Author Topic: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?  (Read 1987 times)

Howard

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Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« on: January 13, 2017, 05:53:43 AM »
In my observation, the various forms of social media have caused huge changes within BB contests.

 Go to any bodybuilding  contest and you'll see an event that's only 20% bodybuilding now.
The vast majority of competitors will be in: bikini, figure, MPD.

That's because one of the main motivators is posting your images on social media.
It's much easier to get "likes" when you have a fit, sexy body compared to being a muscle freak
That level of attention can stroke the ego and possibly yield product marketing success.

Bodybuilding was never a mainstream sport. Those in old school, hardcore bodybuilding
didn't care about fitting in with most normal folks. The hardcore gym and the BB contest were the
two places guaranteed to glorify muscle freaks.

When I started in BB, the goal was to be a muscle freak, PERIOD. Making a living from bodybuilding was rare.
W often joked about the guys living in vans near Venice Beach.
Eventually, the supplement companies and Weider magazines started offering contracts to the most popular pro bodybuilders.
The dawn of the internet age with the explosion of social media changed all that.
Now the magazines are all but dead and social media sites like Facebook and YOUtube allow anyone access to a worldwide audience.
The real key is to get noticed and that's where the pro card comes in.

Earning an IFBB pro card, was entry into the big leagues of bodybuilding. But pro bodybuilding was never set up to include a large number of competitors. Thanks to a huge increase in the pro cards given for figure, bikini and MPD, that problem is solved.

Now a sexy young lady can train and diet for a year or 2 , compete and become a pro.
She can put IFBB bikini pro on her Facebook page and personal trainer business cards.
 Considering the avg bikini pro career is 2 years and most never cash a prize $$ check it's not much of a pro career.
That's because the status of the pro card is what really matters .

If she fails to achieve that, she can least gain recognition by placing "National competitor" beside her name.
Doesn't matter if she placed 28th in her class at the Jr USA because she's on a national stage.

In addition to the pro card chase for recognition , we have the social media fitness celebrity.
Some unique fitness minded people break thru with some entraining , social media savvy campaign.
Even those who never won anything can generate a huge following now.
It's all about how you appear to the masses addicted to social media use.

In my opinion, contests are now used by many as means to promote themselves on social media.
Winning with a superior physique, climbing the contest ladder and earning respect as a bodybuilder is all but gone now.
In fact, as long as you look good and act cool, you don't even need to be an actual bodybuilder. :(

Howard

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2017, 07:48:59 AM »
This post was looked at and quickly  ignored like Jason Genova  at his last contest.

stuntmovie

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2017, 02:03:57 PM »
NO, HOWARD! I think that want you wrote above is very interesting and pretty damn accurate.

But in order to fully comprehend and appreciate what you said, the reader would have had to have many years more experience within the world of lifting heavy things than the vast majority of GetBiggers are given credit for.

But for the sake of argument the increase within the number of IFBB pros since the death of Joe Weider can be a double edged sword in many ways that can be great for the competitors, exceptionally under-appreciated by the fans, and a great target of opportunity for the vast number of haters within the game.

Back not too many years ago Joe Weider had his magazines to carry the game and maintained the number of pros  much less than today.

This current increase within IFBB Pro membership is most likely necessary simply due to the fact that there is no longer a national magazine to pay the bills, so now the IFBB Pro membership fees have stepped in to fill the void.

Good to hear some intelligent comments about what used to b and what's going on at present instead of the wishful but unverified rumors of someone else's love live other than their own.





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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2017, 02:05:53 PM »
In my observation, the various forms of social media have caused huge changes within BB contests.

 Go to any bodybuilding  contest and you'll see an event that's only 20% bodybuilding now.
The vast majority of competitors will be in: bikini, figure, MPD.

That's because one of the main motivators is posting your images on social media.
It's much easier to get "likes" when you have a fit, sexy body compared to being a muscle freak
That level of attention can stroke the ego and possibly yield product marketing success.

Bodybuilding was never a mainstream sport. Those in old school, hardcore bodybuilding
didn't care about fitting in with most normal folks. The hardcore gym and the BB contest were the
two places guaranteed to glorify muscle freaks.

When I started in BB, the goal was to be a muscle freak, PERIOD. Making a living from bodybuilding was rare.
W often joked about the guys living in vans near Venice Beach.
Eventually, the supplement companies and Weider magazines started offering contracts to the most popular pro bodybuilders.
The dawn of the internet age with the explosion of social media changed all that.
Now the magazines are all but dead and social media sites like Facebook and YOUtube allow anyone access to a worldwide audience.
The real key is to get noticed and that's where the pro card comes in.

Earning an IFBB pro card, was entry into the big leagues of bodybuilding. But pro bodybuilding was never set up to include a large number of competitors. Thanks to a huge increase in the pro cards given for figure, bikini and MPD, that problem is solved.

Now a sexy young lady can train and diet for a year or 2 , compete and become a pro.
She can put IFBB bikini pro on her Facebook page and personal trainer business cards.
 Considering the avg bikini pro career is 2 years and most never cash a prize $$ check it's not much of a pro career.
That's because the status of the pro card is what really matters .

If she fails to achieve that, she can least gain recognition by placing "National competitor" beside her name.
Doesn't matter if she placed 28th in her class at the Jr USA because she's on a national stage.

In addition to the pro card chase for recognition , we have the social media fitness celebrity.
Some unique fitness minded people break thru with some entraining , social media savvy campaign.
Even those who never won anything can generate a huge following now.
It's all about how you appear to the masses addicted to social media use.

