The gym is not nearly as powerful as the technology I’m talking about. I’m talking about biotechnology / transhuman technology.
Yes, but the gym has a decisive advantage: it’s real and the transhuman technology is imaginary.
Men given the genetic short end of the stick can’t reasonably expect to look fit no matter how much they work out
That’s flat out false. Men given the genetic short end of the stick cannot be expected to win the Olympics. But just looking fit a very low bar. By the way, the ripped look is mostly a function of low (<10%) body fat, not of how much you lift.
there would be an incentive for men to look diverse to match the diversity of women’s desires
Which aren’t all that diverse if you’re talking about looks.
The transhuman technology is a tentative speculation of what could happen in the future.
Sure. Since we’re imagining things, technology can give you any body you want and it doesn’t even have to be human. But that’s pretty obvious, so I’m wondering what’s the point that you want to make.
we should throw male individuals under the bus by denying them bodily upgrades just for the sake of “diversity”
There are a whole lot of background assumptions here, beyond assuming that body upgrades are available. You are assuming that somebody can allow or deny them. You are assuming that this somebody cares about diversity of body types (in which case they might incentivise you to grow a couple of extra limbs or switch to a radial-symmetry body plan instead of staying fat and flabby, by the way). You are assuming these upgrades are a sufficiently big deal so that you don’t want to do one each time you get bored or your girlfriend changes. Etc., etc.
Yes, but the gym has a decisive advantage: it’s real and the transhuman technology is imaginary.
That’s flat out false. Men given the genetic short end of the stick cannot be expected to win the Olympics. But just looking fit a very low bar. By the way, the ripped look is mostly a function of low (<10%) body fat, not of how much you lift.
Which aren’t all that diverse if you’re talking about looks.
In the context of the comment thread about a sci-fi story that’s not terribly relevant, though.
Huh, for some reason I was under the impression that this was the comment thread to this other post.
Sure. Since we’re imagining things, technology can give you any body you want and it doesn’t even have to be human. But that’s pretty obvious, so I’m wondering what’s the point that you want to make.
There are a whole lot of background assumptions here, beyond assuming that body upgrades are available. You are assuming that somebody can allow or deny them. You are assuming that this somebody cares about diversity of body types (in which case they might incentivise you to grow a couple of extra limbs or switch to a radial-symmetry body plan instead of staying fat and flabby, by the way). You are assuming these upgrades are a sufficiently big deal so that you don’t want to do one each time you get bored or your girlfriend changes. Etc., etc.