San Antonio College students' network for the 2008 election
John McCain: "Man of the Arena" political ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_A53PAxeR8
The John McCain video is a very interesting one. The name of the video is called “Man of the Arena.” It begins with “The time has come.” This phrase is a very important saying because this video seems to be running on time. The clips of the galaxy force our mind to think we are in the future going through time. Then the galaxy scene intercepts with old video clips of brave men and military to show the patriotism for the U.S. I especially think that the old clip of John McCain when he was younger and part of the Navy staff shows how he will be fit for the presidency. The video shows that he will be strong, brave and will never give up because as we know joining the military people come out “strong.” It has a variety of speeches given by past authorities never giving up. The most interesting speeches are those from Churchill and Roosevelt. Churchill gives a speech about never giving in to the enemy: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. ~Churchill” (qtd. in Greer). Then follows Teddy Roosevelt’s actual speech called “Man of the Arena.” This speech says it is not about the critic, or the man stumbling down, or even how things could have been done better, but about the actual man who is standing in the arena:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt (qtd. in Greer).
We need a strong military and the actual people out there fighting and fixing things for us is what matters: John McCain’s ends his speech with “We will never surrender, they will!” This video implicates that John McCain has the same values that these great heroes, Churchill and Roosevelt, have during the hardships of war. After reading George Lakoff’s “Metaphors, Morality, and Politics,” this video is definitely a strict model father. These are my reasons why.
A major concept in the strict father model is to protect your family. The father or man must be the one to protect his family from all evil this dangerous world brings: “Evil is conceptualized as a force in the world and it is the father’s job to support his family and protect it from evils- both external and internal” (Lakoff, “Metaphor” 10). In order to protect one’s family, we must have a strong military. As a conservative, it is John McCain’s duty to protect us from all evil that might strike our nation. The video shows John McCain’s support a strong military and criminal justice system. The entire video itself shows that McCain supports a strong military. It is John McCain’s role to be a great hero with great values as Churchill and Roosevelt did. In an article I read about the analysis of the John McCain political ad, they say that McCain does not say that he is Churchill and Roosevelt, but has their great values of a true hero: “These values- loyalty, fairness, determination, honesty, courage- are what has made America great. It is these values that McCain is calling his own with the release of this video” (Greer). I asked a person in my interview, “Do you think this video influences us to vote for John McCain? And do you think this video represents a strong military?” This person wished to remain anonymous but he said that he thought this video had a great sense of patriotism. After seeing Churchill and Roosevelt, he thought that McCain was trying to say that he will be as strong as those heroes in times of hardships. He believed that a father would take care of his children; McCain would protect us because of his strong support for a strong military. After he told me this, I thought it was pretty weird he had mentioned any father examples because I hadn’t even mentioned the Strict Father Model at all. So, as protector of this nation, this video shows how John McCain is strong to be president of the United States.
Another important concept in the strict father model is linking morality to politics. This is called “the nation-as-family” metaphor: “The government as a parent and the citizen as children” (Lakoff, “Metaphor” 11). You link conservative values with conservative political policies. One element, I believe, fits well with the video is we must conserve the best moments from the past. We must remember important traditions, institution, habits and authority. Remember the authority we have in the past is an important principal in John McCain’s ad. This is a very important concept when it comes to a conservative way of thinking. A true conservative conserves the past especially the heroes of past warfare. The old video clips in the McCain political ad are clips of those from the past. In the Althouse article of the McCain ad, they talk about how using Churchill and Roosevelt in the video seems to capture that mystical sense of tradition and also that true feeling of being a conservative: “Images of Churchill and Roosevelt seem to embody a mystical sense of tradition…This is the feeling of being conservative-it is a deep emotional sense that the past matters and flows into the present and makes sense out of the future” (“Lets talk”). As a Strict Father, it the government’s duty to also protect his citizens from all evils that strike our nation:
The role of the government is to: protect the country and its interests in dangerous world by maximizing military and political strength; promote unimpeded competitive economic activity so that both the disciplined moral people and the undisciplined immoral ones are able to receive what they each deserve, based on their own choices; and maintain order and discipline, though severe enforcement of the rules if necessary (“The Conservative”).
In a Strict Father Model, a strong military as well as a strong government is emphasized and is crucial in maintaining order and control. He wants to show that we are a strong nation and we have to give thanks to our strong military and patronage.
Last but not least, a true person fit for the presidency is one with moral strength. A very important concept focused on the Strict Father Model is that on who has moral strength is considered to be accomplished and at the peak of satisfied self-interest and disciplined. Getting to these goals to reach accomplishment takes steps. You must learn to be self-controlled, be good person, and self-reliant to fight off forces of evil:
Strict Father morality assigns highest priorities to such things as moral strength (the self-control and self-discipline to stand up to external and internal evils), respect for and obedience to authority, the setting and following of strict guidelines and behavioral norms, and so on. Moral self-interest says that if everyone is free to pursue their self-interest, the overall self-interests of all will be maximized. In conservatism, the pursuit of self-interest is seen as a way of using self-discipline to achieve self-reliance (Lakoff, “Moral Politics” 35).