In my opinion, contests are now used by many as means to promote themselves on social media.
Winning with a superior physique, climbing the contest ladder and earning respect as a bodybuilder is all but gone now.
In fact, as long as you look good and act cool, you don't even need to be an actual bodybuilder. :(


This is going to be a novel and a half, I apologize in advance.
TL;DR: Parents unintentionally removed guilt by trying to make me feel guilty. I am done.
I'm a lurker here, and many of these stories feel like they were written about my life. But today, I really just need to get this out there. A little bit of background for context: I am 31f, the second of 4 for Nmom, oldest for edad. I didn't know I had an older brother until I was 6. He was raised by his paternal grandmother. Even then, I didn't (and still don't) know him. He is a fb 'friend' but we do not talk. Not for any particular reason, we just have nothing to say to one another. I have 2 younger Nsisters, NC with both. LC with parents because they are getting older and I have up until today felt guilty about being completely NC. I live with my long term boyfriend, and out pups. He, and his family are amazing. As in, the family that made me realize mine was NOT normal. There are so many things I could tell you, but it would fill my own sub hah.
I currently live in StateA where I grew up for the most part. We moved around a LOT when I was a kid. I was constantly changing schools and never bothered to make friends because after losing them all the time due to leaving the town/state it wasn't worth the effort anymore. Edads family is from this state. When I graduated hs I moved to the other side of the state to go to college, and that is where I stuck. At the time my parents decided that I couldn't go alone so they uprooted the family and moved as well. I was not allowed to stay in a dorm (they found a place within 20 min of campus and it "didn't make sense" for me to stay in the dorms). They forbade me from having a job or a car (but younger sis got a mustang convertible that xmas) and provided me a cell phone which I was not allowed to give out the number for, and HAD to answer whenever they called. They knew my class schedule down to the minute, in fact my official copy was on the fridge. Even so, I would get calls during class, which I obviously could not answer. Upon arriving home I would be laid into for being an ungrateful bitch and making them worry I was dead in a ditch somewhere. This was on a near daily basis. Granted, I was 17 at the time and couldn't really do anything. Or so they made me believe. I had to take a cab back and forth to campus because I wasn't allowed to walk (you will be killed/raped/run over!!) and had no vehicle. Edad paid for this, which I know was a ridiculous expense, since they reminded me daily. But hey, anything for absolute control, right? 2 years later they told me I had to drop out. Because there was no money to send the next sister in line to school, and she deserved an education as well. I had previously taken out a federal loan for them when I turned 18, which they promised to make the payments on, but couldn't have in their name for whatever reason. I was uneligible for any aid because of it. So I quit. Just like that.
At this point I had been dating my then-boyfriend for about a year. We were set up by...drumroll please...my parents. He worked with my dad. He was/is a complete N himself, but back then it didn't occur to me that it wasn't normal. They pushed us to get married, so we did. I had just turned 21. I went from my parents house to his. Still basically a child. My wedding was a family reunion for my moms side. I didn't know anyone there, but it was a hell of a party for them. The morning of my wedding, I was waiting in the hallway for the bathroom to open up (the house was FULL of obscure relatives) and overheard my mom and her sisters talking in the kitchen about what an ungrateful bitch and a whore I am. How she did ALL of this for me, and was prolly doing it because I was pregnant or something. Well ma, I'm 100% infertile, you would prolly have known that had I ever seen a doctor. I was also a virgin. That day I wore a dress my mom bought at a thrift store without me. A big poofy ill-fitting cinderella type thing she bragged about getting for under $90. In a style that I had many times before stated that I did not like. (Younger sis got a custom swarovski beaded ballgown that was well over 5k due to her size for her wedding) That day I was also left behind at my parents house when everyone left to go to the church. I am an atheist, and was forced to take Christian pre-marriage counseling for weeks before being allowed to marry in this church, but it was a beautiful old building and my parents forced us all to go there. So it had to happen. What would people say if I didn't use the church?? Someone finally realized I was missing and my uncle came back to fetch me in his work van. Full of greasy tools. It didn't matter by this point because I was already walking down the street. In my dress and these stupid heels my mom picked out. But it was a good day. I got out.
After that they all moved back to the other side of the state to live next door to my dads mother. Nothing fancy, just a small lot on the 'family land' that was originally my piece from my grandfather. My parents asked me to give it to them so they could put a trailer there and look after my grandmother. So I did. Fast forward 2 years of his alcoholic Nrages, turns out hubby is gay, we split. A little while later, meet current bf, Mr. Awesomesauce. We have been together for almost 7 years now, and happy. Really and truly happy. It is the most amazing thing. We don't have a lot, but we get by. I don't work outside the house, because quite frankly my social anxiety is so severe that I cannot even pick up a telephone. Mr. Awesomesauce has been great about this and is fine with texting throughout the day. I'm not really sure what my deal is with phones, but it's a panic-inducing thing for me.
