Lots of people like to give Arnold a hard time now for spreading too much love and for being Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But...aside from his personal bullshit, his selfishness,his superficial way of thinking, his greed, his stupid movies, and his brute demeanor, I think he´s still a likeable person. And definitely someone who deserves admiration for going his way. I don´t really understand all the hoopla about him having an illegitimate lovechild.

He´s still a bodybuilding icon who has revolutionized the subculture (or sport?) of bodybuilding, he starred in one of my all time favorite movies ( Conan the Barbarian ), I really like Terminator and Total Recall and Predator, and I think he really had the best intentions when he ran for governor for the first time. And he´s very inspiring and motivating, sort of the epitome of the American Dream.

I also like his humor and that he openly admits that he smoked weed in the past and had a wild sex life. What I don´t like is what he did to Mike Mentzer with Joe Weider and how he´s treated certain women in the past.

Soooooo.......what´s the verdict on this great, great actor , philantropist, politician, bodybuilder and philosopher?

What are your favorite Arnold "eras"?

What are your favorite movies? And for those who don´t like him, why do you dislike him?

How do you rate him as a politician?

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Machaela said:

I KNEW you ´d respond. Still waiting for Serious to join you.

Hey, I´m not REALLY a fan.

By the way, did you watch "Pumping Iron"?

Nice documentary, has that 70s vibe and the bonus material on the DVD is interesting.

Don´t be so hard on Arnold. He´s going through rough times. And you both smoked weed in the 70s, so there IS some common ground.

Show some luv.

Nay!

KoolEaze said:

Machaela said:

I KNEW you ´d respond. Still waiting for Serious to join you.

Hey, I´m not REALLY a fan.

By the way, did you watch "Pumping Iron"?

Nice documentary, has that 70s vibe and the bonus material on the DVD is interesting.

Don´t be so hard on Arnold. He´s going through rough times. And you both smoked weed in the 70s, so there IS some common ground.

Show some luv.

WTF I was a kid and very young teen in the 70s and didnt touch weed in that decade

he is creepy ... I never have nor ever will vibe with him

creepy creeper scary looking mofo that he is

there's something about him you just want to like.

CM7 said:

there's something about him you just want to like.

I'm with you. I like Arnold. Even with what he did....shit, I ain't his wife...I ain't mad at him.

Nay

Yeah, I like Conan, and I like Terminator 1 & 2, but other than that it's a nay.

Big NAY

I like The Terminator, Predator and T-2, but he could have died in 1992 for all the fuck I care

Bullshit politics: uncontrolled neoliberalism, he was a Nixon/Reagan fanboy after all

Bad husband

Borderline machista

Bodybuilding??? omg, how many drugs/hormones did he take in the 80s???

American dream comes true??? This is a guy with random intelligence/culture who controlled California just because he had the support of some wealthy californian businessman... dream my ass...just fuckin' $

While cheating is wrong, nobody knows what Maria and Arnold's marriage was really like and what went on their household. I really don't like this media witch hunt against him- he's only a human being- he made a mistake which millions of men make, and he is doing the right thing- and is taking responsibility for his actions. Media need to quit b*tching on him and leave him alone.

At least he cared for his kid

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[Edited 7/22/11 16:22pm]

suga10 said:

he's only a human being- he made a mistake which millions of men make, and he is doing the right thing- and is taking responsibility for his actions.

At least he cared for his kid

that's why I said he's a bad husband, lol

JoeTyler said:

suga10 said:

he's only a human being- he made a mistake which millions of men make, and he is doing the right thing- and is taking responsibility for his actions.

At least he cared for his kid

that's why I said he's a bad husband, lol

Yeah he's not husband material, but he seems like a good father.

KoolEaze said:

Machaela said:

I KNEW you ´d respond. Still waiting for Serious to join you.

Hey, I´m not REALLY a fan.

By the way, did you watch "Pumping Iron"?

Nice documentary, has that 70s vibe and the bonus material on the DVD is interesting.

