News Anchor responds to "fat" comment.

[Andara Bledin]

First, there are different levels of being overweight. I suspect she might qualify as obese, but without getting her body fat levels, we can't know that for certain.

Second, while excess weight can lead to other issues, that's not guaranteed. Without knowing her medical history, there is zero evidence that it is having a particularly negative effect on her health.

Third, the assumption that she is "doing nothing to get rid of her weight" is insulting, at best. It's been stated several times that she has a diagnosed thyroid condition that makes it extremely difficult to not gain and retain weight. It's also been stated here and in multiple articles that she exercises several times weekly and she participates in 5k runs; which aren't exactly in line with the incredibly negative portrait you keep trying to paint of her based purely on her weight.

Finally, saying "she's saying it's okay to be obese" is presumptuous and it's no better than saying she's a "bad role model" for being overweight.

If someone wants a role model for being thin, they should go stake out a Jenny Craig's or track down Jared; there's no excuse to troll a newscaster.

^-.-^

[dendawg]

Being obese is extremely unhealthy and causes a host of other health problems. By doing nothing to get rid of her weight, she's saying it's okay to be obese which it isn't. Could she be overweight due to meds or health problems? Sure, but odds are she's fat because just like the majority, she overeats and doesn't exercise.

How about a citation that proves she's not doing anything? Otherwise, it's just ass-pull on your part.

[HYHYBT]

Even taking all that as true (which is a stretch) none of it even addresses the matter of why her weight disqualifies her as a role model in a general sense (relating to the many areas of life which are not focused on diet/exercise) or in her line of work, nor how, if it does, everyone in the world wouldn't likewise be disqualified for our own imperfections. And yes, it's an obviously fair, rational question.

[Jester]

I saw this story a while back, and thought it was awesome. I am not overweight and never have been, but I thought what Ms. Livingston did was, in a word, awesome.

Kenneth Krause, a physical fitness fanatic, thought it was perfectly alright to tell this woman that he didn't know what he thought of her physically, and how she should go about changing it.

She told him, in a polite and professional manner, to go fuck himself. Personally, I'm a big fan of people who tell pompous, self-important assholes to go fuck themselves.

And while I could comment on what a dick I think this guy is, I think guywithashovel said it as eloquently as it could be said:

Honestly, when I think of the type of person who would watch a news broadcast and then actually take the time to get the reporter's email address and write her a letter berating her for her appearance, the only person I can picture is a pompous, full-of-himself, condescending asshole who thinks he has all the answers to all of life's problems.

A lot of people here are going on about how she didn't have to go on the air with this, how he emailed her privately, and so on.

And that is true. She didn't have to make this public. If we are to believe her on-air commentary, she didn't initially want to make this public. But her coworkers and her husband were so outraged by this giant walking penis's comments, they convinced her to do so. And I agree wholeheartedly with that decision.

How often have we heard stories about people being pushed around, abused, harassed, bullied, picked on? And wonder, either privately or aloud, why they didn't say something to anyone about it? Why they didn't call their tormentors on their bullshit?

Well, Jennifer Livingston did just that. She is doing what so many people never did, never thought they could do. She is not just doing this for herself, I think, but for all those other people who have been told repeatedly that they are not right, that they need to change, that they are inferior for this or that reason. And I say, BRAVO! About damn time.

There are people agreeing with Krause, saying that while he was a dick about it, that Ms. Livingston is in fact a bad role model to young people due to her weight. I'm sorry, but hasn't the mass media made the "perfect body" so unattainable and so glorified that this country has the biggest problem of eating disorders among young women in the entire fucking world? But now that there are some people on air, successful people, who don't fit into that "perfect female physique," they are a bad role model? I call bullshit. If anything, the fact that this woman can and did succeed with and despite her weight issues is a POSITIVE thing for young women, and shows them that they don't have to starve themselves, binge and purge, to through ridiculous lengths to be "perfect," and in the process end up suffering from bulimia, anorexia, or depression? Not to mention the young women who have actually ended up dead, either by starving themselves to death in the pursuit of that unattainable perfection, or by actually committing suicide when they came to the realization that they just couldn't fit in to what society wanted, expected, and demanded of them?

Stupid and insensitive? Oh yes. The dude was well intentioned in his own mind, if idiotic and insensitive, and has actually apologized. Was he a jackass? Sure. Does he deserve what's going on now? No.

Most jackasses are well-intentioned in their own mind. It doesn't excuse their actions. And it should be noted that I include myself in that group. Many times I have said something with the best of intentions, but what actually happened was I was being an opinionated jackass. And on many occasions, for being an opinionated jackass, I have suffered consequences. And deserved those consequences just about every time.