I digress. Last year my grandmother died. She left everything to Ndad, Naunt, and SweetCousin. SweetCousins own mother died when we were kids and she was raised by grandmother. Sweetcousin offers to give me her 3rd of the house since she wants nothing to do with it due to bad memories. Nparents and Naunt agree to sell their parts to me at an admittedly discounted rate just to keep the property in the family. My parents are getting older and have a myriad of health problems themselves, while both sisters live out of state so they all agree it is best for us to go down and look after my parents. Having been drama-free LC and on-off NC with them I truly thought they had mellowed with age and it would work out. We had to make it work. We could just barely afford the house and associated move. We did it. We should never have packed a box. We moved on the assumption that the agreements verbally made would be honored. Family, right? Well no. Suddently we owed thousands more. And oh btw we need you to pay this right now. Mr. Awesomesauce and I had spent everything we had on the move/fixing the place up. There simply was no more money. So we left. The house was still in Ndads name, so he sold it. It was sold before we found another place to live. Mr. Awesomesauce had to go back to the other side of the state first since he has and always will have a job there. He is good at what he does and has a large client base in this area. But it is in a tourist spot, so housing is hard to come by in the middle of the summer. Refusing to give up the dogs, I decided to stay with my parents (who basically demanded that I do so) until Mr. Awesomesauce could find a place. How bad could it be? It took 6 months. 4 of those months were filled with them trash talking my man telling me that I should leave him and move to StateB with them to be near my other siblings. Thanks but no thanks. I stayed with my dogs in their unfinished storage room. AKA hoarders paradise with plywood floors. Mr. Awesomesauce was working, crashing on a borrowed air mattress, looking for a house, and made the 8+ hour drive to see me as often as he could justify. 4 months in I broke. He was there for one day before he had to go back to work. 24 hours off and he took 16 of them just to drive. His parents showed up with a uhaul that weekend. I stayed with them until something opened up for us, and since then have had very LC with my parents. The day of the move-out my mom refused to even acknowledge that they were there. It was a parade of people in and out with boxes, and her just wandering around the house loudly complaining to now one in particular, but loud enough for all to hear. Shortly after that, my parents sold their place, and moved to StateB to be near my siblings and their children.
It's only a 3 hour drive from AwesomeParents place to our current home, so it was much more manageable for Mr. Awesomesauce to make the trips to see me. If you're wondering why I didn't make the drive, it's because we only have one vehicle and it made sense for him to take it. AwesomeFamily told me every day how happy they were that I was there, how much they love the grandpups, and how lucky their son was to have me. The never accepted a dollar from me. I had to creatively find ways to help out like justifying buying some groceries with teaching my nephew to cook, or showing AwesomeMama a new recipe. AwesomeDad even put up a small fenced in area in their backyard for the pups to enjoy!
Now Mr. Awesomesauce, the pups, and I are all under one roof and have been here for a lil over 6 months. Like I said before, we don't have a lot, but we have enough. This morning after weeks without a peep from them, my dad sent me a message on fb asking for $. Specifically because they are about to be evicted. Nmom has no clue. Youngest sis and her child (he is not even 2 years old--dad not in picture because she gave birth out of state and some legal magic made it impossible for her ex to see him. He's never even met his own child, but that is another story) live with them. Other sis and her husband live with their child in the same town as they do, though in a ritzy neighborhood. There is simply no money to give them on our end, and I let him know that. I also researched his legal options and a few services in their area that might be able to help. If I had the money, I would give it to them, even after all of this. I've spent the morning freaking out with guilt over not being able to help them.
Then I got another message. "Sorry to bother you then, bye." That's it. It may look harmless, but omg. I'm sure you guys all read that in THE TONE. I hope this means it's finally over, but I have the feeling it is the beginning of a collossal shit-storm, and do not know what to do. I'm pretty sure they are under the impression that Mr. Awesomesauce is just rolling in $ because of his line of work, and that we are simply refusing to help. There is a chance they might show up here (have done it before) even though they do not know our exact address, they know exactly where Mr. Awesomesauce works, and that we live nearby. It would not be hard to find this place. I am hoping they they do not have the money to make the trip up here, but they have done crazier things before. I don't want to involve the cops because they haven't really done anything, and this town is a little Mayberry, where everyone knows your business before you do. They've embarrassed me enough, and I do not want Mr. Awesomesauce to be involved any more than he already is. I don't really know where I am going with this, I just had to write it all down. One last thing has been bothering me for months now, and I do not know how to handle it. Mr. Awesomesauce has been getting phone calls from debt collectors looking for my parents. Is there any way to put a stop to this? We are not married, so he has no legal ties to them whatsoever. It's not a huge deal, but they are calling his personal cell with this crap, wtf?

