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Journalism of Courage
YOU don8217;t need to follow Mike Huckabee, or even politics, to appreciate that Chuck Norris is everywhere these days. On television spots for the former Arkansas governor, Norris, the star of such shoot-8217;em-up fare as Missing in Action and Walker, Texas Ranger, is there. 8220;My plan to secure the border?8221; Huckabee says in deadpan. 8220;Two words: Chuck Norris.8221;.
He8217;s not alone, as several other action stars who peaked in prominence in the 8216;80s are rejoining him on the pop culture landscape.
Even the Terminator is back8212;in Fox8217;s new series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles8212; although the original star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is busy with other engagements in California.
The leading action symbols of the Reagan ear8212;with all their excess, jingoism and good vs. evil bombast8212;have returned. And they8217;re still as ripped and imposing as they were 20 years ago.
At an age when mere mortals find their bi-ceps reduced to cookie dough, these human action figures have retained not only their muscle tone but, more important, their value as brands. Mark Koops, an executive producer of American Gladiators, attributes its success in part to Hogan8217;s enduring status as a symbol of both high-testosterone swagger and integrity in the eyes of fans8212;certifiable dudes, undoubtedly8212;of all ages. 8220;He has such a huge following8212;kids from 6 to 60.8221;
Koops, speaking on New Hampshire primary day, said the appetite for these action figures represents more than a joke. 8220;Everyone is talking about change8221; in the political sphere, he said, but many guys in fact 8220;want to go back to the way things were, the things they knew.8221;
This is a moment in American history bedeviled by a sinking economy, the possibility of environmental catastrophe and violent conflicts in the Middle East and beyond. Anxious Americans are very unsure of their position in the world, which leaves some open to any 8220;fantasy having to do with a sense of traditional masculinity,8221; said Judith Halberstam, a professor of English and gender studies at the University of Southern California. She said that these living G.I. Joes communicate the American instinct to cut to 8220;not bother with politics, just go in with force and fix things.8221;
Tracy Lovatt, the head of strategy for BBDO New York, the advertising agency that produced the Mountain Dew campaign with Norris, said that the myriad troubles facing the country have created an appetite for the heroes who seemed omnipotent during the 8216;80s. 8220;Everything seems to be up for grabs,8221; she said, 8220;This country needs stability, and in an archetypal, hyperbolic way, that8217;s what these figures represent.8221;
Alex Williams NYT