Don´t be so hard on Arnold. He´s going through rough times. And you both smoked weed in the 70s, so there IS some common ground.

Show some luv.

I guess you already know my answer "nay"

Yeah, he's made some mistakes....but his films have entertained alot of people (Predator can still cheer me up when I'm having the worst of days) and he's done alot of other good work to help people when he didn't have to (the Inner City Games)....

...there's ALOT worse people out there in the world than Arnie...

DaveT said:

Yeah, he's made some mistakes....but his films have entertained alot of people (Predator can still cheer me up when I'm having the worst of days) and he's done alot of other good work to help people when he didn't have to (the Inner City Games)....

...there's ALOT worse people out there in the world than Arnie...

Greatest Bodybuilder in History

Most Successful Actor (by box office receipts) for eight years running

Obtained Highest Political Office possible for a non-citizen (governor of our largest state)

Pretty impressive, IMHO.

The personal stuff is a major disappointment, though.

Nay!

He's a sucky actor and he was an even worse governor.Hopefully,he will now fade away into oblivion.

KoolEaze said:

But...aside from his personal bullshit, his selfishness,his superficial way of thinking, his greed, his stupid movies, and his brute demeanor, I think he´s still a likeable person.

nay!

YAY to Arnold as a action hero throughout his film career.

Granted, he cheated on Maria with a latina housekeeper (which would have be OK if polygamy was legal in the USA!). But at least Arnold never piss off The Jews like Mel Gibson did.

Just saying.

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[Edited 7/23/11 14:04pm]

Taking the piss out of Obombers (Obama) skinny arms and legs was very cool and very funny so a yaah from me ....

Old Arnold article I found from 2001 when their marriage was on the rocks- about him cheating on Maria and pampering her crazy with gifts before his run for Governor.

Anything you gotta do to run for Governor- lavish your wife with as much $$$$$$$$$$$$$ as possible

http://www.starmagazine.com/news/guilty-schwarzenegger-crawls-back-his-wife

GUILTY SCHWARZENEGGER CRAWLS BACK TO HIS WIFE

[Edited 7/23/11 20:33pm]

I've never dug Arnold.

This would make a great beefcake shot for a gay male calendar!

Conan The Barbarian = One of the ten greatest movies ever made, ever! No, no point in arguing, because you're wrong. It just is. (And fuck that new abomination a truck load of hot pokers)

The first Terminator = classic

T2 is ruined by some of the worst acting ever from that kid who shall not be named.

I watched all of his movies during his heyday. I would be a liar if I said otherwise. But I don't care about any of them now and I never will. The only thing that could make me care about an Arnold movie is if he does...

King Conan, lookin' like the dude on the throne at the end of Conan The Barbarian. He was freakin' born to play that role and I will forever be pissed off that Conan The Destroyer was such a pile of dog shit. Because if they had done it right they could have made a great batch of movies with him playing that character.

Interesting article about Arnold and Maria- some woman who knew them and talked about her experience- and his love for women.

http://www.redcounty.com/content/princess-maria-and-arnold-barbarian

Princess Maria and Arnold the Barbarian

The last of the fairy tale fantasy from the Kennedy Camelot has been fractured. Mighty Arnold and princess Maria are divorcing after 25 years of marriage. Maria was the beautiful princess and Conan The Barbarian, Arnold was her shining hero who swore to always love and protect with his life. No one would have ever suspected the grief that would befall the charmed Schwarzenegger family. No rational person with good will towards others is happy to see the personal agony of these fairy tale figures flaunted like dirty laundry. Sensitive people will appreciate the pain their children suffer.

Arnold is taking the brunt. He is admitting his infidelity. He is asking for compassion for Maria and the children. He appears to be willing to face the painful negative consequences of his actions. He has dropped tremendously in the polls. His future career is taking a temporary set back. He will probably lose a large portion of his vast fortune in settlements with more than just Maria.

