Wing Bowl: A threat to Western culture?
"It's a rejection of the basis of Western culture," said John Hymers, an assistant professor of philosophy at LaSalle University.
"It's a rejection of the basis of Western culture," said John Hymers, an assistant professor of philosophy at LaSalle University.
Hymers is talking about Wing Bowl.
But it's not the scantily-clad ladies or the early morning imbibing that fascinates Hymers. Instead it's what Wing Bowl says about society's relationship with food.
"At the basis of culture is this desire to form and build and keep a community. We do that through food," Hymers said. "We have feasts and festivals and there's always food. It's enacting what it means to have abundance."
According to Hymers, Wing Bowl goes against those principles. "We've changed abundance into excess," he said, likening the 610 WIP-sponsored event to Roman orgies.
But what about the community built around sharing a beer with a complete stranger at 6 a.m.? Or the de facto community formed with fellow fans while cheering on guys like Jonathan "Super Squibb" Squibb or Kevin "Kenso Kevin" Richmond?
"Just having a community, doesn't mean it's good," Hymers said, referring to groups like, say, the Mafia.
"When we get together to cheer on the Eagles, we're cheering the excellence of what it means to be human," Hymers said. "But cheering someone on for stuffing themselves doesn't sound like we're cheering what it's best to be human."
Thousands of fans would beg to differ.