Being Big Vs Being Powerful
Foreign policy lessons from the gym

by Justin Hartfield, on politics

In the gym, they are everywhere. You can spot them by their tribal tats and 20" biceps. They are blasting Pantera so loud through their headphones you can hear it on the Smith Press some 20 yards away (Crush! Kill! Destroy!). They seem to have a particular preference for black Tapout wife beaters at least two sizes too small, along with the mandatory weight belt, Harbinger gloves and ever-so-slightly skewed Yankees hat.

Kids, don't do steroids, or you'll end up like our Governator

The people I am speaking about go by many different names: Body builder, Gym Rat, Muscle-head, but they all share a common trait- they aren't nearly as strong as they think they are. Yes, it's true, these muscle-bound studs merely give the appearance of strength. Underneath their huge swollen deltoids is, for the most part, water. These dudes can lift massive amounts of weight, but only about one to four reps worth. Yes, they have strength, but they usually lack true power, flexibility, focus and endurance.

I find a strong parallel between the mentality of these creatine-loving individuals and the mentality of our current Administration on foreign policy. Mr. Bush loves to use the brute force of the American military to scare potential enemies into submission, while also giving the proverbial dead lift to any country to whom he chooses to "bring" democracy. Like our friends in the raised Silverado Z71, the Bush Doctrine is chock-full of brute strength, but lacks true power, flexibility, focus, and endurance.

It lacks power because it has severely overestimated our military's ability to lift a country to peaceful democracy. It lacks focus because as our troops are dying around the world, the 9/11 mastermind still roams the world free. It lacks flexibility because our military occupation inhibits our ability to respond to potential new conflicts. And it lacks endurance because there is no clear stopping point to this military onslaught euphemistically referred to as the War on Terror.

America's military policy needs to work smarter, not harder. We need a President to behave less like the dude who always seems to be at the bench press, and more like someone who spends his time in the library.

If Mr. Bush researched the history of terrorist attacks on the U.S., he would notice that they were all committed in direct response to American intervention in the Middle East. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the two founders of modern al-Qaida, each declared war against the United States and both cited exactly three causes - American military support of Israel, American military presence in Saudi Arabia, and the (first) American invasion of Iraq. (Neither mentioned American Freedom.) In fact, our muscle-bound American military policy is exactly why "they" want to kill us. Put down the protein shake, Mr. Bush, and pick up a copy of Prometheus.

The above work is the opinion of the author, and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute

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written by hercules, April 03, 2008

man arny is still jacked... he could bench your entire family justin

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written by jack, April 29, 2008

wow, u say they are mostly water... have u ever been to the gym? these "gym rats" live there and can tear your head off.

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written by Anonymous, May 01, 2008

That those animals cite support of Israel as a reason that they want to kill us doesn't give it moral legitimacy. The problem with this mentality is that you suppose moral equivalency. Israel deserves our support for being a bastion of liberal democracy, a nation that respects individual rights comparable to other Western countries, and yet it is surrounded by lowly, theocratic barbarians. The nations that want to obliterate Israel have no moral claim to their cause; they aren't fighting for a freer world. Of course, Israel does have problems with the separation of church and state, and its inclination to socialism. However, regarding individual rights, Israel and its enemies aren't even in the same league.

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written by anonymous, May 21, 2008

A 'bastion of democracy?' ... 'supporting individual rights'?? Isreal is absolutely NONE of these things....Israel is a power mad nation that , with the billions of dollers per annum-worth of support from america, have terrorized and tortured a nation of people...depriving them of the right to live in their own homes..their right to freedom of movement...their right to simple things like fuel and water and electricity. Individual rights?? Israel knows NOTHING about providing even the most basic humen rights to anyone but their own people. Where are individual rights when a pregnant woman and her baby have to die at a border because some thick f**k israeli soldier refuses to let her through to make her way to the hospital?? When a family is given 24hours notice to remove themselves before their house is bulldozed down by force... Look at the daily lives of the palestinian people and come back and tell me about theocratic barbarians....the only barbarians are the israelies and ignorant assholes who listen blindly to the false words of their greedy and powerhungry leaders.

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written by rocky, May 27, 2008

your muscles are made up from 75% water. do some research!!

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written by DP, June 05, 2008

Lacking "True power"?? Do you even know what "true power" is? Those guys do a few reps because thats what it takes to build muscle, I am not speaking for all of them but I am sure most of them have "true power" and flexibility, they could do alot more reps if they picked up a lowe weigt, but that would not be as beneficial for muscle building purposes (given the form is right)...

Anyways the article is good, but only the second half the first half reads like a rant-off by some skiny nerd who has no idea about body building (I know he is trying to draw a parallel), someone who is just jelous because he can never acheive what "those guys" have done.

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written by chris, June 28, 2008

haha what an idiotic article. Mainly on the side of bodybuilding bashing. First off you post a FALSE picture of Arnold, this was released way before T3, you will notice in T3 he is far from out of shape.

Also please explain how all the top bodybuilders can easily bench/deadlift their own bodyweight for numerous reps.


It's not often that I get so irate over a simple article. However the first section is completely false , unfounded and hateful.



BTW Arny has a 6 pack and is what 60 now? I would like to see you(the author) in that sort of shape.

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written by Mike, July 12, 2008

You are truly naive and ignorant.

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written by Serge, July 25, 2008

Yeah, i agree with that, you are truly naive and ignorant

Any muscle, bodybuilder or not (or NERD like you) is 75% water, working out or not.

Bodybuilders have a flexible body and muscles, some of them can run very fast, even 100 meters, just look for Kevin Levrone and do some research about his record on that event (and he does it just as a hobbie), and well, the examples can go on a on...

Bodybuilders are not the strongest athletes but are one of them behind strongest man competition and olympics...

Talking about Arnold, well, hes in his early 60's , do u know that?! I would like to see your loser look today, not even at 60, and see if your are as healthy as i suposse you think you are doing this kind of stupid articles...

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