The Glade 4.0

I suppose just the fact that I'm posting this corrupts the "purity" of opinion on it but I'm looking to get thoughts on the symbolism in this image:

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Well, I think the red X symbolizes denial. It is tainting the pure white of the background. The word "Image" represents the artist's self image. When in combination it represents the artist's denial of his own self image. And yet this denial only ends up tainting that self image.

A very moving piece.



P.S. Photobucket blocked at work.

Edited for Aegnor's sake. It is a poster with a black background, a grey upraised fist holding a grey dumbbell, two weights on each side. There is a red star over the wrist part of the raised hand. The words, relatively large and below the red star, are 'Waging A Fitness Revolution'.

Red star of Soviet Union
Raised fist of cultural revolution
Waging a Revolution
Black, white, red, grey.

OMG, these communists are seducing our children, calling for them to embrace the worker's paradise and rebel against their parents by becoming fit, exercising, and listening to long bad health talks.

Kidding aside, someone is using the Soviet and other communist propaganda symbols to promote fitness, probably at their gym where membership costs enough each month to feed a village.

_________________
The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

First thing that struck me ...



Black power. Thumb in rather than around the barbell. Why?

What else is a red star?

_________________
“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.” - Pearl S. Buck

It's someone using they style of the old soviet propaganda posters to try and advertise fitness. Without knowing more context of the gym or place where this was posted, I can't really say more about it.

I think that it took me entirely too little time to find the source for that image

In-context, I'd say that it's just a bit of marketing fluff, and that you probably shouldn't read too much into it. It looks to me like someone is just trying to imitate Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant, etc.).

<editorial>Which is kind of funny, because Shepard Fairey is a talentless hack who blatantly copies actual propaganda posters with minimal modification and claims them as his "art".</editorial>

Anyway, I'd post the context, but maybe Dash has his reasons for not doing so :p

_________________
Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

It is obvious though right? I mean a red star and the fist is pretty clear cut I'd think.



Never thought of black power but yeah that symbol does look like it.



It's my gym's logo. I never thought much of it before but for some reason it struck me today. It's most certainly a capitalist establishment, my monthly fee is rather high! I'm just wondering why they'd choose this symbolism. I'm guessing it was just a revolution thing and they thought it looked cool?

Would it be funny or obnoxious to post at the website as "Joe McCarthy" and ask what's up with the red star comrade?

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Ha no not really other than just wanted to see what people thought in the abstract. I never would have thought twice about this before getting into politics but now I find myself thinking ... wtf? I'm really more curious than anything.

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

I should also note on some other advertisements he's used old WWII imagery so maybe it's that era he's into.

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Symbology. I think the word you're looking for is "symbology."

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Dan Brown thinks so too.

_________________
"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

I think that gym memberships are a perfect example of subsidzation. I thank all the lazy people that sign up for 24 month contracts and fund the purchase of new equipment and maintenance of the facilities for nothing in return.

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

The truth ^^

My apartment complex has a nice little gym that I can use to my hearts content 10 months a year. January and April it's packed with good intenting folks who quickly go back to their old habits.

_________________
A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

I understand January, but why the big jump in April? Spring?

Gyms are great, but you should only work out for your own fitness or because it feels good. Not for a self image or any other reason. Your self image should already be fine.

_________________
"The map is not the territory."

Getting beach bodies. Or trying to, at least.

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Waste of time. Feeding into societal expectations of body. Cavemen didn't know what they looked like and didn't care... they fought for survival every day. Body images don't matter.

_________________
"The map is not the territory."

Yeah probably the warm weather to get ready for summer.

I'm still subsidizing my old gym 30 bucks a month even though I barely go anymore since finding this new one. Pretty good deal for them.

I'm in it for the whole deal, body image, health, functional strength, energy, keep up with my kid... hot girls in the gym... you get a lot out of it.

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

You should always be satisfied with your current body, your current health, your functional strength, your energy, your status with your kid, and not seeing hot girls every second.

However, working out is right action because it is living in the moment in a positive way.

_________________
"The map is not the territory."

No it's not. You're confusing self-criticality and equating it to a debilitating lack of self-image.

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Any self-criticality is admittance of an insecurity. Insecurities that don't affect your reproductive potential are fake insecurities. Stupid ones in my opinion.

_________________
"The map is not the territory."

No it's not, it's admittance that we're aren't omnipotent and that it is a tool in the un-ending strive to reach perfection.

You should really experience sometime the fruits that come with self-sacrifice, not trying to do things in the easiest way possible.

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

You should be 100% fulfilled in the present. Otherwise you have insecurities.

I self-sacrificed to get my job that pays a lot of money, more than 95% of people of my age. I live on my own. I'm in good physical shape. I eat healthy every day. I barely drink or use drugs, and I don't watch tv. Don't talk to me about self-sacrifice.

_________________
"The map is not the territory."

100% fulfilled would lead to pure stagnation and zero growth.

I highly recommend good nutrition and exercise for better quality of life in general.

_________________
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

You had an entire thread dedicated to the alleged triumph of impetuosity, spontaneity, narcissism and ego (which I think is an artificial construct of your own mind that you don't actually possess) over everything else.

Having a job, living on your own, not drinking or using drugs, not watching TV has nothing to do with self-sacrifice. If those fall by the wayside anyway, they're not self-sacrifice, they are only so through the lens of average societal perception. Ironic, given how you espouse the viewpoint that self-perception is all that really matters anyway.

_________________
"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones