Amazon promoted a news story on Sunday with a tweet from its official news account about how a woman in Kansas City, Kan., lost 100 pounds while working as a delivery driver for Amazon Flex. On Monday, the internet took notice and tied the story back to a Comedy Central show with a very similar storyline.
People on Twitter eye rolled the tech giant for a couple reasons, the first of which was the language used in its tweet pointing to the news story. “Amazon Flex allowed this woman to lose 100 lbs in 18 months by creating a workout while delivery [sic] packages,” the tweet read.
The word “allowed” hit a bit of a nerve and was called out in replies and retweets by those who clearly aren’t fans of how hard some people work for Amazon, or how that work should be considered a privilege.
Amazon Flex allowed this woman to lose 100 lbs in 18 months by creating a workout while delivery packages.https://t.co/uBk49fYzFi
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) December 3, 2018
HOLY MARY, MOTHER OF GOD, YOU SHAMELESS PEOPLE https://t.co/WnVeLTVMHS
— Nicole Cliffe (@Nicole_Cliffe) December 3, 2018
Next up on Amazon News: “Factory worker sweats out toxins via our special organic natural ventilation system!”
— Nicole Cliffe (@Nicole_Cliffe) December 3, 2018
The story on the KSHB 41 Action News website said that Jackie Crow “jogs and smiles” while delivering packages for the tech giant. She slimmed down from 300 pounds to 198, and said she feels great and has more energy.
Jack Garbarino looks and feels great, too. And he got his body the same way, by moving boxes.
The character — a childhood friend of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs! — showed up in a 2015 episode of Comedy Central’s “Nathan For You,” in which host Nathan Fielder recruits a bodybuilder to be the face of a new exercise program built around getting fit by just moving boxes and stuff.
You know the world is in a great place when our largest corporations are literally using the same strategies as Nathan for You https://t.co/NpxVTORPDh
— nathan fielder (@nathanfielder) December 3, 2018
According to the show’s description, Fielder “is a business advisor who implements strategies that no traditional consultant would dare attempt.” And apparently no self-respecting TV news station would dare check on the details, because in the episode, Garbarino’s “The Movement” stunt is aggressively reported on local TV.
Watch the episode below:
Oh, and there’s even a book, which, believe it or not, became a hot seller on … you guessed it … Amazon.