I knew Arnold and on rare occasions saw his first two children when they were little. I briefly spoke to Maria. She seemed to be so full of herself. She made it quite clear to me what an unworthy wretch I was. It was clear she considered even the smallest conversation with me a waste her royal time. That was okay with me. I understood we didn’t travel in the same atmosphere. She was at the top. I was the bottom. It didn’t make me jealous because I thought she was a skinny ugly looking bitch and considered myself far better looking than her—I wasn’t interested in Arnold. Arnold always talked and kidded with me. He was a lot more fun than miss “squinch” face. Though she has a strong and commanding voice and presence on television, she seemed to have a puny little voice and acted very shy whenever anyone at the gym spoke to her. My interest in her was trying to figure out what the hell Arnold saw in her since there were so many absolutely gorgeous, talented and athletic women who topped Maria by miles around him at all times.

A wise old lady used to tell me; “Love can find itself in a cow field.” Actually Maria and Arnold’s love began at a tennis court when Maria asked Tom Brokaw to introduce her to the handsome hunk she saw playing tennis in 1977.

Good grief! I can’t believe that I am writing from personal experience about Arnold and Maria! Me. Meee! All I can say about it is how did a “Nice kid like me get into a place like this?”

By divine providence or dumb luck, how I wound up trying to build muscle at the World Gym for nearly 18 years at the same hour as Arnold Schwarzenegger remains amazing. Though I was only a member and not included in Arnold's personal social life, business ventures or his entourage, I saw, talked, and joked with Arnold nearly every day during those years. At that time I developed a fairly insightful perspective of Arnold. There was so much to admire and enjoy about him. Some of Arnold I didn’t like.

The daily discipline of the gym was the perfect formula to move forward with the rest of my life in a positive way. My story is in part connected to Arnold—though Arnold has no idea. He didn’t know or intend to help me in my personal growth. His simply talking and joking with me is all it took to give me a big boost in self esteem and confidence. It meant a great deal to me in those difficult days that a famous man like him gave me a little attention.

Joe Gold, known as the father of body building, was the founder of Gold’s Gym on Pacific Ave. In Venice, California. That gym which was a “men’s only gym” became known all over the world. When Mr. Gold sold that gym, in the seventies he also sold his name with it. The new owners franchised Gold’s Gyms all over the world. Mr. Gold then founded World Gym which he then franchised until he died in 2004. The only reason I was privileged to workout at the same gym as Arnold is because Joe Gold finally agreed to allow women to work out at his gym sometime in 1980’s. The first World gym I joined was located on Maine St. in Santa Monica. It had no showers for women so Joe charged women less for membership.

Sometimes there would be just two or three women with whom I soon became friends working out at that same hour. It was later discovered, I was among the first 15 or so women who joined the gym after Joe was persuaded by Eddie Guiliani into permitting women work to out at what had always been traditionally a “men’s only gym”. Joe didn’t think women were as serious about body building as men and he considered them a distraction.

Arnold was on location filming a movie at the time I joined World Gym. Around two months later I walked into the gym as usual and noticed Joe talking to a tall man whose back was to me. As I walked past them Sven grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. There was Arnold standing right before me. Sven said, “This is Ahh nold.” Ahh nold was delightful. He knew me immediately and started telling me all about Eddie Guiliani. What a great guy he is, how wealthy he was, how much he liked me and he finished with “. . .and he could do it all night long.” That was the beginning of a way of life I would almost sell my left bippy—no my right bippy—no both bippies to live over those fantastic years. Arnold was a wild man who was hilariously funny. He loved to play, gossip, and women. If ever I had the joy to meet a man who truly loved life and belonged on earth, it was Arnold.

The Austrian Oak brought magic to the gym and he brought many body building champions, movie stars and celebrities I would have never had the chance to meet in three life times. It was a very dynamic place. Joe Gold was as outrageous as the rest of the wild men who followed Arnold. Arnold wasn’t married to Maria then, though he was engaged to her. Imagine what an inspiring experience it was to work out daily in the company of those illustrious members. They even talked to me!

