A gym-goer took to X/Twitter to share an image of American History X being played on television screens while they were working out, leaving people on the internet baffled
A gym-goer was shocked to see the brutal American History X film being broadcast on television screens around their workout area.
The stunned X/Twitter user snapped a photo of the film, which stars Edward Norton as neo-Nazi Derek Vinyard and was directed by Tony Kaye, and shared it on the social media platform – much to the bemusement of other users.
The tweet read: “Why is American History X on at my gym?” Some users joked the 1998 film was broadcast at the gym to inspire those lifting weights. One user wrote: “Norton had an attainable physique that looked good.” Another joked: “Oh I know they got REAL lifters in there.” A third said the Academy Award-nominated movie would serve as “motivation”.
But some were troubled by the broadcast. One concerned X user wrote: “I feel like watching American history x without the sound might give you the wrong idea about what the movie is trying to convey.” Others sought to explain why the film was being shown at the gym, with one writing: “The honest answer is that they have set channels, and the channel decided to air the movie.”
Some users noticed the Vice channel logo in the corner of the TV screen and assumed it was part of the channel’s regular programming. Frequent viewers of the channel suggested it was one of the few movies they had the rights to air. One wrote: “Because it’s one of six movies Vice plays at least three times a week.” Another added: “Has Vice logo on bottom right so either Vice is airing a movie for whatever reason or some doco that includes clips from the movie, who really knows.”
Disregarding the context of the feature film, which portrays a neo-Nazi released from prison attempting to stop his brother from following the same path, some X users suggested the film was “basically a fitness video” due to the number of scenes that show weightlifting.
