Miss Kim
English 10 per.2
12 October 09
"I'll Be Back..."
Arnold Schwarzenegger was first elected on October 7, 2003. However four days prior to the election, on October 3, 2003 an interview on CNN spread throughout California, saying that there were sexual misconduct allegations against him. In the Los Angeles Times, six women reported that they have been touched by Schwarzenegger without their consent. Schwarzenegger dismissed these accusations and called it "trash politics" but went on to acknowledge unspecified wrongdoing.
Later, Schwarzenegger apologized saying, "So I want to say to you, yes, I have behaved badly sometimes. Yes, it is true that I was on rowdy sets, and I have done things that were not right, which I thought then was playful. But I now recognize that i have offended people. And to those people that I have offended, I want to say to them, I am deeply sorry , and I apologize" (Schwarzenegger Speech, paragraph 4). Arnold Schwarzenegger convinced those he offended by blaming his actions on the "rowdy sets" he was on. He essentially said he was young and foolish and would take back his poor judgment if he could. Because of Schwarzenegger's heart felt apology, he seemed to win back the trust of many people.
However, later when he was asked again about his accusations his reply shocked hundreds. Schwarzenegger's response was, " I don't remember so many of the things that I was accused of having done" (Schwarzenegger Speech, paragraph 5). This statement cost Arnold Schwarzenegger his reputation, and proved to the people that he wasn't capable of handling the duties that the Governor of California possesses. As a result to his actions, he lost the trust of the many people that he worked so hard to gain. Not only did Schwarzenegger lose the citizens of California's trust, he now has to prove to them that he is worthy to hold his place as the Governor of California.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was accused of sexual misconduct, and six women reported these accusations to be true. Schwarzenegger was audacious enough to apologize for his childish actions to those he might have offended. However, his ego was far to big to remember this mishap when asked again about the accusations against him. When Schwarzenegger said he didn't remember so many of the things that he was accused of, he lost his respect and their attitude towards Schwarzenegger changed beyond repair. Therefore, Arnold Schwarzenegger's ethos is debatable because he did not take full responsibility towards the accusations against him. However, one would think he has done enough good to make up for the bad during his reign in Governor, because he is still Governor today.