As for whether or not he deserves what is going on now? Oh, HELL YES he does. Look, if he wants to have opinion of Ms. Livingston, or of larger people in general, that's his business. If he wants to bitch to his friends and acquaintances, or even people he doesn't know, about the fatty on tv that is such a bad role model, fine. He can knock himself out.

But once this raging douchebag had the utter stupidity to write to a woman who has access to the public airwaves, and had the nerve to tell her she wasn't doing her job on the public airwaves well because of her size, he should realize that she may just take advantage of her job on the public airwaves and use it as a pulpit to call him out on his bullshit.

One thing I learned from my experience as a DJ in bars: when you argue with someone who has a microphone and several thousand watts of amplified power behind them, you are going to lose.

So if you pick a fight with someone with a big microphone--like, say, television--you should not be surprised when they use that big microphone to point out what a huge and utter dickwad you are being.

Some might (and do) argue that this was an abuse of her position in the media. Well, who better than someone in the media to call out a guy being a dick to someone about their not-so-perfect-in-his-mind appearance? I say she did a public service, and became a better role model to young girls who are struggling with their weight, and with other issues.

Some of you are probably wondering why I actually used the guy's name, Kenneth Krause. Well, everyone knows her name. Since this guy insisted on interjecting himself into the public eye--which he did the minute he decided to tell a member f the media that they were too fat to do their job--he deserves to be mentioned by name as much as she does. But won't this bring him bad publicity?

Oh, I certainly hope so!

Was this bullying? Technically, no. I'll agree that she mischaracterized the situation when she used that particular term. But she was correct when she said that behavior is learned at home, and that if a child hears their parents criticizing or laughing about the news lady on tv because she's fat, there's a damn good chance they are going to go to school and make fun of someone who's overweight, because they have learned from their parents' example that that is perfectly alright.

He does have a point--there is a gender bias against women when it comes to weight/appearence.

Without question. How many of us watch ESPN, or other sports channels? How many of the male on-air personalities on these stations are former athletes who are clearly much larger than the could or should be? But they don't get criticized as much or held to the same standard as women for being overweight.

If you think I'm exaggerating, do me a favor, and count how many overweight personalities there are on sports television. Now....how many of them were women? As an avid sports fan, I am going to go out on a limb here and say the answer to my last question is probably zero. Maybe someone here knows of ONE exception to this, but really, the disparity between male and female on-air personalities that are overweight is ridiculous. But of course the guys don't get called on it. The mere fact that Ms. Livingston has succeeded in the media AND is overweight is a testament to her temerity and hard work. It's just a good thing for her that she's not in sports television, because that simply wouldn't fly.

[Rageaholic]

And that is true. She didn't have to make this public. If we are to believe her on-air commentary, she didn't initially want to make this public. But her coworkers and her husband were so outraged by this giant walking penis's comments, they convinced her to do so. And I agree wholeheartedly with that decision.

How often have we heard stories about people being pushed around, abused, harassed, bullied, picked on? And wonder, either privately or aloud, why they didn't say something to anyone about it? Why they didn't call their tormentors on their bullshit?

Well, Jennifer Livingston did just that. She is doing what so many people never did, never thought they could do. She is not just doing this for herself, I think, but for all those other people who have been told repeatedly that they are not right, that they need to change, that they are inferior for this or that reason. And I say, BRAVO! About damn time.

Wow I never thought of it that way. She was probably right to call him out, and she didn't even use his name. (I don't know how that got found out).

I think people just don't like the term "bullying" because it implies something more serious than one letter from some random dickwad. Had he continued to harass her, I'd call it bullying, but as it is, he was just being a douche.

There are people agreeing with Krause, saying that while he was a dick about it, that Ms. Livingston is in fact a bad role model to young people due to her weight. I'm sorry, but hasn't the mass media made the "perfect body" so unattainable and so glorified that this country has the biggest problem of eating disorders among young women in the entire fucking world? But now that there are some people on air, successful people, who don't fit into that "perfect female physique," they are a bad role model? I call bullshit. If anything, the fact that this woman can and did succeed with and despite her weight issues is a POSITIVE thing for young women, and shows them that they don't have to starve themselves, binge and purge, to through ridiculous lengths to be "perfect," and in the process end up suffering from bulimia, anorexia, or depression? Not to mention the young women who have actually ended up dead, either by starving themselves to death in the pursuit of that unattainable perfection, or by actually committing suicide when they came to the realization that they just couldn't fit in to what society wanted, expected, and demanded of them?

Yeah. By his own logic, we shouldn't let stick thin women be news anchors because they set an impossible standard to young girls. Obesity may be a problem, but body image is just as much as a problem. Especially since so many actresses are called fat for not being a skeleton. Granted, she is actually overweight, but so what? Why would anyone give a damn? The fact that he would take the time to tell her what she already knows makes him a self righteous asshole, "well intentioned" or not.