Man Admits Impotence On T-Shirt
Some dickhead named Michael Karolchyk is all up in arms about the possibility of a law protecting fat people from discrimination in Massachusetts.
His willingness to shock people has won extensive press for his business, which is called the Anti-Gym. It is, in fact, a gym. What makes it special is its founder’s zeal for weight loss, a zeal that borders on sadism. If Karolchyk thinks his clients are too fat, he throws Twinkies at them. His favorite T-shirt says “NO CHUBBIES.” He says he wants to give his overweight clients “tough love.” It’s a kind of love that sounds a lot like hate.
This guy also admites he won’t hire any fat employees; he’s opening a branch in Massachusetts, which is why this law is pissing him off. The article goes on to say that this guy isn’t so different from the rest of the working world; he’s just willing to say it out loud.
Across the board, overweight people make 1 percent to 6 percent less than their thinner counterparts, and those in service professions earn fewer commissions and tips… In psychological experiments set up to resemble job interviews, the “bosses” consistently pick thin would be employees over fat ones with identical resumes. The psych lab mirrors the real world. Numerous studies show that overweight and obese people, particularly women, are less likely to score jobs for which they’re well qualified. And even if you’re thin, you can undercut your chances of getting a job merely by showing up at the interview with an overweight companion… “I had one guy tell me there was one kind of person he absolutely wasn’t going to hire–a fat girl. And the punch line is, this guy was overweight himself.”
It’s a really interesting article that touches on a wide range of issues, including whether being fat is a choice, why gastric bypass surgery works where diets fail, and what fat people have in common with little people.
The evidence is, of course, overwhelming that discrimination against the fat does exist; some people just think it’s the fat people’s fault and they should just suck it up–or sign up for an abusive gym. My real question is, if I fly to Denver and throw bottles of erectile dysfunction pills at Michael Karolchyk’s head, will anyone mind? And who will hold the camera?
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Advocacy, Cold Hard Cash, Fatism, Science, Work
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It should not be law in just one state, it should be law across the entire country – it should be in the constitution, right there with race, sex, etc – weight should be right there too.. Why can you discriminate based on weight? It seems to be the last domain for the politically incorrect.
Snoskred
Ugh!
The fact that this place is going to be in my back yard scares me to death!
I once worked in a service/commission job with a woman who was heavy and not particularly attractive. While I WAS good at the job, she was as good or better at product knowledge – yet, people would trip over themselves to give me the sale instead of her.
(We worked out a system where the register said she was making some of the sales – as it was only FAIR.)
I will hold the camera for you, Mo!
Best headline ever.
I’ll hold a camera, but only if I get to throw things, too.
Me too I will hold the camera but I gotta throw some stuff… it just would not be right not to throw things.. what a dick!
Can I be on the throwing team? I have a wicked throwing arm!
I love the title! No chubbies, hee hee, I am still laughing. And I would definetly hold the camera, what a nutcase. It’s okay for people like him to spout out all of their bullshit, because Western society rewards the psychopaths, and attacks people for their appearance. It’s so sick.
Actually, the whole thing about throwing Twinkies at people he thinks are too fat is a bit of a mixed message. Does he throw diet pills at people he thinks are too thin? Does he throw televisions at people he thinks are too uncultured? Does he throw beer bottles at alcoholics, and cigarettes at cancer patients?
What an asshole. Yeah, if he hates Teh Fat so much, then why toss food to the target? Sounds like he has some secret S&M feederism fetish going on there.
And this post’s headline? BRILLIANT.
I’m getting bogged down in the logistics of the whole twinkie thing. Does he carry them around all the time? Are they wrapped? If not, does he wipe up the mess afterward, or is his gym equipment all sticky? Also, I agree w/iflurry that it’s a mixed message. Throwing twinkies at someone who is exercising makes no sense, whether they’re fat or not. Also, I am dying to know how people respond to this. Most of the guys who use my gym would take him down.
I LOVE the headline! Honest to god, how did he not catch that?
ew, i guess the only bonus he gets is for using the term anti-gym, which recognizes the fact that legitimate gyms would dream of embodying this type of sociopathic behavior.
Does this guy remind anyone else of Ben Stiller’s character in “Dodgeball”? It was the first thing I thought of when I read about the anti-gym and the twinkie thing… and his intelligence seems approximate with that character’s as well.
i thought you might also find this interesting. http://biz.yahoo.com/bizwk/070802/aug2007db2007081804238.html?.v=1&.pf=insurance
omg, ashleigh, i totally feel you on that! i was thinking it too…
love this site
I’m a little slow. It took me going back to re-read the blog title AND the t-shirt saying 2 times before I got it.