Simple Simon

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2017, 02:20:03 PM »
This post was looked at and quickly, laughed at and ignored like Jason Genova  at his last contest.

fixed

Kwon

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2017, 02:53:34 PM »
In my observation, the various forms of social media have caused huge changes within BB contests.
Fully agree Howard, but after all, you're a responsible, intelligent person who apparently has a lot of time on your hands. Well, you can't possibly have more time than I do.
I mean, after all, I prolapsed Goodrum. You're only contaminating it. And most people don't even proliferate...*sniffle* The just ignore this poor, pathetic little rosebud of Peace. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Just like all those reports people have to do. You're great tradition is being carried out here. You might be asked a question about them on a quiz show. And now, for the million-dollar question: How many calories are there in a single serving of Mustard? I can just see it now...It could be called Know-Your-Food. Or You are What you Eat. It'd probley be as popular as those game shows that no one's ever heard of. Speaking of food, what's up with pie? There's strawberry pie, apple, pumpkin and so many others, but there is no grape pie! I know. I'm just as upset about this unfortunate lack of development in the pie division. Think about it. Grapes are used to make jelly, jam, juice and raisins. What makes them undesirable for pie? Would they dry into raisins? Couldn't you just stick some jelly in a piecrust and bake it? It just doesn't make any sense. Another thing that bothers me is organ grinders. You know, the foreign guys with the bellhop hats and the little music thingy and the cute little monkey with the bellhop hat who collects the money? Okay. They're basically begging on the street. How did they ever afford an organ-thingy? Wouldn't it make more sense to get a kazoo, if you're broke? And if they're so poor, what possessed them to buy a monkey? I mean, I don't think I could afford a monkey, and I'm not exactly on the streets. Obviously I at least have a computer...so, back to the organ grinders. The Patron Saint of Paper Clips claims no knowledge as to where that particullary nasty rumor started, but confirms that this is the best site ever. It would be a sin against humanity for a better site to exist. Should you refuse to aknowledge the Patron Saint of Paper Clips as the ruler of the Internet, you will be subjected to punishment as stated in Code 343 of the Flaming Chicken Handbook (i.e. Experience vague, pain-like sensations when you're not paying attention) This has been a public service announcement. This is a test, I repeat only a test. Had this been an actual emergency, we would have bought up all the can openers and charged 3 cows and a pig for each one. I repeat, lock all you doors and windows, this is it. I repeat, there is nothing to worry about. I confirmed that the Union was Northern and Free, and that the Confederacy was Southern and Slave. We resumed quizzing and she got every question on the worksheet correct. This is because she memorizes the questions. That way, she can pass the test without actually learning anything. You see, if you memorize stuff, you only have to remember that the answer to number 6 is Clara Barton for a week, rather than having to remember that Clara Barton started the Red Cross for the rest of you life. I sincerely appologize if anyone is offended by my view of memorization. I also would like such persons to immediatly leave my site. You don't belong here. You see...knowledge is good. I'm gonna do a complete background check. If they're anything like my sister, I'm movin' to Canada. Gotta go...the Russian-Brittish-Iraqi-enslaved-Africans are coming to defeat the Mexicans. I'm back! *there's that darn cricket again* And I have a genuine question to ask all of my loyal readers *cough-cough* Okay, here it is: Is it normal for a non-gender specific sibling to carry around various dead reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards etc.) This, of course would expand the market for such products. This would lead to a better, more stable economy. Food industires would be buying cars, gas and music. Parents would increase the purchase of entertainment items. In return companies would make a profit, pay their workers better. The workers would then be able to afford more entertainment items and the upward spiral would continue, as opposed to the evil downward spiral of my writing. In conclusion, Ladies and Gentlemen...if you implement my idea, there will be peace and prosperity for all. As long as you don't mind a few more couch potatoes. Gotta go...I think I hear a catchy jingle. I'm back...it's been awhile since I've written here. A lot has happened. Like my EVIL school computer deleting my updates page. Should you violate this right, you will become destroyed or possibly dizzy. I'm leaving now...I have some destruction to do. i'm back. from graduation. we had to get there one hour and fifteen minutes early because there was traffic. After standing around a lot...the ceremony started. Lots of people spoke. by the time I had to do my part (tell people where to stand before getting their diploma) it was dark. there were bugs. they liked landing on me. then...i got to go stand while people said a lot of stuff. i couldn't hear it because someone had put the speakers facing the audience. we clapped. the whole time, even during the name-calling, seniors were playing with silly string and beachballs. afterwards...they turned off the lights. there were lots of fireworks. i wandered around for 20 minutes looking for a cell phone. i called home, and waited another hour for my ride...traffic to the school was one way. i felt sorry for my dad. i am tired...but cannot go to sleep. i'll copy and paste this to my site. maybe the longest text ever. you will all suffer as i