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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
@timdaub.eth @tldr casting this here bc it’s relevant to our previous meme threads imo the real reason why American men lift the way we do is bc there is a huge, culturally endorsed amount of American boys w body dysmorphia and getting “jacked” is the mechanism through which they’re taught to “fix it”
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
Capitalism and the American media juggernauts have over time moved the goal posts for what the ideal male physique is and now we’re at a point where it’s genuinely unattainable outside special conditions. It’s hard to stomach, but
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
The American default cultural state is millions of young boys believing they’re not big enough, strong enough, have enough abs, wrists are too small, jawlines aren’t sharp enough, eyes are canted the wrong way, etc Combine this with the general “men are trash by default” and of course…
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
Of course you get the “problem solver” mentality focused on the one thing that’s tangibly/consistently “solvable” about their “problematic” existence Physical appearance a la lifting. “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man”
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
What makes it even tougher to deal with is the fact that for many men lifting genuinely feels GOOD (both physically and emotionally) It’s quantifiable “self improvement” Your media hero’s endorse it You’re often rewarded socially for it And it’s at the core of many men’s only consistent social dynamic
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
It might be hard to believe, but the casual conversation while resting between sets at the gym might be the only opportunity many American men have to talk about their relationships, life, and mental health problems in a relatively safe emotional space in any given week. This is how I basically lived for a decade+
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tyler ↑
@trh
This is what a lot of men (and women) don’t see. It’s not always about he lifting, golf, etc. It’s the in between. There’s something disarming about the activity together.
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Cameron Armstrong
@cameron
Men are (broadly speaking) taught as boys that the only “acceptable” types of social interaction are oriented around task completion. The pauses during games, work, problem solving, watching a game at a pub, etc are generally the only time men actually have space talk to each other.
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