Any person who does not follow these moral codes is considered to be failures and deserve the punishments they deserve. John McCain’s political ad portrays his moral strength. We can see that McCain has learned to accept moral authority and obedience as a crucial part of the U.S. system. He made a video showing that military is very important, and he will be strong and never give up. He has the experience to fight anyone who does not cooperate. I like the way he says, “We will never surrender, they will!” Getting to the peak of Moral Strength is a very essential form of idealism. Those who can fight the war between good against evil can be considered to be accomplished and living in a good way of life. John McCain is living a good life with moral strength because he is willing to fight against anything anyone who is messing is the U.S.
This video was a very interesting one because of how they use the military to one’s strength as a person. Today, the advertisement for any military ad shows the patronage for one’s nation, one’s strength and bravery to come out of any of the armed force branches. This video has a sense of patriotism and has us trust in John McCain because he has gone through tough training and has seen things in his military years that we have not. He knows what can happen and how to protect us in times of hardships. Although the government can’t solve all problems, it will be McCain’s responsibility to protect us and make sure that we as citizens are able to achieve self-interest and self-control to gain moral strength: “Government cannot solve every problem, but it can encourage people and communities to help themselves and one another. The truest kind of compassion is to help citizens build better lives of their own” (“Fact Sheet”). As for the war, we will not give up and show we are the weaker one until they surrender.
Works Cited
"Fact Sheet: Compassionate Conservatism." The White House. 30 Apr. 2002. 26 Mar. 2008 .
Greer, T. "Man in the Arena-Ad Analysis." Polzoo. 14 Mar. 2008. 31 Mar. 2008 .
Lakoff, George. Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals in the Dust. Vol. 26. Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, 1995. 1-22.
Lakoff, George. Moral Politics: Why Liberals and Conservatives Think. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 2002. Moral Politics. 31 Mar. 2008 .
"Let's Talk About the New McCain Ad." Althouse. 7 Mar. 2008. 26 Mar. 2008 .
"The Conservative Worldview." Rockridge Institute. 4 Nov. 2004. 26 Mar. 2008 .
The John McCain video is a very interesting one. The name of the video is called “Man of the Arena.” It begins with “The time has come.” This phrase is a very important saying because this video seems to be running on time. The clips of the galaxy force our mind to think we are in the future going through time. Then the galaxy scene intercepts with old video clips of brave men and military to show the patriotism for the U.S. I especially think that the old clip of John McCain when he was younger and part of the Navy staff shows how he will be fit for the presidency. The video shows that he will be strong, brave and will never give up because as we know joining the military people come out “strong.” It has a variety of speeches given by past authorities never giving up. The most interesting speeches are those from Churchill and Roosevelt. Churchill gives a speech about never giving in to the enemy: “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. ~Churchill” (qtd. in Greer). Then follows Teddy Roosevelt’s actual speech called “Man of the Arena.” This speech says it is not about the critic, or the man stumbling down, or even how things could have been done better, but about the actual man who is standing in the arena:
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt (qtd. in Greer).
We need a strong military and the actual people out there fighting and fixing things for us is what matters: John McCain’s ends his speech with “We will never surrender, they will!” This video implicates that John McCain has the same values that these great heroes, Churchill and Roosevelt, have during the hardships of war. After reading George Lakoff’s “Metaphors, Morality, and Politics,” this video is definitely a strict model father. These are my reasons why.
A major concept in the strict father model is to protect your family. The father or man must be the one to protect his family from all evil this dangerous world brings: “Evil is conceptualized as a force in the world and it is the father’s job to support his family and protect it from evils- both external and internal” (Lakoff, “Metaphor” 10). In order to protect one’s family, we must have a strong military. As a conservative, it is John McCain’s duty to protect us from all evil that might strike our nation. The video shows John McCain’s support a strong military and criminal justice system. The entire video itself shows that McCain supports a strong military. It is John McCain’s role to be a great hero with great values as Churchill and Roosevelt did. In an article I read about the analysis of the John McCain political ad, they say that McCain does not say that he is Churchill and Roosevelt, but has their great values of a true hero: “These values- loyalty, fairness, determination, honesty, courage- are what has made America great. It is these values that McCain is calling his own with the release of this video” (Greer). I asked a person in my interview, “Do you think this video influences us to vote for John McCain? And do you think this video represents a strong military?” This person wished to remain anonymous but he said that he thought this video had a great sense of patriotism. After seeing Churchill and Roosevelt, he thought that McCain was trying to say that he will be as strong as those heroes in times of hardships. He believed that a father would take care of his children; McCain would protect us because of his strong support for a strong military. After he told me this, I thought it was pretty weird he had mentioned any father examples because I hadn’t even mentioned the Strict Father Model at all. So, as protector of this nation, this video shows how John McCain is strong to be president of the United States.
