Sometimes – actually pretty much very day to be honest – you come across something on social media that appears to be so misguided and stupid that you can’t understand how more than one person has signed off on it and thought that it was a good idea and this time it’s the turn of PureGym in Luton and Dunstable.
Featured Image VIA
The gym today announced that in order to celebrate Black History Month that they had devised a new workout called ’12 Years Of Slave’ based on the movie with a similar name. The thinking behind it was that slavery was hard and so is this. Oh dear – and that’s before we even get to the awful clipart and font choices on the post as well.
Image VIA
Needless to say, the post has been deleted and is getting slammed all over social media for being completely tone deaf to the situation with these being some of the best responses:
Fucking hell @PureGym, this is honking.
Slavery was hard and so is this?
WTAF? 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/iQbtlm0BXf
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) October 5, 2020
So @PureGym have a workout called “12 years of slave” because “slavery was hard and so is this”. V I L E. pic.twitter.com/ft7g2yu3xO
— Connor (@connorpwillis) October 5, 2020
This is EASILY the worst thing I’ve ever seen any gym do, EVER. CELEBRATING black history month with a workout named “12 Years Of Slave” after the “epic movie” ???? @PureGym SORT IT OUT pic.twitter.com/cjrneN0JXq
— IG: ItsFrancisKojo (@ItsFrancisKojo) October 5, 2020
Just found out the Pure Gym PT who named that workout 12 years a slave because ‘slavery was hard and so is the workout’ is Black. Lol pic.twitter.com/0p0VSt8VhJ
— Different gravy (@elbarbelle) October 5, 2020
Bit of a risk putting Tommy Robinson in charge of Luton Pure Gym’s social media, no?
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) October 5, 2020
UK: I don’t believe we have the same issues of institutional racism ingrained in our society as America does
PureGym: Hold my protein shake pic.twitter.com/TVfUNBTHHZ
— The Movie Chef Podcast (@podmoviechef) October 5, 2020
“Slavery was hard and so is this”
– PureGym Luton equating centuries of slavery to.. *checks notes* exercise https://t.co/JJhmVXoZyR
— Pete Burns’ Confiscated Coat (@harrisonjbrock) October 5, 2020
YO @PureGym ARE YOU OFF YOUR FUCKIN TITS pic.twitter.com/ryrngMZtva
— Murkz 〽️ (@MurkzEnt) October 5, 2020
That last one was eloquent wasn’t it? PureGym have obviously moved quickly to distance themselves from the post, saying that each gym has their own social media team and that this was nothing to do with the central company. They’ve released the following statement:
This post is wholly unacceptable, was not approved or endorsed by the company and was removed as soon as it was brought to our attention.
Each of our 271 gyms has its own social media channels which are run locally. We take this matter extremely seriously and are urgently investigating how and why this post was made.
Looks like someone is getting fired hey? Probably fair enough considering how awful that post is hey?
For more of the same, check out 19 cases of accidental racism. Still awkward.
