Posted on 10/27/2009 12:31:30 PM PDT by GodGunsGuts
Modern Men Are Wimps
Oct 23, 2009 — Whatever happened to survival of the fittest? Our ancestors were much stronger, says the author of a new book on anthropology. PhysOrg reported on a book by Peter McAllister that says today’s males don’t measure up physically to their counterparts even a century ago, let alone those in the Roman empire and earlier.
According to McAllister humans have lost 40 percent of the shafts of the long bones because they are no longer subjected to the kind of muscular loads that were normal before the industrial revolution,” the article said. “Even our elite athletes are not exposed to anywhere near the challenges and loads that were part of everyday life for pre-industrial people.” Cro-Magnon men were taller, more fit and had bigger brains than the average man of today. Neanderthal women could have easily whipped Schwarzenegger in an arm wrestle, he claims. Records show that even in recorded history men had better overall fitness on average.
Manthropology: The Science of the Inadequate Modern Male blames our inadequacies on our sedentary lifestyles. It’s a good thing we are not competing against ancient people in the Olympics. McAllister says Greek rowers in their trireme ships could outperform today’s world-class rowers. He wrote of “Roman soldiers who completed the equivalent of one and a half marathons a day, carrying equipment weighing half their body weight, and Australian Aborigines who could throw a spear over 10 meters further than the current javelin world record.” Even a century ago Rwandan men and Australian natives could have eclipsed modern track and field records. Today’s champions merely outcompete one another in a bad lot. “Even our elite athletes are not exposed to anywhere near the challenges and loads that were part of everyday life for pre-industrial people.”
McAllister claims modern weaknesses are reversible with the right kind of diet and exercise. The benefits can accrue to individuals as well as populations.
There are still ethnic groups today who show what humans are capable of. Remember the sherpas in the 06/17/2005 entry? (see also 10/31/2007, bullet 4). It’s understandably hard to live optimally with today’s hectic urban lifestyles that subject both men and women to mental stress in a sitting position (e.g., sitting in traffic hurrying to get somewhere, working at a computer all day). Each individual needs to assess their fitness level and improve as opportunity allows. We suggest vigorous walks in nature, up and down hills, carrying a load when possible. Whatever McAllister’s book shows (and it is undoubtedly oversimplified), it is not showing that evolutionary progress is occurring. Read the Old Testament and study ancient civilizations for amazing feats of strength and endurance. It’s startling to think of the extreme ancient monuments around the world that were built without petroleum and electromagnetic power.Darwinian anthropology creates a mindset that we are evolving upward from the apes. That runs diametrically opposed to the Biblical worldview that says creation was perfect at the beginning, but was cursed and is running downhill. Old testament people lived for centuries. It is more credible to think that mutational load over millennia of exposure to cosmic rays and other mutagens is taking its toll. Scientific and engineering knowledge can accumulate to counter these trends, but that’s intelligent design, not evolution. We’d better take care of what we have left.
Ping!
Appropriate since feminists have castrated men and tied the balls to themselves.
Well, yes, and no. This does not take into account the high level of disability owing to disease in early man.
faux science ?
“Whatever happened to survival of the fittest? Our ancestors were much stronger, says the author of a new book on anthropology.”
It’s not survival of the strongest, it’s survival of the fittest. If it were all about strength, we’d have been aced-out by wolves and bears long ago. We’re fitter than others because they’re dumbasses. Humans are smart. It’s Revenge of the Genetic Nerds!
**Whatever happened to survival of the fittest?**
While LIBERALS PREACH Darwin as a GOSPEL, they at the same time initiate programs that Thwart Darwin at every turn..
Hypocrits ... period.
What about the size of their, um, you know... manhood.
Hard, physical work ain't easy and the toll it takes on your body is terrible.
Anybody that wants to romanticize the old ways needs to spend a day getting acquainted w/ a pick ax, or a scythe.
I’ll put my 700BDL 30-06 with 168gr moly-coated boattail hollowpoints against Og’s big muscles any day of the week.
That sound awfully strange coming from a guy named Bert.
More important than diet and exercise is will. As long as little Johnnie just sits and wags his thumbs above the game controller, he ain't about to develop the will.
Not to worry, though, the gubmint guy will be around to fix things.
What? I’ve lost “40% of the shaft of my long bone!”
Speak for yourself Tonto!
Yeppers...
Could you imagine some of them creating a civilization out of the New World wilderness ???
Barbara Streisand. Prove it.
There are WWII vets who fought at Normandy who would disagree with this, those men had courage to face those German machine guns facing down on them on Normandy beach.
LOL...it’s where they get to be violent and get plenty of exercise without actually being violent or getting plenty of excercise! And don’t even get me started on all the blue jeans with the fake wear and tear!!!
I dare any caveman, hoplite, samurai or indian scout to sit for even half as long as I do!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.