It is a sobering statistic, one with almost unthinkable ramifications. Each day, an average of 22 American military veterans commit suicide. A veteran advocacy organization called 22Kill is dedicated to raising public awareness about this epidemic so that the horrifying trend can be reversed. Taking a cue from the ALS Association and its famous ice bucket challenge, 22Kill has launched its own campaign called the #22PushupChallenge. It works pretty much the same way as the earlier challenge: People film themselves doing 22 push-ups, then post the video online, while challenging two or three (or however many) friends to do likewise. The goal is for people to do 22 million push-ups in total. Though the selected number of push-ups has a very specific, symbolic meaning, 22Kill is flexible on the rules. “You can do as many or few push-ups as you can or choose,” the organization says. “Whether it’s 1 or 100 in a row, we will accept them however they come.” And “assisted” and “air” push-ups count, too.
Already, the campaign has attracted the attention of high-profile Hollywood stars. With the rigorous training they often undergo for film roles, a mere 22 push-ups should be a cinch. Captain America himself, Chris Evans, tweeted a short video of himself doing the 22 push-ups, all while fending off the advances of his dog. He then challenges fellow Marvel costars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie to follow his lead. What’s interesting here is that Evans is genuinely shocked by the suicide statistics. Before this challenge, he admits he was not aware of the problem.
Elsewhere, Guardians Of The Galaxy star Chris Pratt and his wife, actress Anna Faris, proudly did their 22 push-ups apiece on Instagram. The video starts with Pratt and Faris explaining the challenge and thanking America’s servicemen and women. Then, it’s time to hit the deck and start doing some push-ups. Even here, these two lovebirds manage to be entertaining. Faris lets out an audible groan of disgust before doing her first push-up, then asks her husband, “Am I going deep enough?” That’s the kind of line Andy Dwyer would have found hilarious. Unfortunately, the video cuts off after just five push-ups, but sentiment of the video is already clear by that point.
[via Refinery 29]