have suffered when and if you graduate. i cannot feel my feet. i hate dress shoes. I'm back. Today, I'm here to salute the Pointless Signs Of America! The PSOA have been whole-heartedly working for you, and what have you done for them? NOTHING! These so-called "pointless" signs are doing just what they were meant to do: entertain you! You cannot judge them simply because they have no apparant function. They expand your mind, making you think about all the things they could do. They could do anything they wanted to, if they just put their minds to it. If you judged everything by what it doesn't acomplish, then the entire world is populated by pointless beings. Noone can do everything, so how can you expect a SIGN, with the I.Q. of toilet paper, to do everything. You people sicken me. You expect far to much of the inanimate world. The inanimate world, on the otherhand, expects nothing of you. Which is exactly what it gets. If you expect nothing, and get nothing, you feel nothing. If you expect nothing and get something, you're happy. But, if you expect something and get something you feel nothing. And if you expect something and get nothing, you feel cheated. If you're following along, and not completly confused, you'll realize that it is better to be a pessimist than an optomist. Yep that's right. This entry went from saluting the PSOA to making a statement about my ideals. This has been a weird day. You can thank my associate "Meg" she came up with the PSOA acronym. Everyone, clap for "Meg".I gotta go...seeya later! I'm finnaly back! Today, I took a long look at this site, which is the acomplishment of almost a year of work. And I asked myself "How could I have better spent my time?" And so, in the interest of wasting even more time, I made a list. Here we go! Number One: I could have cured cancer. Not that I know anything about medicine...or cancer for that matter. But I'm sure that if I just would have put my mind to it, I could have done it. Number Two: I could helped the earth to find eternal and lasting peace. Which would be boring. So I at least have an excuse for not doing that. Number Three: I could have studied and stuff. Uh...don't think so...Number Four: I could have learned to drive. This would have resulted in the deaths of numerous pedistrians...and I would still probably be wondering around in search of a McDonalds. Number Five: I could have read more books, played more video games and watched more mindless television. Gee...I wish I'd thought of that sooner. Number Six: I could have implemented one of several plans for world domination. Or, as an alternative, I could have ruined several plans for world domination that other people made. Number Seven: I could drive people crazy. Wait...aren't I already doing that? Scratch number seven. And on to: Number Eight: I could have...uhhhh...ummmmm... actually thought up these things before hand. Number Nine: Now it's just getting redundant, isn't it? Number Ten: This is the list that never ends. Yes, it goes on and on my friend. One person, started typing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue typing it forever just because this is the list that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends, some person started typing it not...etc, etc. Okay...I admit it. I have officialy run out of ways I could have better spent my time. I don't think there actually are any. Except for maybe five and six. Now, those have possibilities. However, I am currently content to just sit here and type. For the benefit of you, the reader...who may or may not exist. Either way, I'm continuing to sort of entertain myself. I feel like I should be outraged about some topic or another. I just can't work up the energy to be outraged. Perhaps a nice, soothing mistrust. Yeah. I can work with mistrust. I definitly mistrust lots of stuff. Like organ grinders, and the evil conspiracies. Did you know, that Kodak was part of the conspiracy to assasinate John F. Kennedy. Now, some of you are probably thinking "Gee, Really?", or "Wow, I never knew that!" while others are thinking "Who's John F. Kennedy?" or possibly "Who or What is Kodak". I fervently hope that you're not thinking the last two...especially about Kodak. Kodak, as you may know, is a film developing company. And John F. Kennedy (JFK) was an alien bent on global domination. Or possibly a really good president who wanted to fly to the moon. Either way, he got assasinated. And ever loony in America decided that it was a conspiracy. Some even go so far as to claim that Kodak "changed" the pictures of the assasination to make an assasination in the bushes become a tree's shadow. I didn't know that they had such good technology back then. I have to wonder...why would Kodak do such a thing. Perhaps Kodak is actually a front organization for a shadowy governmental system that controls the entire world and didn't want mankind to obtain the freedom of the stars and so tried to sabotauge the space program even though it didn't work as well as they planned. Or perhaps not. Either way, Kodak is undeniably evil. How can any company that takes so many "wholesome" pictures not be? You can just bet that they look at every one that get's turned in to them, judging blackmail value, and whether or not you could get arrested. It's just sickening, you can't even take a simple photo nowadays. Unless you have a digital camera, which are a symbol of freedom from the old ways and willing enslavement to the new ways. We can only hope that the digital camera manufacturers are kinder masters than the evil Kodak Lords. I better go...I think Kodak is tracing my site....I'm back now! And, once again, I have proof that someone actually took the time (two hours) to read this entire Longest Text Ever! It's amazing, it's incredible, it's unbelievable. But true. Even more incredible, this time it's someone I don't even know! Wooooooo! I feel inspired and happy and other really good emotions and stuff. And so, I'll take a trip down memory lane, to the dark depths of the past, to when I decided to make this page. She is a heavy-set Yorkshire Terrior (12 lbs.) In otherwords, she's a small yappy dog who is big for her breed. Today, I met her arch-enemy. An enemy so terrifying that Moose cannot stop shaking. An enemy so hideous that Moose must destroy it at all costs. An enemy so dangerous that Moose fears it above all others. Now you may be wondering what horrible beast is Moose's arch-enemy. And you probably suspect that it is something pathetic. You would be correct in your suspiciousness...for Mooses arch-enemy is...