A recent column in the Guardian suggested that getting fit can turn you into a “right-wing jerk”, with writer Zoe Williams arguing that fitness and health often lead to a critical, self-centered mindset.
Parents noted in the column “There’s a dark side to health, and I’ve always thought of it as being political, simply put. When you get to health, you become more right-wing.”
“The way it works is incredibly simple. When you embark on a journey of self-improvement, you see results more or less immediately. You feel stronger, more energetic, your mood improves, and soon you start to believe you’re in control of your own destiny. Which, by the way, isn’t the case yet. Destiny doesn’t care about the number of steps.”
The article went on to argue that the more healthy and confident you are, the more likely you are to point out the faults of others who are “not as healthy as you.”
As a result, even people who are healthy and exercise regularly can become “smug,” Williams said.
“You embark on this voyage Self-Improvement“The results are more or less immediate: you feel stronger, more energetic, your mood improves, and soon you start to think you are in control of your own destiny … you fall into a state of self-righteousness,” Williams scribbled.
In addition to being judgmental and self-righteous through healthy lifestyles, Williams writes that there is a “capitalist logic” to this whole endeavor:
So nothing is ever enough. As soon as you can run 5km, you want to run 10km. Before you know it, you’re exchanging Strava stats with people you once thought were assholes, and now, miraculously, you realize you have a lot in common. Always compete, always strive to grow, even if “grow” means “shrink.”
Unfortunately, you’re internalizing the market and you’re getting on everybody’s nerves.
Williams went on to say that there seems to be a disconnect between “spending time on your biceps” and developing your character.
“I understand that this isn’t actually a matter of being accelerated by the treadmill and unconsciously slipping into fascism, but rather that there is a certain amount of excellence in everyone…My point is that health can turn people into a bit of a jerk.”
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