
The treadmill was invented as a prison rehabilitation device - samclemens
https://daily.jstor.org/treadmills-were-meant-to-be-atonement-machines/
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jalk
Treadmills are an ancient invention[1] and not invented in 1818 as the article
suggests. And I'm sure they were frequently "fitted" with slaves or prisoners

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treadwheel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treadwheel)

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foxyv
> These devices are no longer used for power or punishment, and the term
> "treadmill" has come to mean an exercise machine for running or walking in
> place.

Weird, they still feel like industrial age torture devices ^_^

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m3kw9
Lobster used to be prison food

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lucidguppy
I dare you to eat overcooked boiled lobster - day in day out without butter.

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edflsafoiewq

        Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet
        And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,

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okfine
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/2p88e1/help_can_som...](https://www.reddit.com/r/Poetry/comments/2p88e1/help_can_someone_explain_these_lines_from_oh_who/)

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edflsafoiewq
The poem is also a reference to Wilde's trial.

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gweinberg
Like the song says, "The more it stays the same, the less it changes."

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jhallenworld
The one at Sugar House in Charleston, SC was famous for punishing slaves.

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RaceWon
IMO stationary bikes fall into the same category. A major brand of these
gizmos, that buys much TV ad time, shows people using their device, while
outside the window it appears to be a glorious day--the sun is shining, and
the trees are all green. Get on a real bike fer Pete's sake; improve your
balance, improve your driving, sweat your ass off and have a blast!

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chc
This assumes that you have enough space to go biking, that the area is safe
for biking, that the temperature is comfortable for biking, and several other
factors that could all tilt the scale away from "riding a bike would be more
enjoyable than a stationary bike."

So I think you're much too eager to dismiss the value of stationary bikes.

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always_good
Well, this rebuttal reminds me of "not everyone has the time to exercise, I
know someone with three jobs and eight kids."

I definitely agree with their characterization of these infomercials.

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chc
I don't think living in an area that's hilly or where it gets uncomfortably
hot or cold or has lots of traffic is all that much of an edge case. Those are
all pretty common things.

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always_good
I live in Guadalajara where I'd be hard-pressed to find a jogging route free
of diesel fumes. But I find it sheepish to invoke it in these discussions
because I know why I have a treadmill and don't need to defend it.

While I think OP is misdirected, I knew all sorts of people when I lived in
the suburbs who had exercise equipment they bought for the idea yet it was
left unused year round. And the idea of taking a walk outside through the
clear air of suburban Texas seemed lost on most of my neighbors who, of those
I knew personally, did not have the excuses we like to make up for them in
these threads.

Though I'm not so sure guilting them in these threads is the most effective
way to change behavior -- we probably both agree there.

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colbyh
They still are, IMO.

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always_good
This comment doesn't even make sense. How is it a point of opinion? And how is
someone jogging at home or the gym paying reparations for something in the
context of TFA? Are they making atonement for being a couch potato?

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jklinger410
>Are they making atonement for being a couch potato?

Yeah I think that's what they were getting at.

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golemotron
Yes. This is in the category of "ignore what people say and watch what they
do."