*dramatic drumroll*...a small, white, feather. Now, Moose has seen many feathers, birds even. But none have struck terror in her little moose heart like this particular feather. So...naturally I put her arch-enemy in my pocket and brought it home with me. This action has made her very suspicious of where my loyalties lie. She tracks the feather smell all over the house, and goes crazy whenever I take it out of my pocket. She even got her sister and mother in the spirt of things. Now her sister sounds an alarm whenever she sees the evil feather. Now, you may be wondering what is so terrifying about a small, white, feather. So am I. It doesn't smell funny, (I asked my brother, since I don't have a sense of smell), it seems perfectly ordinary. So, I've decided that Moose works for some secret government organization, and that the feather is the key to the destruction of the world, and I am just blithely letting it enter our home, so that it may furthur its evil plans to destroy the universe. That is the only possible explanation as to why it upsets her so much. Or...maybe it's the feather off of the cartoon owl from the tootsie-roll pop comercials (one...two...three..*crunch*). Whatever the case, I decided that the whole world, (or three of four random people) deserve to know that if the world and or universe are destroyed, it's the evil, little, white, feather's fault. Now I'd better go and torture my Moose with it...:) I am officially back. And you, the potentially non-existant reader gets a once in a lifetime chance to hear me rant and rave about my Horrible, Horrible Family Vacation. I know. You feel very, very honored. It's like this. My mother is a control freak, and she decided on the spur of the moment that we were going north to visit relatives. Later that day, she decided we were NOT going north, we were going south to a beach resort. Still later that day, she got offended at some trivial thing and decided that we weren't going anywhere at all. The very next day, she decided that we were going north, after all. So, we packed everthing up. Before we knew it, we were on the road. The first part of the trip was fairly easy. As in, I was half-asleep, hoping that we'd arrive while I slept. Then, in an inspired move, my brother talked my mother into letting him sit up front. That meant that my mother would be in the back, with me and my younger, eviler sister. Immediatly, my mother started complaining. It was uncomfortable in the back, it was too hot, it was too cold. Then, she accidently woke our three yappy dogs up, and they relized that they were in a car. That meant only one corse of action for them. They started shaking and barked their little heads off. This annoyed my mother further, untill she asked, no, demanded that my father turn the car around so that we could go home. Unfortuantly, we had already driven 337 miles toward our destination. After much argument, my father was going to turn around, untill he realized that my mother was going to drop the dogs and me off, and then turn around and continue north. This seemed slightly unpracticle, so we ended up not taking that 337 mile detour. We eventually reached our destination after 16 hours of virtually non-stop driving. Why else would they invest all that money to show commercials in their own store? Because they put subliminal messages in them, of course! Subliminal messanging also explains the successes of certain fast-food resteraunts, and brand name items. BEWARE YOUR TOASTER OVEN! Okay. That had nothing to do whatsoever with subliminal messages...it's just cool to say. Anyway, only watch wal-mart if you WANT to be subliminaly entertained into purchasing a new set of TUPERWARE, even though your old set is PERFECTLY fine. This has been a public service announcment. Pretty cool, huh? Uh...you don't have to take the subliminal stuff seriously. It's true, and all, but I have no proof about wal-mart, or certain fast food resteraunts. It makes sense, though. Wal-mart TV is evil. You cannot deny it. Seeya...hmmm..I wonder if there's subliminal stuff in my computer...I'm back. And I feel that it's time for a FAKE commercial break, for the highly informed, obviously brain-dead consumer. And now, a word from our non-existant sponsor. Ketchup: The only food that you'll want to eat after traveling to the 5th Dimension. It's been practically proven that Ketchup transforms into a highly intoxicating (non-addictive) delicious substance upon returning from the 5th Dimension. Stock up now with our Valu-Pak to recieve 3-metric tons of Ketchup, all for the low, low price of your brain, since you're obviously not using it anyway. Then, just wait for technology to "catch-up" (get it, catch-up, Ketchup?)so you can travel to the 5th Dimension like our scientists almost did. (Next Commercial) Get ready fo: Faux's new "reality" TV show, "How Low Can We Go?" It's about six contestants who compete to create the worst, least likely "reality" TV show. The winner not only gets the million-dollar prize, they get the chance to produce the show they created. Remember: if the show sucks, it's their fault, not ours!