# Is competitive eating ethical? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 1, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583 "2006-03-01T06:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/21 "2006-03-01T23:39:29Z")
Gotta admit, at first I thought this was a parody of [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=360210) ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/22 "2006-03-02T13:46:50Z")
Ethical? Sure. Nobody’s getting hurt by it except maybe the contestants themselves. Do I agree with it? No. There’ll always be starving people but this feels like rubbing it in their faces. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/23 "2006-03-02T23:48:02Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > To me its like someone going on TV and smoking cigars wrapped in $100 bills. It’s just a sad display of wealth. The fact that with competitive eating it’s actual food thats wasted just makes it all the more crass. 50 hotdogs is probably the smallest display of wealth involved in any sport ever. That’s what, $20? I don’t think that competitive eating is “rubbing poverty in people’s faces” any more than swimming is rubbing in the fact that some people live in deserts, or skiing is rubbing in the fact that some people don’t live near mountains. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/24 "2006-03-03T01:01:37Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > 50 hotdogs is probably the smallest display of wealth involved in any sport ever. That’s what, $20? Not at CostCo! ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/25 "2006-03-03T03:34:21Z")
I don’t find it unethical in terms of conspicuous waste, but I do find it unethical that we as a society glorify it. We have the highest obesity rate in the world, and we encourage people to eat as much as possible for prizes. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/26 "2006-03-03T12:45:20Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > I don’t find it unethical in terms of conspicuous waste, but I do find it unethical that we as a society glorify it. We have the highest obesity rate in the world, and we encourage people to eat as much as possible for prizes. Thanks, you said it better than I did. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/27 "2006-03-03T13:06:30Z")
Ironic, since the biggest and most consistent winners in competitive eating are anything BUT obese. They’re mostly [skinny Japanese.](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/caple/020703.html) Apparently, too much fat around the stomach walls miay prevent you from stretching your stomach muscles sufficiently to take in large quantities of food. Counterintuitively, fatter is not better. Your spirit might be willing, but your flesh needs to be sleek. I don’t see how it’s unethical for (a segment) of society to “glorify” a legal activity. Maybe if we were food rationing like during WWII… ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/28 "2006-03-03T13:19:06Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Ironic, since the biggest and most consistent winners in competitive eating are anything BUT obese. They’re mostly [skinny Japanese.](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/caple/020703.html) Apparently, too much fat around the stomach walls miay prevent you from stretching your stomach muscles sufficiently to take in large quantities of food. Counterintuitively, fatter is not better. Your spirit might be willing, but your flesh needs to be sleek. > > I don’t see how it’s unethical for (a segment) of society to “glorify” a legal activity. Maybe if we were food rationing like during WWII… I think you’re kind of missing the point here. Such contests would seem to glorify, or at least legitimize, gluttony in a society where gluttony is already a major problem. That seems unethical, or at the very least rather clueless. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/29 "2006-03-03T13:32:39Z")
It only seems unethical, but it’s perfectly legal to be a greedy fatty fat-ass, as long as you aren’t doing anying illegal in the process. Gluttony is almost always a moral issue, not a ethical one. I’m probably deliberately confusing the issue by splitting hairs, but there are subtle and important distinctions here. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/30 "2006-03-03T16:33:25Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > It only seems unethical, but it’s perfectly legal to be a greedy fatty fat-ass, as long as you aren’t doing anying illegal in the process. Gluttony is almost always a moral issue, not a ethical one. > > I’m probably deliberately confusing the issue by splitting hairs, but there are subtle and important distinctions here. You seem to be drawing a parallel between legality and ethics. There are plenty of things that are considered unethical but are still legal, especially in business. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/31 "2006-03-03T17:42:42Z")
**Maureen.** Yes, but to be fair, when you think about it, most unethical-but-not-illegal-behavior in business has to do with 1) sexual behavior in the workplace and 2) moving money. Most other unethical behavior is also illegal as hell. There is a parallel. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583/32 "2006-03-03T18:18:54Z")
Hm. Maybe it is hair splitting, but I was using “unethical” in the philosophical sense of the term, as opposed to the legal sense. I think encouraging the behavior degrades us as a society. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-competitive-eating-ethical/346583.md?page=1)