News/Commentary

TIME eviscerated for linking exercise to ‘white supremacy’: ‘So goofy I consider it satire’

December 29, 2022 | | Print Article

Twitter exploded after fitness influencers and users got a gander at a TIME article that linked exercise with the roots of white supremacy.

“How did U.S. exercise trends go from reinforcing white supremacy to celebrating Richard Simmons?” asked the article, a conspiracy theorist piece titled, “The White Supremacist Origins of Exercise, and 6 Other Surprising Facts About the History of U.S. Physical Fitness.”

The piece attempts to describe the sinister origins behind everything from President Kennedy’s fitness campaign to simple running. It’s written by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela who also wrote “Fit Nation,” a book that claims in its synopsis that “fitness is a social justice issue.”

In the article, the author contends that until 1920, being fat was attractive. She asserts that at the turn of the 20th century, women were allegedly encouraged to exercise and gain strength because those in control decided they “need more white babies” to counter immigration. “This is totally part of a white supremacy project,” Petrzela claims.

She also says that running was popularized by environmentalists and was not only never fair, but was unsafe and discriminatory.

“Access was never totally equal, if you lived in a neighborhood that didn’t have safe streets or streets that were not well lit,” Petrzela explains. “Women were catcalled. People of color were thought to be committing a crime.”

“Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy went on a mission to make exercise look wholesome and patriotic and focus on shifting the purpose of exercise to being a good citizen and defending your country,” Petrzela continues in her screed.

She even managed to tie in 9/11, Peloton, and the pandemic into her confusing and ridiculous argument.

The author’s claims were mercilessly mocked on Twitter with a number of people claiming that it hurt the media’s credibility, which is by and large nonexistent to begin with.

“Honestly, I want them to keep pumping articles like this out to eviscerate every remaining shred of their credibility and perceived legitimacy,” British rapper Zuby tweeted, blasting the piece. “It doesn’t anger me at all. It’s so goofy I consider it satire.”

Ed Latimore, a former heavyweight boxer, also nailed the article, “First math was a tool of white supremacy. Now it’s exercise. Pretty soon, food is gonna be a tool to continue systemic racism oppression.”

AI expert and DeepCube founder, Dr. Eli David, also poked fun at the piece. “If you exercise, you’re a white supremacist.”

Dr. Gad Saad, who is a marketing professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, mocked the author, “Precisely. The only way to fight against the white supremacy roots of exercise is by leading a sedentary life. Say no to exercise as a means of being an ally to people of color.”

Social media stars and YouTubers the Hodgetwins also viewed the article as satire. “Paging [email protected], they are stealing your content.”

Hundreds of comments took aim at the article on Twitter and the memes were epic:

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