Tremendous. Love this piece. Thank you BrianAnd coming into spring after enduring the past six weeks it’s time for this gal to get to work!! I was a great fan of Emile Zola. If anyone reads Germinal and The Earth they would understand how brutal a life of physical labor can be. But movement is most important. Who ever thought it would be a sign of prosperity
This is great. You did a great job articulating what I find most maddening about Trump and his supporters—and what I have never been able to express adequately.
This is compelling commentary, with cringeworthy and laugh-out-segments equally competing for our well-earned jaw-dropping attention. As an amateur 30-year fitness buff myself and 5 years into a well-earned retirement from a 35-year stint in the corporate world , this one hit home like no other recent political analysis. Just tremendous, thanks for this, Brian.
This was perfect for the apoplectic feelings I'm grappling with this morning. Including the photos. Sometimes, it just feels good to call it what it is.
On a related note, I'm going to post this idea I've been trying to get traction with for many years. Everyone i send it to thinks it has merit; so I'll keep trying.
I have been harboring a fantasy for about a decade now, that we could take a page out of Iceland's playbook and train young men (not only young men, of course - any/all would be welcome!) in the art of rescue to prepare for the many incoming climate crises: "Iceland has demonstrated that it is possible to create a culture in which heroism—even heroism of the tough-guy-archetype—is still possible. As global warming threatens—no, promises—to wreak havoc on our communities with geological trauma that has been commonplace in Iceland for centuries, we are going to need an international squad of highly-trained dedicated rescuers to respond. In Iceland, “The teams have a fetish for vehicles; each seems to have a shiny souped-up fleet. In many cases, it’s the supercharged trucks with the floodlights and monster tires...or the Ski-Doos and Zodiacs, that lure young people to volunteer. They undergo eighteen to twenty-four months of basic training and then do further work in whatever discipline is to become theirs”. We need to harness the misdirected passion of those very youth who, at least in the United States, often look left, at best, at a mind-numbing job and look right towards notoriety and membership of a different sort, and let their pent-up fires steer them increasingly more often toward the latter."
and this one, about how young men were/are groomed for ISIS: “He was a charismatic father figure. It was exciting and there was an energy. I was an activist, never an extremist. For me I always had an inner voice telling me that a lot of this is not right. “But I was angry. I had a very violent dad. I had a lot of racism. I was angry and frustrated. So we planted this virus. And the kids today have caught it. “It’s the same attraction then as it is for young people now. A range of factors that is the same for Muslims and non-Muslims. Young people want to change the world, to feel loved and have a sense of belonging, a sense of attachment. That might just be in a foreign field.” Speaking to the Observer, Karmani said that to tackle the numbers of young people leaving the UK for Syria, Iraq and Libya, it was important that the debate should change to understanding the human elements at play. “It’s not about ideals – 90% of them never subscribe to the ideals – it’s other factors that are a draw. This is the new rock and roll; jihad is sexy. The kid who was not very good-looking now looks good holding a gun. He can get a bride now, he’s powerful. The ISIS gun is as much a penis extension as the stockbroker with his Ferrari. “There is a fundamental disconnect with our young people. Youth work used to be a brilliant vehicle but that’s all gone in the cuts, so who connects with young people now?” “If they have to be repressed about sex, about their friendships, who are they going to talk to? It makes them exposed and vulnerable. We have to stop seeing Muslims as ‘other’. They’re not. See them as the same.”
Hats off to Mr. Beutler for such spot-on journalism. The idea of all these breaky-heart man-boys being allowed to cordon our amazing United States government off from behind a sham-screen of sleaziness troubles one's sleep with feelings that are probably very similar to those aroused in Sam Adams when dealing with King George (did George have Alzheimer's), the pathetic.
What is dumfounding is that we have not gone ballistic over the fact that Ronald Reagan's mom had severe Alzheimer's---so overwhelming that they had to strap Prez 40 in a chair for his last term, and that, just like Prez 47's dad, Fred Trump, punched out with severe Alzheimer's (a hereditary disease) and his kid, Prez 47 babbles on and on and can only sit in a chair with his arms propped on his legs for lack of posture.
The only difference between Prez 40 and Prez 47 being that Prez 40 had the cajónes to announce to the world that he had Alzheimer's and Prez 47 is too spineless to fess up to his actual morbid obesity and other ailments like Alzheimer's using some long-haired shill and other so-called doctors to cover for him.
Brian Beutler, I salute you. We need so many more writers and influencers like you on the left. Brilliantly barbed, informative, and setting frames that other Democrats should use. Keep doing what you do sir!
What a great article !
It was fabulous 😂🤣
Excellent article and I love how you weave actual fitness and training elements into it.
Amusing, scary, sobering and writing that is a joy to read, even if the subject matter is off-putting. Thanks for the article
Thank you for reading!
Way to give Trump’s weak-ass ‘manliness a workout — or rather a work-over!
