I came up from the "Man Cave" (my office) and heard cheers of approval and encouragement coming from our TV. I had been preparing for an interview with a nationally known Nutritionist who has some interesting ideas on how we should be communicating to our students. "What are you watching Abby?" I asked my elder daughter. "Man vs. Food" she replied. "It's a show where this guy is challenged to eat these impossibly large meals in a race against the clock."
Maybe it's just me, but I started to getting really angry watching this very over weight show host stuff his face with a mountain of food. It took me a minute to understand where my anger was coming from, and it wasn't caused by the host.
What I was reacting to was the crowd behind him and how they cheered his destructive behavior. I couldn't help but think of similar self-destructive people like John Belushi or Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame who resort to self-deprecating humor as a way to seek approval of others. How pathetic.
Please watch this and tell me if I'm alone here.
Listen for the money quote;and then like an idiot, I dig in.
Which calls to mind a line from John Belushi's biggest movie Animal House (but he doesn't say it and it's directed at the Bluto - the stereotypical dumb fat guy) Have you no self respect, man?
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
Sad to say I’ve watched this show to, it’s like an accident you can’t help but look at, and it makes me wonder, what is the whole purpose behind this sort of physical abuse … to get a t-shirt and a picture on a wall?
I used to work shift work, I ate at weird times and I would eat a lot of crap, I gained weight, I felt lousy both physically and emotionally and then one day I realized the only person responsible for me is me, and if I don’t like who I am then it’s up to me to change who I am.
Shows like this just help to promote the idea that excessive food is a sport, when food is really for nourishment and sustenance.
John,
There are big buck$ in the entertainment business. EVERYTHING is game – and so the media will bring it; as
long as it is ‘popular’…
I have a friend who was at one time in her life a size 22 (happily she’s now a size 6 – and can fit her entire body into one of her size 22 pant leg – after realizing that exercise -‘spinning’!!! – and a careful diet are the only ways to keep her weight down). However, she STILL LOVES desserts (in her words: “I’m still a fat girl inside this thinner body” (chocolate soufles, chocolate cakes, hot fudged sundaes, brownies,
fresh baked chocolate chips and ice cream are still her favorites). Even so, she has managed to stay within her ideal body weight but she LOVES to bake and watch others eat her goodies.
Maybe this show feeds other folks’ fantasy of being able to eat such large quantities of food – living vicariously through this host one show at a time (the cheering in the show). It’s weird but at least someone else is consuming
those calories!!! Remember that movie, “Stand By Me”?
The eating contest???