(Next exciting commercial!)And for all the idiots out there: Try new and improved Dum-B-Gon! Dum-B-Gon stimulates brain activity, making you up to 10 times smarter! Not only that, Dum-B-Gon: stimulates weight loss, cures "any" illness, does simple houshold chores, never leaves the toilet seat up and is the perfect gentle companion for your kids. How can you pass up this revolutionary new product? It's yours for only 3 bi-monthly payments of $3.95 ($3,95,000 on days ending in "y")Don't forget, Dum-B-Gon is practically guaranteed!* (*Not a guarantee) (Next commercial)Have you ever wondered why food sometimes goes bad in your fridge, even if you've only had it a few years? It's because of the "evil little faeries with sharp little teeth." These "faeries" sprinkle your food with highly toxic "age dust" and ruin a perfectly good four-year-old meatloaf. How do you stop them? With our patented "spray". Our "spray" kills over 99.9% of "faeries" (which are much to small to see) Our "spray" also kills most disease causing agents, like rats, or pigeons. WARNING: Leave food sit in an open, well-venilated spot for a week before eating. And now, back to our featured presentation. Wasn't that semi-entertaining? I bet you wanna go eat some Ketchup covered Dum-B Gon right now, while watching "reality" TV. Just make sure you "spray" your food first. Pathetic, wasn't it? Oh, well. I was bored, and a dilligent reader suggested I make fake commercials, so...therer they are. Happy? Good. I'm leavin', for now. I'm back. And I'm willing to enlighten you, the potentially you-know-what reader. Today, I was checking out some weird news. At one point, I read an article that stated that it had been proven, conclusivly, that Kansas was flatter than the standard pancake. The researches even used highly advanced technololgy to map the surface of a pancake and compare it to documented geology of Kansas. Some people disagree, the director of the Kansas Geological Survey said "I think this is part of a vast breakfast food conspiracy to denigrate Kansas. It's a cheap shot." So...doesn't that make you want to take Kansas' side (I sincerly appologize if you are from Kansas). It just seems extremly weird (and worthy of mentioning) that this semi-important guy from Kansas believes in a "vast breakfast food conspiracy". Makes you think that the long held belief that Kodak conspired with the JFK assasin(s) is normal. Another article claims that an anitseptic turned a polar bear purple, drawing large crowds of people. I sure hope other zoos won't copy them. Before you know it, we'll have orange alligators, pink tigers and blue lions. School children won't be able to correctly identify the color of a zebra. Random people will think they've gone crazy, after a seemingly innocent visit to the zoo. It's wrong, I tell you. A complete and total degregation of our societies values. What values, you say? The basic moral belief that Polar bears should be WHITE. Unless we spray-painted the snow purple, too. Then it would be okay. As long as the bear blends in, you know? Speaking of animals, there's a cat in California who is a kleptomaniac (likes to steal stuff). He sneaks into neighboring homes, and takes clothing, wrapped christmas presents, and anything he can find. He then leaves them under his owners car. Okay, better leave. I'm back. And I don't really have a topic today. I'm just bored. Sometimes I just do this, you know? Start typing without any idea about what it is I intend to say. Maybe I subconsiously DO know what I'm doing here, but refuse to admit it to myself. Or maybe I am monumentally bored and don't have anything else to do at the moment. Either way, I'm here. You must be pretty bored, too. Otherwise, why on earth (beta, krpto, zkdjf, Planet X, whatever) would you be here? It would make no sense. If you have something better to do, why wouldn't you be doing it right now? I would be. But, maybe that's just the difference between you and me. Yeah. That must be it. Unless you're bored. Then I completly understand. I need to find a topic. Here, topic, topic, topic! Come on, I won't hurt you, I promise! *hides large ax behind back* Come here, topic! Why are you afraid of little ol' me? *sigh* There are no topics anywhere near me. Kinda like me and "Meg" webcomic we are trying to do. It's called Hit-Or-Miss, any topics, plot, etc. are completly accidental and are not the fault/responsibility of the creators. That was sort of a topic, even though it was sort of random. Which is what I do best. Okay, I'm done with that litte commercial. What now...hmmmmm...should I share with you more of my paranoid/delusional conspiracy theories? Or have I been doing that too much lately? Oooooo! I know, I'll start of list of why it's fun/good to be insane/weird! #1You can say or do anything and normal people will agree with you in the hopes that you'll be satisfied, shut up, and go away. Far away. I will show you an example with this completly true stuff that I experienced several years ago. ME: My vicious, psychotic, flesh-eating bunny-rabbit wants to rule the world. RANDOM PERSON: Uh-huh, that's nice. ME: Yeah, but I told her that she'd be a terible ruler. I mean, she traded Asia for a carrot! And she doesn't even LIKE carrots! RANDOM PERSON: You don't say? ME: Yep. She also is the goddess of red jello. RANDOM PERSON: *head explouding from sheer insanity* As you can see, I was a very weird child (this happened in elementary school...uh...except for that head-explouding part). Okay...on to: #2 You can get out of practically anything by saying: a)It's against my religion b)I'm allergic to that. c)I have an extremly irrational fear of that. d)I already did that in a past life and it sucked. e)My psychotic bunny predicted I'd die doing it. Unfortunalty, several of those reasons LEGITAMITLY apply to a certain activity I do every Tuesday, which WILL NOT BE NAMED HERE LEST I GIVE IT POWER OVER ME! I'm allergic to parts of it, have irrational fears about others and I'm pretty sure it's against my Jenny religion...along with eating mashed potatoes, or potatoes of any kind. I'll add that to the FLAMING CHICKENS HANDBOOK. Thou shalt not eat spuds.
Q