Guess it’s all those twinkies rotting my brain cells.
Oh…wait a second….I don’t eat Twinkies. Are Twinkies the universal food associated with fat people?
If the asshole was throwing out sirloin steak and a baked potato (loaded with sour cream, of course)..then I might consider joining his gym.
Hey, good point. Do you get to keep the Twinkies? Because that could be a nice perk.
There are hardly words for this kind of blatant hating.
The fact that some people are so ignorant and intent on gaining 15 minutes of fame because of that ignorance is enough to make me want to vomit all over anyone who is/does this sort of thing.
Oh and I agree with a previous commenter:
Best. Headline. Evah.
I clicked on the comments just to ask if he shocks himself with a battery while staring at pizza. I thought Dodgeball was way over the top, apparently it’s non-fiction!
Apparently, this jerk’s gym is popular! How self-hating (or full of hate) would you have to be to join?
And why humiliate overweight people who are exercising? Makes no sense.
I can’t imagine there are actually really any overweight people who go to this gym. It would just be too uncomfortable – so the good news is that he is probably throwing those twinkies at thin, ripped people who are trying to get thinner and rippeder.
I would never go to such a gym.
HOWEVER, I will stick out my neck and say it’s his gym, and I think he should be able to run it the way he wants.
I’m going with Marie and say it’s his prerogative to have programs like this in his gym.
But really, it’s sad how people would actually go there to be treated like this.
I live in Denver and this whole concept is just down right stupid. I am also a Personal Trainer and would never work in an environment like this. No I am not jealous Michael or Lisa, it is just immoral. I hope you can sleep at night. Those that sign up do only to be a part of something that will someday wear off…..Anti Gym, it’s owner and trainers need to get a life….money turns to ashes when used in this way…Good-luck, you really do reap what you sow, more than you sow, much later than you sow…
I do not completely agree with how Michael works, but I understand what he is saying. I am a nurse and I am tired of watching overweight people die. Just last week had somebody pass away from a failed stomach stapling surgery (stomach acids leaked and she developed a crater, had her entire abdominal wall removed) and it was like watching somebody be torchered. I also blame all of us as enablers and watching our friends and families do this to themselves. obesity is preventable. We mock Michael, but I think the rest of our excuses are just as disgusting.
Obesity is unattractive for the majority of people around the world because it is unhealthy, just as being waif-thin is unhealthy. I am naturally thin, but also ride my bicycle around town, work out at the gym on a regular basis, and eat a fairly low-fat diet with plenty of fiber. I also do not drink soda (just not my thing). But I know I burn more calories and intake fewer than the the average American. I feel great, energetic, and physically strong, and I’m not on a diet nor do I count calories. Just a bit of common sense and plenty of exercise to keep my in good shape. I know a lot of fat people who exercise plenty, but then drink soda (which has about 20g of sugar, actually HFCS, per 12oz can) and eat at Wendy’s. It makes no sense.
People aren’t genetically fatter than they were 30 years ago, and despite all the extra vitamins and minerals we get, we’re taking in way too much fat and sugar. It is serious environmental problem that needs to be addressed, not accepted.
Fatness is not in the same category as race, sex, or sexual orientation. While there are some genetic factors, the majority of the obesity epidemic stems from poor diet (too much fat and sugar) and lack of exercise, not crappy genes.
Obesity is unhealthy, regardless of the spin one may put on the scientific figures. The excess fat puts a strain on the joints, especially the knees, clogs arteries, strains the organs, and reduces mobility in general and makes life more difficult.
I have some friends who were overweight and decided to get healthy. They look much better and feel much better now that they’ve changed their lifestyles (one is on weightwatchers, the other began cycling to work and back).
To accept obesity as the norm is doing a terrible disservice to humanity. To accept the rail-thin ideal as the norm is an equal disservice. Let us keep in mind that although there are many body types out there, healthy body types fall within a certain common-sense range, and figures outside this range are generally unhealthy, regardless of the excuses people make.
Let’s not get offended or indignant about weight, let’s get fit!
I agree with dh and bmac. It is a frame of mind as well as a lifestyle. I have been 250 lbs and 125 lbs. I feel good at 145 running with my children without jiggling like jello. I used all the excuses…I was lazy and scared mostly and excuses are easier. I think crazy micheal’s tactics will work for those that are simply tired of being over weight and tired of dieting and losing the fight. Maybe they feel he is strong enough in the beginning for both of them?? I’m honestly still trying to figure out why anyone would join that gym if they are overweight. Which poses another question…is this a gym for only thin sexy people like their website depicts? Do overweight people work out there in anything other than their commercials?? I do not have one in my area and I would be interested in hearing from anyone who went to the twinkie tossing guru.