Time Mocked for Article on Exercise's Roots in White Supremacy

Americans usually contemplate hitting the gym to shed weight gained over the holidays or as part of New Year's resolutions.

But is their exercise routine a character of white supremacy? A Time magazine article  proposes exercise is racist and has its roots in white supremacy.

And Time is getting roasted over it.

The article, "The White Supremacist Origins of Exercise, and 6 Other Surprising Facts About the History of U.S. Physical Fitness," centers on an interview with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, author of "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," which is set to be released in February.

In her research, Petrzela, a professor at The New School, a private liberal institution in New York City, said in the early part of the 20^th century, fitness enthusiasts started advocating for women to get rid of corsets, and that women should be lifting weights and gaining strength.

"At first, you feel like this is so progressive," Petrzela said. "Then you keep reading, and they're saying white women should start building up their strength because we need more white babies. They're writing during an incredible amount of immigration, soon after enslaved people have been emancipated.

"This is totally part of a white supremacy project. So that was a real 'holy crap' moment as a historian, where deep archival research really reveals the contradictions of this moment."

She said the running boom in the 1970s was created by environmentalists who imagined what life would be like without cars. But inequalities emerged.

"If you lived in a neighborhood that didn't have safe streets or streets that were not well-lit, women were catcalled," she said. "People of color were thought to be committing a crime."

She also said the 1980s fitness boom forced gay men to exercise so they could appear healthy during the HIV/AIDs scare "at a time there was so much homophobia." She added the coronavirus pandemic accelerated fitness inequality because "you can go home and be on your Peloton if you can afford it, if you have the space for it, but not everyone can."

Many took to Twitter to mock the article.

Physiologist and author David Champion tweeted: "According to Time Magazine, when I exercise each day, I'm engaging in a white supremacist activity. And the press wonders why America's trust in media is the lowest it has been since that figure started being kept."

Evolutionary behavioral scientist and author Gad Saad tweeted: "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."

Ed Latimore, a former heavyweight boxer who is Black, tweeted: "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."

And British rapper Zuby, who is Black, tweeted: "Honestly, I want them to keep pumping articles like this out to eviscerate every remaining shred of their credibility and perceived legitimacy. It doesn't anger me at all. It's so goofy I consider it satire."

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