MSNBC is facing mockery after publishing an article focusing on fitness and the “far right.”
The outlet published a column by Cynthia Miller-Idriss on Monday titled, “Pandemic fitness trends have gone extreme — literally.”
“It appears the far right has taken advantage of pandemic at-home fitness trends to expand its decade-plus radicalization of physical mixed martial arts (MMA) and combat sports spaces,” Miller-Idriss wrote.
She continued, “Physical fitness has always been central to the far right. In ‘Mein Kampf,’ Hitler fixated on boxing and jujitsu, believing they could help him create an army of millions whose aggressive spirit and impeccably trained bodies, combined with ‘fanatical love of the fatherland,’ would do more for the German nation than any ‘mediocre’ tactical weapons training.”
The article also stated, “Far-right groups have launched mixed martial arts and boxing gyms in Ukraine, Canada and France, among other places, focused on training far-right nationalists in violent hand-to-hand combat and street-fighting techniques.”
Miller-Idriss then pointed to examples in the U.S. of white supremacists seeking to recruit others through gyms.
“The intersection of extremism and fitness leans into a shared obsession with the male body, training, masculinity, testosterone, strength and competition. Physical fitness training, especially in combat sports, appeals to the far right for many reasons: fighters are trained to accept significant physical pain, to be ‘warriors,’ and to embrace messaging around solidarity, heroism, and brotherhood,” she wrote.
Miller-Idriss notes fitness “of course is a staple and a hobby for many people, for whom it is enjoyable and rewarding for brain health and overall well-being. Physical fitness channels dopamine, adrenalin and serotonin in ways that literally feel good.”
“Intertwining those feelings with hateful and dehumanizing ideas, while promoting the concept that physical warriors are needed to create the strength and dominance to defend one’s people from a perceived enemy, makes for a dangerous and powerful cocktail of radicalization,” she argued.
Check out some of the reactions below:
MSNBC thinks you’re a nazi if you work out lmaooo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2023
Being healthy and fit so you don't need medical care is now far right.
— 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 (@txsalth2o) July 10, 2023
Got it.
MSNBC Exclusive! We take a deep dive into weird world of "far right" Americans & their bizarre infatuation w/ eating healthy, going outside, staying fit, & having meaningful relationships. https://t.co/8Tppp53nqd
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) July 10, 2023
This is genuinely one of the funniest things that I have ever read lmfao 😂😂 https://t.co/EfdGcUVslU pic.twitter.com/hF9IDDAuc8
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 10, 2023
The only way to prove you're not a Nazi is to get fat. https://t.co/GxfTEsuPmS
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) July 10, 2023
Becoming obese to own the cons https://t.co/xEvy45ZuWB
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) July 10, 2023
You know who *else* exercised https://t.co/4WxYjvT7g6
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) July 10, 2023
They really want everyone to be lazy and weak. https://t.co/Ca2wcTPSJH
— Brittany Hugoboom (@BritHugoboom) July 10, 2023
The far left’s obsession with obesity is going digital
— MORGONN (@morgonnm) July 10, 2023
What kind of headline is this https://t.co/CNnUISnvrN
Miller-Idriss wound down the article by urging “parents, physical trainers, gym owners, coaches and others in the fitness world” to “understand how online grooming and recruitment can intersect with spaces that we generally think of as promoting health and well-being.”
“The realm of online fitness now provides a new and ever-expanding market for reaching and radicalizing young men; and it requires our targeted focus and resources to try and stop the cycle,” she insisted.