Another important concept in the strict father model is linking morality to politics. This is called “the nation-as-family” metaphor: “The government as a parent and the citizen as children” (Lakoff, “Metaphor” 11). You link conservative values with conservative political policies. One element, I believe, fits well with the video is we must conserve the best moments from the past. We must remember important traditions, institution, habits and authority. Remember the authority we have in the past is an important principal in John McCain’s ad. This is a very important concept when it comes to a conservative way of thinking. A true conservative conserves the past especially the heroes of past warfare. The old video clips in the McCain political ad are clips of those from the past. In the Althouse article of the McCain ad, they talk about how using Churchill and Roosevelt in the video seems to capture that mystical sense of tradition and also that true feeling of being a conservative: “Images of Churchill and Roosevelt seem to embody a mystical sense of tradition…This is the feeling of being conservative-it is a deep emotional sense that the past matters and flows into the present and makes sense out of the future” (“Lets talk”). As a Strict Father, it the government’s duty to also protect his citizens from all evils that strike our nation:
The role of the government is to: protect the country and its interests in dangerous world by maximizing military and political strength; promote unimpeded competitive economic activity so that both the disciplined moral people and the undisciplined immoral ones are able to receive what they each deserve, based on their own choices; and maintain order and discipline, though severe enforcement of the rules if necessary (“The Conservative”).
In a Strict Father Model, a strong military as well as a strong government is emphasized and is crucial in maintaining order and control. He wants to show that we are a strong nation and we have to give thanks to our strong military and patronage.
Last but not least, a true person fit for the presidency is one with moral strength. A very important concept focused on the Strict Father Model is that on who has moral strength is considered to be accomplished and at the peak of satisfied self-interest and disciplined. Getting to these goals to reach accomplishment takes steps. You must learn to be self-controlled, be good person, and self-reliant to fight off forces of evil:
Strict Father morality assigns highest priorities to such things as moral strength (the self-control and self-discipline to stand up to external and internal evils), respect for and obedience to authority, the setting and following of strict guidelines and behavioral norms, and so on. Moral self-interest says that if everyone is free to pursue their self-interest, the overall self-interests of all will be maximized. In conservatism, the pursuit of self-interest is seen as a way of using self-discipline to achieve self-reliance (Lakoff, “Moral Politics” 35).
Any person who does not follow these moral codes is considered to be failures and deserve the punishments they deserve. John McCain’s political ad portrays his moral strength. We can see that McCain has learned to accept moral authority and obedience as a crucial part of the U.S. system. He made a video showing that military is very important, and he will be strong and never give up. He has the experience to fight anyone who does not cooperate. I like the way he says, “We will never surrender, they will!” Getting to the peak of Moral Strength is a very essential form of idealism. Those who can fight the war between good against evil can be considered to be accomplished and living in a good way of life. John McCain is living a good life with moral strength because he is willing to fight against anything anyone who is messing is the U.S.
This video was a very interesting one because of how they use the military to one’s strength as a person. Today, the advertisement for any military ad shows the patronage for one’s nation, one’s strength and bravery to come out of any of the armed force branches. This video has a sense of patriotism and has us trust in John McCain because he has gone through tough training and has seen things in his military years that we have not. He knows what can happen and how to protect us in times of hardships. Although the government can’t solve all problems, it will be McCain’s responsibility to protect us and make sure that we as citizens are able to achieve self-interest and self-control to gain moral strength: “Government cannot solve every problem, but it can encourage people and communities to help themselves and one another. The truest kind of compassion is to help citizens build better lives of their own” (“Fact Sheet”). As for the war, we will not give up and show we are the weaker one until they surrender.
Works Cited
"Fact Sheet: Compassionate Conservatism." The White House. 30 Apr. 2002. 26 Mar. 2008 .
Greer, T. "Man in the Arena-Ad Analysis." Polzoo. 14 Mar. 2008. 31 Mar. 2008 .
Lakoff, George. Metaphor, Morality, and Politics, or, Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals in the Dust. Vol. 26. Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, 1995. 1-22.
Lakoff, George. Moral Politics: Why Liberals and Conservatives Think. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 2002. Moral Politics. 31 Mar. 2008 .
"Let's Talk About the New McCain Ad." Althouse. 7 Mar. 2008. 26 Mar. 2008 .
"The Conservative Worldview." Rockridge Institute. 4 Nov. 2004. 26 Mar. 2008 .
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Justine_GN on -
1>The father or man must be the one to protect his family from all evil this dangerous world brings: “Evil is conceptualized as a force in the world and it is the father’s job to support his family and protect it from evils- both external and internal” (Lakoff, “Metaphor” 10)
2> I AM REALLY INTERSTED IN THIS POINT. even though mother is also the important person in protecting her chidren from the evil power. But absolutely a father is the one who can be responsible for his whole family. whatever it happens badly or unsafely to family, everybody needs his opinion and "strong arms" to protect them. link to a society, if something wrong is happening in a country, who and which community will think at first? in my opinion, those are PRESIDENT and Military.
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa Valdez on
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Thanks for the reply. Yes I do agree the father is the one to protect their family, but also the mother. When we are in time of hardships, we need a strong person with a strong millitary to protect us, and the nation itself.
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Permalink Reply by Teresa Sorola on -
I watched the video, and it was inspiring. You paper did a good job implementing the ideas of George Lakeoffs metaphors as to how the video appeals to the "strict father's" of America."In order to protect one's family, we must have a strong military." Don't agree with that, but think the quote was well place to prove a point.
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