Buy Walking VideosHopper Video Shows Us The Hot Dog Eating Contest
Yesterday, I talked about the hot dog eating contest that was sponsored by Nathan’s Hot Dogs. Rob Parrish was at a bar when the contest was televised and posted this video.
We are at war with a country far, far away. People on both sides are dying. To celebrate our nation’s birthday, Nathan’s Hot Dogs sponsored an event that just makes them hate us more: a twelve-minute spectacle that glorifies gluttony.
No wonder they hate us…
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July 8th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
This may seem an inflammatory question, but I’m asking because I really am interested, so please be gentle with me.
Is the belief that other countries hate America because of the difference in standard of living really so widespread?
In my personal experience (in Europe, in Africa, hearing from Indian and Pakistani friends), the attitude seems to be a lot more based on the lack of respect for differences. I’ve heard many people complain about disrespect for other religions, threats to sovereignty and ignorance, but never anyone go “I hate those bastards because they have so much”.
July 8th, 2006 at 10:04 pm
I have to agree with Meri.
From the American point of view, it is indeed hypocritical to stuff ourselves for “sport” while many other people, Americans as well as others in the world, are starving.
But I have lived in Europe for the last 10+ years, and I also have never heard anyone say “I hate those bastards because they have so much”.
Many people in the world hate us because of our arrogance and lack of respect for other ways of doing things, as displayed by Hollywood, travelers to other countries, unprovoked bombings on other countries, unfair trade practices, etc.
Gluttony is not why they hate us. It may be one reason why we hate ourselves, however.
July 8th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
I guess what I tried to say above is, Americans are not hated for what they do on their own soil. They’re hated for the arrogant, disrespectful, damaging things they do on other people’s soil.
July 11th, 2006 at 5:53 am
ESPN’s site has the whole 12-minute broadcast plus a couple minutes of interviews.
Competitive eating is much bigger here in Japan than in the U.S., so I wouldn’t draw any big cultural conclusions from it. And all the competitors are skinny here. They seem to be well adjusted, and their diets outside of these isolated eating competitions seem to be normal from what can be gathered in interviews.
I wouldn’t classify them as having eating disorders. It’s just an offbeat skill that some people develop. I rather doubt that their bodies are really metabolizing all that food in the same way it would be metabolized if they ate it over a week anyway.
This site tracks in Japanese most of the goings-on on the Japan circuit: