Competitive Eating. Really America?

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Joey Chestnut, nicknamed Jaws, is the world record holder for most hotdogs eaten in ten minutes at 68 hotdogs. To Chestnut eating is much more than just a way to convert food into energy for his body – it’s a skill. What does competitive eating really say about the culture in the United States though? Do you really think people starving in Africa consider stuffing your face till you can no longer eat a skill? Or do other cultures see it as a way for Americans to brag to the rest of the world that we are rich and prospering, along with being the most obese country in the world. Should our culture reward those on the road to premature heart attacks and being charged extra for two plane seats? Jason Fagone’s essay, In Gorging, Truth, investigates the veracity behind competitive eating champions and the game they play. Americans have become obsessed with being number one, at absolutely everything, despite how destructive and degrading it is to our society as a whole. A prime example of that is the world of competitive eating. Other countries hold an image of Americans being fat, lazy slobs who do nothing but stuff their mouths all day long. After watching the Olympics this summer I began to question how other countries could see us that way. Clearly, Michael Phelps is proof that we, as a nation are the epitome of excellence. And then came Fagone’s essay: an insight into the world of competitive eating. Everything our Olympic champions have accomplished is canceled out by the pure absurdity of competitive eating. American’s have a need to be the best, even if that is the best of the worst. We have discovered a way to get the title of champion by doing what everyone does in order to survive. Competitive eating serves as a way to be the best, by doing nothing, which is why we are seen as lazy. There is nothing about an eating competition that positively reflects what

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