Spike

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2017, 03:01:01 PM »
Bb'ing is ghey and not a realm for hardasses anymore


It boils down to better defining bodybuilding
For instance - people do go to the show(audience) for the big dudes

Make finals Friday for the twinks and Saturday for the realness

Good ol getbig separate but equal style

mass243

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2017, 03:02:04 PM »

Yes, the glamour is gone.

jr

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2017, 04:57:44 PM »
I am so grateful to all of you who have offered suggestions, especially to those of you who opened my eyes to the fact that Allie may be suicidal. After talking with a crisis counselor at the suggestion of /u/1101010100010011, I realized this is probably what's going on, as she exhibits a lot of the other signs and symptoms. So here's what's going to happen: I'm picking her son up in an hour, then I'm going to talk to Allie about how she's been feeling and insist she get help, and if she refuses I'll take her to the hospital myself or call an ambulance to if she won't get in the car. I think she will, though. I'm waiting on Allie's mom to call me back, she is in the Navy and is stationed in Hawaii so once she gets back to me I'm going to see if she can help in any way. Then I'm going to double down on my efforts to find Allie's ex, if I have to hire a PI with the child support money he sends then so be it. I'm prepared to move into Allie's place and watch her son while she's getting treatment if her mom or ex can't take him but I'm hoping it won't come to that. Thank you again, I am so glad I posted here and I appreciate all the help and all those of you who've said that I've been a good friend to Allie. I know she would help me if it were the other way around. I will update when I have some good news to share.
Allie is my best friend of 10 years. She has been through hell lately, she was in a long term relationship with her boyfriend and they have their 2-year-old son together, and were expecting another baby. 3 months ago, Allie gave birth to her daughter who only lived about six hours before she died. Everything was fine up until then, there were no complications so it's not like she was prepared for the worst, it came as a complete shock. I won't disclose any of the details because she has a lawsuit pending but we'll suffice it to say that this has been traumatic for Allie.
Allie's boyfriend, I'm not sure whether out of grief or just because he was always a bad person and was looking for an out, broke up with her a few weeks later saying he was never in love with her and only stayed because of their son. He then moved out. I guess he's not 100% a bad person because he has been paying the rent in full (Allie hasn't worked since her daughter died) and is actually paying more in child support than the state would order him to, but what I meant is he abandoned Allie and his son emotionally when they needed him the most.
Understandably Allie has been out of her mind with depression. She barely leaves her house, during the week I've been picking up her son and taking him to daycare and on the weekends I've been taking him to the park and to the store with me, and sometimes just to hang out at my place. He is a good kid for the most part, but he's a toddler and as such is prone to fits. I won't lie, it's been incredibly draining. I've also been trying to help Allie by making meals and cleaning her house and doing all the things that I know are incredibly hard right now, but it's basically like taking care of two kids.
Yesterday when I brought her son home from daycare, Allie asked me if I would let him come live with me. I asked for how long, thinking she meant like a weekend or something, but she meant indefinitely. She said she needs to help herself first and right now she just can't take care of her son. I told her I'd get back to her but I have a lot of mixed feelings about this and my immediate thought was to say no.
On one hand, I want to continue being there for Allie and her son. I love them both like family, and although it's been draining for me to try and take care of them both right now, I didn't mind because I didn't think it would be indefinite, I guess I thought with my help Allie would be able to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. I am happy for her that she's realized she needs to help herself.
But I am also starting grad school in the summer, and I will have to move about an hour away to be closer to the school I'm going to. And speaking of my living situation, I currently live in a one-bedroom apartment that is fine for me since I don't have much stuff, whereas Allie and her son live in a 3-bedroom townhouse and her son's things alone would take up my entire living room. I don't know where I'd put him, I guess probably in my bedroom while I sleep in the living room, but my workspace (I work from home as a graphic designer) is also in my bedroom so I'd have to move that too, and I have a cat who doesn't get along too well with Allie's son, I have to shut her in my bedroom when he's at my place.
This makes me feel the worst of all, but I'm also feeling (selfishly, I'm sure) that I didn't sign up to parent her son, especially because I'm a long way off from having my own kids, if I ever do. Before Allie's daughter died, I would watch her son maybe once a month at most if she and her boyfriend wanted to go out on a date, and that was only ever for a few hours. Now I spend most of my time with this toddler who gets into everything, throws fits in public, and is generally very needy.
I know how hard things have been for Allie, and in no way am I trying to say that it's worse for me. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss having the free time I used to, because now my life is basically work and taking care of Allie and her son. I've even had to work a lot less now because I'll start trying to do something and he'll wail for attention, he's not exactly the kind of kid you can plop in front of the TV for an hour or two (which I didn't think was possible). And that's not even counting the time I spend at Allie's place cleaning and cooking and doing laundry and coaxing her into the bathroom to take a shower because it's been five days and she needs it.
I have no personal experience with grief of this magnitude, so I'm also wondering if I'm 'enabling' her (for want of a better word) by doing all this. I would feel uncomfortable doing the tough love thing, because every time I look in Allie's eyes I see the sadness and I know that she's not putting on an act here, she is absolutely torn apart inside. And as much as I want to be there for her, I know at the same time I can't sacrifice my whole life for her.
I am maybe not thinking clearly because I'm slightly sleep deprived, so I'm wondering if maybe anyone here has experience with grief of this kind or has dealt with a similar situation. I do still want to help Allie, I just really don't think I can commit to taking care of her son full time, even if I wanted to. I feel horrible for feeling that way, but I also feel like I'm being stretched too thin. I have tried to get in contact with Allie's ex but he's proven hard to find, and anyway I don't think there's a way he can be legally compelled to take care of his son, since he's paying child support. But maybe someone here can think of a compromise that I haven't been able to come up with, or some way to better help my friend get back on her feet, because with all I've been doing I thought I was helping, but maybe there's something I missed.
I'm sorry if this was long, I think I also just needed to vent a little.
tl;dr my best friend is grieving the loss of her infant daughter and I've been taking care of her son, she asked me to take him full time indefinitely while she takes care of herself but doing so would upend my life and I also am not crazy about the idea of basically being his parent

Joe Pietaro

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2017, 01:43:55 PM »
The social media aspect of the industry has put a little entertainment into it. That can be viewed as either a very good or very bad thing, depending on who you are asking. Even though I'm an old school guy, the 'new wave,' if you will, has been a blessing as a journalist.

The industry did it to itself by isolating the bodybuilders from other media outlets with those ridiculous exclusive contracts. Then that imploded on the various companies. And the pros were boring as fuck (for the most part) to interview even when you could sit down with them for an article.

So there was a window of opportunity for guys like Rich Piana and Bostin Loyd to garner an audience. And they are much better to write - and read - about, too.

Chadwick The Beta

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2017, 02:20:01 PM »
BB contests are every bit as much an exercise in phaggotry as they always were. 
K

DanzigBrah

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2017, 02:46:14 PM »
The IFBB needs to be unionized much like the NFL. And retired pros should have some kind of health care in middle to old age when all the "genetic" defects start popping up. Not to mention surgeries etc.

Irongrip400

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2017, 03:06:59 PM »
Many walls of text in this thread. Who's Allie and why is she suicidal?

tres_taco_combo

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2017, 08:16:20 PM »
well social media dominates many different things too. look at Trump with Twitter, realtors spend money on facebook clicks not billboards for adds etc

it seems sometimes several big social media fitness peeps dont compete cuz it would kill their creditably.

WalterWhite

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2017, 09:43:43 PM »
Many walls of text in this thread. Who's Allie and why is she suicidal?

Paragraphs please people.

gcb

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Re: Has social media changed bodybuilding contests?
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2017, 10:00:15 PM »
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

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Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32.

The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompanied by English versions from the 1914 translation by H. Rackham.

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There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don't look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn't anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet. It uses a dictionary of over 200 Latin words, combined with a handful of model sentence structures, to generate Lorem Ipsum which looks reasonable. The generated Lorem Ipsum is therefore always free from repetition, injected humour, or non-characteristic words etc.


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The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."

Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC

"Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?"

1914 translation by H. Rackham

"But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"

Section 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC

"At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat."

1914 translation by H. Rackham

"On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains."