thus the appeal of Arnie's macho crap.

But then I think there's a deeper primordial fascination with the Gropinator. It's his movie/macho personna...as if he's got some magical power...a Superman; larger than life and this is the subliminal game that seems to be working very effectively for TeamAhnold.

Unfortunately we can't prevent people voting based on baseless stupidity.

[Gingersnap]

9. I'd like to think he's a mail order doc

since my hubbie's a doctor and I hate to think of them in the same category. The just bought a $5million mansion in Palos Verdes (my hairdresser has been there) and so he's obviously making a lot of money. I know a lot of doctors are conservative (the taxes thing), but no one my husband works with supports Arnold openly or defends his sexist behavior.

[KharmaTrain]

13. It's A Cultural Thing

I'm from a medical family (my father practiced for over 50 years) and he constantly complained about the immigrant doctors who came over...worked cheap and took a lot of short-cuts and were making tons of money. He was extemely critical of how these guys were so ito their material goods, making money and showing it off than for the care of their patients.

Personally, I've worked with many ethnic groups in broadcasting for over 25 years and have had a fascinating window into many cultures...good and bad. One common string is the male sexist nature of many of these cultures and the second-class status many women have (although the women are the ones who keep their culture and society intact through raising children and keeping the household).

It's a shame that these immigrants are so selfish and greedy...some finally getting the opportunity and ready to shut the door on others (including their own) that could use a similar break.

[Djinn]

17. a little off topic

To be a doctor you're supposed to take an oath that states "first do no harm"

Botox is one of the most toxic poisons known to man and we inject it to paralyse our face for absoloutely no medical reasons but purely so we don't get wrinkles.

I think ANY doctor performing any kind of purely cosmetic procedure shouldn't be allowed to call themselves a doctor - call them medical make up artists or something. Since when does injecting foreign subtances into your bloodstream "do no harm"

[zonmoy]

19. are you sure

he wasnt a clone of dr mengele. I do hope I spelled the name right.

[rogerashton]

10. Sure you can.

A lady of my acquaintance has both MD and PhD. Got PhD first, said that medical school (necessary for her research) was like going back to high school. "All you do is memorize."

There are stupid people with good memories, and smart people with bad memories, like me.

[name not needed]

20. yeah ya can

anyone can buy an honorary doctorate from the universal life church for 35 dollars. screw med school. this wont put you 250 grand in debt.

[lapauvre]

23. Hi, Loyal

I think you are probably someone whose posts I used to love, for they were frequent and entirely kept a website I once went to and posted on.

But I transgressed and was kicked off.

But, as they said in the movie, Airplane, that doesn't matter.

What's a freeper?
Luv.

[mhr]

2. I'm Not Californian, Just a Citizen Looking On the Situation

I am afarid that there is cretan element of men that secretly want Arnold to win because they desperately would love to live his life.

I know that is sad, but as a male I feel it is true.

I think the BOTOX doctor reflects this attitude.

[Gingersnap]

3. totally

and I was naive enough to think that people only supported Arnold out of ignorance or his celebrity--not for THIS reason. But it seemed like this guy, as you say, secretly wants Arnold's life. He cited the whole thing about how these women must be lying or paid by Democrats because any woman would want Arnold. ICK. Makes my skin crawl.

[Jackie97]

21. This woman sure wouldn't want Arnold....

Not after seeing him in that picture looking at women like he was a kid looking at a cake. How disgusting.

I sometimes think that Americans actually respect this in MALE politicians or at least don't care at all.

[Cassandra]

15. Here's some support for that view

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-faludi5oct05,1,7785362.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

" The men who don't make it to the top in that world still have the compensation of identifying with the one man who does, as long as they don't identify with any of the women, as long as they don't "say nothing." They still belong to the pack, by virtue of being male.

No matter how much sand gets kicked in their face, they still can fantasize that one day they, too, like Charles Atlas, will do enough leg lifts to rise in the ranks. At a time of deep economic and international insecurity, the easy power of the bully boy is a siren call to the American male populace, as evidenced by President Bush's continuing allure to the very men whose interests are least served by his domestic and foreign policies. The locker room game works as long as only men get to play, and only as long as they agree to play by certain rules. One rule is that sensuality is verboten, but aggressive jocularity is not. Humiliating women in a "playful" way can signal a powerful rejection of "the feminine" and a powerful reinforcement of male bonding. "
:crazy:

[wryter2000]

4. Condolences

At least you told him off. And your hair stylist sounds like a great guy.

[LibDemAlways]

5. A "freeper" IMO is anyone with wingnut views

who believes all repukes are good - no matter what, all social programs are bad (except those that apply to them), and who have an irrational hatred of "liberals" and especially Bill and Hillary Clinton.

That doctor may know his botox, but he doesn't know jack shit about what's going on around him. Ignorant fool.

[Gingersnap]

8. semantics of "freeper"

perhaps we can classify this guy as a "freeper," but reserve the term "freeptard" for the uneducated, redneck variety?

[Cha]

6. We know arnie has supporters and you ran into a prime (primal)

example! You did well! And there are always going to be people as ignorant as the "botox doc"...but I can't believe they are anywhere near the majority even though it won't take a majority to win..
If arnie gets in I can't believe another recall won't be far behind.

[GAspnes]

11. you just ran into what passes for thought in most people

we're hammered, day in and day out, by catch-phrases and code words and sound bites and hidden persuasion. Most peoples' brains would go up in smoke if they had to deal with actually *thinking* through which drain cleaner to buy, or which candidate to vote for. So, to reduce the overload, decisions are made which pass as beliefs but are actually just filters to keep the confusion at bay.

Your conversation partner has made up his mind. Changing it is a lot of work and would invalidate the decision he has already made. You were just seeing your ideas bounce off his shield.

On edit: correct usage of plural apostrophe

[dofus]

12. Speaking of hairdressers,

I've stopped going to the one who did my hair for thirteen years because I could no longer tolerate her conservative adoration of George W Bush. And this was another person who, if she'd thought it through, would understand that Bush & Co are not out to help people like her.

[Jackie97]

14. Yes....

A freeper can wear a suit and be a doctor. They can look totally sophisticated and so unlike a redneck.

The supporter might also have supported Arnold because he's a star. People are stupid like that. Remember when Jesse Vantura of Minnesota won the election being a Libertarian, but was also already popular?

[Joe Flowers]

16. Not a Freeper...

Freepers are right wing nuts... but they generally have some idea as to why. This guy is just an idiot that's gotten swept up in the "Terminator for Governor" nonsense.

[johnlal]

18. Wow, what a sad world.

I have a lot of problems with a doctor who says, "Name me one man who wouldn't grab a woman's ass if he could get away with it." A doctor has many opportunities to "get away with it". We put a lot of trust in our fellow man, but the trust is heightened when it comes to doctors. No one would ever make him/herself vulnerable to a doctor with this type of attitude, but we have to do so in order to keep ourselves healthy.

I think that the Republican party has been underfunding the public schools on purpose-- to generate more sympathetic voters.

[lapauvre]

22. I appreciate a conservative who is aware

Ginger, I don't live in CA, but I have two sons and a daughter born in CA. And in the 1964 election I was a dedicated Young Republican.
I visited the Altadena Americanism Bookstore, and I studied with the John Birch Society. I was totally gung ho for conservatism. Hah.

Mea culpa. Grey Davis was indeed "gray," like in dismal.

But Grey Davis did not use the best weapon available to him to prevent his recall, the NATIONAL economy. Too bad, Grey. You missed the point.

There are many other states in much worse financial condition due to the tax cuts for the top one percent, or five percent, or whatever.

The current administration can say, and truthfully so, that the majority of the tax cuts went to the middle class. Indeed. They did. Numerically. But the majority of the money went to that top one percent or five percent. There are majorities in the number of people, and there are majorities in the numbers of dollars.

As, for example we could once say the majority of welfare was given to the minorities of citizens. At that time, the most accused minority were African-Americans (I hate that term, but I believe it is the acceptable one.)

However, at that time, African-Americans accounted for only 12-13% of the population. Limited to that 12-13% of the population of Afican-Americans on welfare measured by percentage, that minority far exceeded the percentage of "white" people on welfare. But the number of "white" people on welfare by far exceeded the number of "African-Americans" on welfare.

Relative to that, the financial nightmare that California faces is due to the fact that California is, as has been often stated, historically one of the wealthiest (if not THE wealthiest) State in the Union. It's citizens are laid back, live and let live kind of people, open to and examples of everything that is great about America. I loved California. I learned so much there.

I admit that Davis did not impress me much; I agree that there are many hardships that the people of California are not accustomed to having to face; but it isn't limited to California. Maybe California is the tail that wags the tiger, but most of the rest of the States are suffering as well. Again proportionally. Most other States have not enjoyed the towering concentration of wealth and achievement's of California.

Maybe they are just more used to the deprivation. Mississippi has been down the tubes for generations. Alabama not much better. Most of the Southeastern United States could be obliterated, and it wouldn't make a dent in the National economy. California is just not used to it.

As to Arnold, just please, please, don't devote yourself to him as President of the United States.

Thanks.