Tremendous. Love this piece. Thank you BrianAnd coming into spring after enduring the past six weeks it’s time for this gal to get to work!! I was a great fan of Emile Zola. If anyone reads Germinal and The Earth they would understand how brutal a life of physical labor can be. But movement is most important. Who ever thought it would be a sign of prosperity
I love this take. great work.
This is great. You did a great job articulating what I find most maddening about Trump and his supporters—and what I have never been able to express adequately.
Bravo.
This is compelling commentary, with cringeworthy and laugh-out-segments equally competing for our well-earned jaw-dropping attention. As an amateur 30-year fitness buff myself and 5 years into a well-earned retirement from a 35-year stint in the corporate world , this one hit home like no other recent political analysis. Just tremendous, thanks for this, Brian.
This was perfect for the apoplectic feelings I'm grappling with this morning. Including the photos. Sometimes, it just feels good to call it what it is.
On a related note, I'm going to post this idea I've been trying to get traction with for many years. Everyone i send it to thinks it has merit; so I'll keep trying.
I have been harboring a fantasy for about a decade now, that we could take a page out of Iceland's playbook and train young men (not only young men, of course - any/all would be welcome!) in the art of rescue to prepare for the many incoming climate crises: "Iceland has demonstrated that it is possible to create a culture in which heroism—even heroism of the tough-guy-archetype—is still possible. As global warming threatens—no, promises—to wreak havoc on our communities with geological trauma that has been commonplace in Iceland for centuries, we are going to need an international squad of highly-trained dedicated rescuers to respond. In Iceland, “The teams have a fetish for vehicles; each seems to have a shiny souped-up fleet. In many cases, it’s the supercharged trucks with the floodlights and monster tires...or the Ski-Doos and Zodiacs, that lure young people to volunteer. They undergo eighteen to twenty-four months of basic training and then do further work in whatever discipline is to become theirs”. We need to harness the misdirected passion of those very youth who, at least in the United States, often look left, at best, at a mind-numbing job and look right towards notoriety and membership of a different sort, and let their pent-up fires steer them increasingly more often toward the latter."
I can say more if anyone's interested.
It was inspired by two articles: This one, about rescuers in Iceland: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/09/life-is-rescues
and this one, about how young men were/are groomed for ISIS: “He was a charismatic father figure. It was exciting and there was an energy. I was an activist, never an extremist. For me I always had an inner voice telling me that a lot of this is not right. “But I was angry. I had a very violent dad. I had a lot of racism. I was angry and frustrated. So we planted this virus. And the kids today have caught it. “It’s the same attraction then as it is for young people now. A range of factors that is the same for Muslims and non-Muslims. Young people want to change the world, to feel loved and have a sense of belonging, a sense of attachment. That might just be in a foreign field.” Speaking to the Observer, Karmani said that to tackle the numbers of young people leaving the UK for Syria, Iraq and Libya, it was important that the debate should change to understanding the human elements at play. “It’s not about ideals – 90% of them never subscribe to the ideals – it’s other factors that are a draw. This is the new rock and roll; jihad is sexy. The kid who was not very good-looking now looks good holding a gun. He can get a bride now, he’s powerful. The ISIS gun is as much a penis extension as the stockbroker with his Ferrari. “There is a fundamental disconnect with our young people. Youth work used to be a brilliant vehicle but that’s all gone in the cuts, so who connects with young people now?” “If they have to be repressed about sex, about their friendships, who are they going to talk to? It makes them exposed and vulnerable. We have to stop seeing Muslims as ‘other’. They’re not. See them as the same.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/13/godfather-of-british-jihadists-admits-we-opened-to-way-to-join-isis
Loved it. What size kettleball would you pick for the Muskie?
I’d want to assess his baseline strength mobility, and injury history, but he’s a big guy so he could probably start around 16-20kg no problem.
The image choices on this sub are Onion-level!
Hats off to Mr. Beutler for such spot-on journalism. The idea of all these breaky-heart man-boys being allowed to cordon our amazing United States government off from behind a sham-screen of sleaziness troubles one's sleep with feelings that are probably very similar to those aroused in Sam Adams when dealing with King George (did George have Alzheimer's), the pathetic.
What is dumfounding is that we have not gone ballistic over the fact that Ronald Reagan's mom had severe Alzheimer's---so overwhelming that they had to strap Prez 40 in a chair for his last term, and that, just like Prez 47's dad, Fred Trump, punched out with severe Alzheimer's (a hereditary disease) and his kid, Prez 47 babbles on and on and can only sit in a chair with his arms propped on his legs for lack of posture.
The only difference between Prez 40 and Prez 47 being that Prez 40 had the cajónes to announce to the world that he had Alzheimer's and Prez 47 is too spineless to fess up to his actual morbid obesity and other ailments like Alzheimer's using some long-haired shill and other so-called doctors to cover for him.
Brilliant. Thank you.
You've inspired me to get out of the chair and get moving again. Great article. Targets the whole person....body, mind, soul.
This is maybe my favorite thing you’ve ever written and that is saying something
Brian Beutler, I salute you. We need so many more writers and influencers like you on the left. Brilliantly barbed, informative, and setting frames that other Democrats should use. Keep doing what you do sir!