An article in Time magazine titled “the white supremacist origins of exercise” asserts that racism was the impetus for the fitness revolution, eliciting severe ridicule.
Wednesday, the magazine published a provocative title based on an interview with history professor Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, whose classes at The New School in New York frequently focus on Black Lives Matter protests.
In the interview, the self-described “scholar, writer, teacher, and activist” maintained that being overweight was once “good” and that the 20th-century urge to exercise was motivated by racism.
She argued that the idea “that women should be lifting weights and acquiring strength” originated because racists believed that “white women should begin gaining strength because we need more white babies.”
The story was inspired by an interview with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, a “scholar, writer, teacher, and activist.”
Instagram/Natalia Petrzela
“This is absolutely part of a white supremacist project,” emphasized Petrzela, calling it a “genuine ‘holy crap’ moment” during her research for her forthcoming book, “Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Obsession with Exercise.”
She also told Time that free exercise programs, such as running, were “never completely equitable” since “people of color were seen to be committing a crime.”
The post and its screaming headline were swiftly mocked online, with many tweeting clown-face emojis and claiming they assumed the headline was from satirical websites such as The Onion and The Babylon Bee.
Among those criticizing and mocking the piece were influential black fitness authors and influencers.
“Initially, mathematics was an instrument of white supremacy. Now we will workout. Ed Latimore, a former heavyweight boxer, wrote, while sharing the post, that food will soon be used to perpetuate systemic racism’s oppression.
Math was initially an instrument of white supremacy.
Now we will workout.
Soon, food will be used to perpetuate systemic racism’s oppression.
December 29, 2022 — Ed Latimore (@EdLatimore) on Twitter
British rapper Zuby, who wrote a book titled “Strong Advice” about health, stated that it would “eviscerate Time’s residual authority and apparent legitimacy.”
“It infuriates me not at all. I consider it satire since it is so absurd,” he wrote.
Of course, we all know that only Nazis can work out.
One of his followers responded with a map and the comment, “I typed in ‘gyms near me,’ oh my God! Boulder, Colorado is a center for Nazi gatherings!”
Dave Champion, an expert in exercise, also tweeted the item, stating, “According to Time Magazine, when I workout every day, I’m engaging in white supremacist behavior.”
Some wondered when the awakeness would cease. “Proper nutrition is a KKK plot?’ The Nazi origins of handwashing concerns? “What is this?!” one physician tweeted.
To avoid being prejudiced, some quipped that it was okay to “stop exercising and become a fat lard-faced POS.”
“Precisely. “The only way to combat the white supremacy roots of exercise is to lead a sedentary lifestyle,” remarked evolutionary behavioral expert Gaad Saad.
“Exercising as a means of becoming an ally to people of color is unacceptable.”
Precisely. The only way to combat the white supremacist origins of exercise is to adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Refuse exercise as a means of allying with people of color. https://t.co/uAmdRSjXvf
— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) December 29, 2022
Others, meantime, used it to make fun of others who were not known for their healthy habits and fit bodies.
One person joked, “Did TIME just establish that [former President] Trump is not a white supremacist?”
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