Apparently it’s distasteful to bang out a few squats and shoulder press reps with small, Filipino men. Just another battle in the Culture Wars.
“World’s hottest math teacher” Pietro Boselli broke the cardinal rule of using petite non-white persons as a human dumbbell on Sunday. In a video posted on his Facebook page, Boselli looks for “something I can actually lift repeatedly for exercise.” Like a meathead Crocodile Dundee, Boselli spots a small, Asian man in the distance and exclaims “That Filipino man looks ideal!”
“I need to be very careful, approach slowly,” Boselli says. “Because he can get scared and start running.”
Internet users quickly voiced their outrage in the comments section:
“I get that this video is a joke… but to be honest, this is the reason why Western culture demeans Asians (especially Asian males) in media,” wrote one individual. “As a Filipino man who can easily bench twice his body weight, I’d rather see him do a video working out using his surroundings instead of treating his friend like weight
“I can understand Boselli only wants to goof around and may harbor no malice,” commented another. “But as a model in the public eye, he should know how to execute his concepts. And the execution is tasteless, offensive, and beyond the pale.”
Thankfully, journalist Evan Ross Katz of Mic reached out to Boselli and tried getting some clarity on the controversy:
“It’s very upsetting, Boselli said. “I was surprised by this negative reaction because clearly that wasn’t what I thought at all. We thought, let’s just do a funny, viral video. The intent was simply to post a lighthearted video about my obsession with working out. There was no harm intended toward anyone.”
Boselli added that he has “a very good relationship with the Filipino people” and that he “couldn’t be more far removed from racism toward the Philippines.”
Fitness fanatics beware. If you’re like me and you’d want to save some money on your monthly gym membership by simply lifting your elfin coworkers after lunch, make sure no one records it.
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