Arnold and his entourage got to teasing me every day. Their language was as foul as any old gym rat. It was getting so rough at that gym I broke into tears at home one day. The choice was clear—either quit the gym or use the same vulgar language they did and give it right back to them. The thought of leaving that amazing place was unthinkable. So, I joined them. From then on it was as if I almost was “one of the guys.” While visiting my daughter in Philadelphia, she declared to me; “Mother, you never used to talk that way. I think it’s that gym you joined.”

Joe was building another gym in Venice at Brooks and Main. Arnold was planning to marry Maria in April, and Joe’s Panorama City gym was in escrow. The women at the gym were obsessed discussing Arnold's future marriage to Maria trying to decide if it was true love, a business partnership, or just old prestige. We were asking how long we thought it would last. We didn’t know Maria, but we knew Arnold the wild man womanizer. We wondered if Maria knew Arnold was a womanizer. We knew Maria and Arnold went together for several years before they set the date. We believed she had to know he was a womanizer if she went with him that long. Then we wondered. If she did know it, did she think he would be faithful after they were married? Then we wondered if Arnold would be faithful to her after they were married. We were considering the idea that Arnold might have sown his “wild oats” by then. They got married that spring and Joe opened the new gym in Venice, California. The sign posted at the old gym simply said. “This gym will be closed. . .report to the new gym at Brooks and Main in Venice.”

Looking back now, it appears Maria may have known what a womanizer Arnold was. I guessed, like so many women who don’t want to acknowledge reality, she imagined either he would give it up or she could change him. When Maria came to his defense at the time Arnold was accused of groping women when he was running for governor, Maria emphatically claimed; “I know Arnold. I’ve known Arnoldfor twenty years.” She denied the groping claims. I wondered if she was in denial about the facts or she was bald face lying in covering for bad boy Arnie. I wondered if her seemingly illogical behavior reached its logical conclusion with the Austrian barbarian who seemed to act consistently with his wild man nature.

Upon “reporting” to the new gym, with beautiful showers for women, I noticed a large number of new female members. They obviously were not interested in serious hard core body building but very interested in rubbing up against Arnold. I knew why Joe didn’t want women working out at his gym. Joe would not have allowed these silly girls at the Santa Monica gym. I commented to Mike Yuritz, Joe’s attorney in charge of World Gym franchises. Mike answered; “That gym is history now. Be glad you enjoyed it when you did.”

We began a new era in the history of World Gym. Arnold frequented the gym on a regular basis. The gym was rapidly filling with so many new faces. My routines were growing stronger and I was enjoying an outrageous experience of getting the best exercise and show every morning. Maybe I was as outrageous as the rest of them because much of the noise came from me. Never once did Arnold come to the gym looking tired or wasted from whatever he might have been doing the prior night. He always looked so sharp, alert and glad to be alive. I began wondering about Arnold and Maria as to whether or not any babies were on the way. What beautiful children Arnold and Maria might have, I thought. So one day I asked him if there were children in the works. “Everything in its time” Arnold said to me.

It is true Arnold groped women—though he never groped me. It was said Arnold received thousands of fan mail daily with many nude photographs of women inviting him for a visit. While I was flat bench pressing nearly 125 lbs. with a spotter, those “silly girls” who didn’t want to build muscles were throwing themselves at Arnold. They were telling him he could come to their apartments “any” time. For a man like Arnold who just loves women, it was like being a chocoholic locked up in the candy store all the time. While not in every case, most of the women he groped were rubbing their bodies up against him and promising him nervana. Of all the many roles Arnold has played and lived in his life time he was first and foremost still a man.

I thought, why wait for Maria? What if Arnold found the top ten best athletic champion drop-dead gorgeous women of the world and had one child with each of them. Maria and Arnold could still have their children, too. There might be several little super kids the planet would enjoy. The more I thought about that insane idea, the more I laughed about it. I told Arnold he should have one child with the top ten champion women of the world.

He said: “I already have the ten greatest women of the world. I have Maria.”

© 2011 Therese Daniels