What the HELL Were You Thinking? artwork

Episode 429: The President Called Me A Lard Ass

What the HELL Were You Thinking?

English - December 04, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - ★★★★★ - 12 ratings
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Show Notes Episode 429: The President Called Me A Lard Ass

This week Host Dave Bledsoe relives his youthful trauma when some vicious preteens inadvertently call him a long forgotten childhood nickname. (Fat Ass, it was Fat Ass!) On the show this week we take a look back at the annual childhood trauma that was the Presidential Fitness Test. (You will want a box of tissues for this one.)

Along the way we discover why Dave never played team sports in school. (See the nickname: Fat Ass!) Then we dive right into the story of how The Depression made the Greatest Generation such sexy bitches.  From there we dig into how Cold War Paranoia led 10 US Presidents to force fat kids to embarass themselves in front of their peers.  (That’s when the wedgies started!) We learn how Eisenhower and Kennedy believed the Baby Boomers were soft and unmanly, so they instituted a quasi military fitness program for grammar school kids.  Dave goes into excruciating detail what it was like to take the President’s Fitness Test as a larger child. (Again, we point out, they called him “Fat Ass”) We explain how Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to convince kids it was cool to be mercilessly mocked by their more athletic classmates, and finally why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are no longer forced to endure this ritual humiliation. (Thanks Obama!)

Our sponsor this week is Flintrock Chewable Yaba Gaba ZOOM Diet Pills for Kids and Dino Downers, to help you tubby little tykes lose that “baby fat”.  We open with a Kennedy era fitness test and close with TomeStyle, who would like to hear what your body has to say.  

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense
The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast
The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/
The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ
Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com
Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast
The Show Line: 347 687 9601
Closing Music: https://youtu.be/mW-Cn87IdNI?si=AXsgXGlpr8rOk4Rc
We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/

Citations Needed:

Wikipedia Presidential Fitness Test
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Fitness_Test

THE REPORT THAT SHOCKED THE PRESIDENT
IT CAME FROM TWO PHYSICAL FITNESS EXPERTS WHO TESTED U.S. AND EUROPEAN YOUNGSTERS, AND IT SHOWS THAT THE U.S. IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE SOFTEST NATION IN THE WORLD
https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/08/15/the-report-that-shocked-the-president

The sad, sad stories of the Presidential Fitness Test
https://www.sbnation.com/2015/7/31/9038201/the-sad-sad-stories-of-the-presidential-fitness-test

Tools Of The Trade: The Presidential Physical Fitness Test
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/11/24/365716113/tools-of-the-trade-the-presidential-physical-fitness-test

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Show Notes Episode 429: The President Called Me A Lard Ass


This week Host Dave Bledsoe relives his youthful trauma when some vicious preteens inadvertently call him a long forgotten childhood nickname. (Fat Ass, it was Fat Ass!) On the show this week we take a look back at the annual childhood trauma that was the Presidential Fitness Test. (You will want a box of tissues for this one.)


Along the way we discover why Dave never played team sports in school. (See the nickname: Fat Ass!) Then we dive right into the story of how The Depression made the Greatest Generation such sexy bitches.  From there we dig into how Cold War Paranoia led 10 US Presidents to force fat kids to embarass themselves in front of their peers.  (That’s when the wedgies started!) We learn how Eisenhower and Kennedy believed the Baby Boomers were soft and unmanly, so they instituted a quasi military fitness program for grammar school kids.  Dave goes into excruciating detail what it was like to take the President’s Fitness Test as a larger child. (Again, we point out, they called him “Fat Ass”) We explain how Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to convince kids it was cool to be mercilessly mocked by their more athletic classmates, and finally why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are no longer forced to endure this ritual humiliation. (Thanks Obama!)


Our sponsor this week is Flintrock Chewable Yaba Gaba ZOOM Diet Pills for Kids and Dino Downers, to help you tubby little tykes lose that “baby fat”.  We open with a Kennedy era fitness test and close with TomeStyle, who would like to hear what your body has to say.  


Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common Sense

The Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_Podcast

The Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/

The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQ

Our Website: www.whatthehellpodcast.com

Give us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/Whatthehellpodcast

The Show Line: 347 687 9601

Closing Music: https://youtu.be/mW-Cn87IdNI?si=AXsgXGlpr8rOk4Rc

We are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/





Citations Needed:


Wikipedia Presidential Fitness Test

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Fitness_Test


THE REPORT THAT SHOCKED THE PRESIDENT

IT CAME FROM TWO PHYSICAL FITNESS EXPERTS WHO TESTED U.S. AND EUROPEAN YOUNGSTERS, AND IT SHOWS THAT THE U.S. IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE SOFTEST NATION IN THE WORLD

https://vault.si.com/vault/1955/08/15/the-report-that-shocked-the-president


The sad, sad stories of the Presidential Fitness Test

https://www.sbnation.com/2015/7/31/9038201/the-sad-sad-stories-of-the-presidential-fitness-test


Tools Of The Trade: The Presidential Physical Fitness Test

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/11/24/365716113/tools-of-the-trade-the-presidential-physical-fitness-test


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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