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Sleek Olympic athletes shame flabby American desk jockeys

An "encore" cartoon from the Summer of 2012.
(David Horsey / Los angeles Times)
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On the plus side, the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are providing a nice distraction from the relentless 2016 presidential campaign that has now been with us for two long summers and all the time in between. Not only are the athletes wowing us with their always amazing feats of skill and strength, but there is an edifying moral example being set by the drug-free competitors who are shaming the few among them who have been found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs.

On the minus side, though, there is this: The physical perfection of all these gymnasts and runners and swimmers and soccer players presents a stark contrast to our own all-American summer bodies. In winter, we can hide our bloat and doughiness under sweaters and hoodies and, in the case of people like Donald Trump, expensive tailored suits and ultra-long red ties. In the hot months, it is harder to hide.

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Right now, I’m enjoying the sun by the shore of a lovely lake in central Washington state where I have to periodically remind myself to hold my gut in. Here, and on lakes and riversides and beaches all across the United States, bodies are bared and the ravages of fast food diets, alcohol, soft drinks and processed foods are on display. We modern Americans, released from the physical rigors of earlier eras, now spend our days sitting at desks staring at computers, then sit in cars that transport us to homes where we sit in front of other screens until it is time to lie down for a night of sleep. When summer comes and we are released into the wild — or into a water park or resort or onto a boat dock — we strip down and spread our excess flesh like sea lions on a rocky strand. It’s not always a pretty sight.

If only we could all be Olympians — lean, hard and sleek. But, then, if all of us spent our days training and eating right, who would do all the office work?

Apparently, a capitalist economy is built on the flab the workers. Karl Marx should have written a diet book.

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David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter

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