Thursday, June 26, 2008

First loser

I went out to a movie theater again today to see the documentary "Bigger Stronger Faster: The Side Effect of Being American." Chris Bell, when a kid, idolized Hulk Hogan and Arnold, and was dismayed to find so many sports heroes were on steroids. So, starting with his brothers, "Mad Dog" and "Smelly," he's off to explore the steroid subculture. He explores the extent of their use, the debate of whether they're harmful, why congress has made them illegal, why other performance enhancements aren't illegal, and what is it about our society that makes people feel they need to take them. A telling moment is when he is shown GI Joe dolls from the 60s, 80s, and 90s. All kinds of commercials drum into us that body image is extremely critical today. And in America, second place is known as "first loser."

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