On Obesity & Bullying: TV Anchor gets called fat, responded with courage.

[KeystoneRegional]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIwBwJzl5eI

 

Mashable.com - "An anchor for a CBS affiliate in LaCrosse, Wisc., took what could have been a hurtful comment from a viewer and turned it into a powerful tirade against online bullying.

 

Jennifer Livingston of WKBT-TV read a letter from a viewer who took issue with the fact that she is overweight. “Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain,” the viewer wrote. “I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle.”

 

Livingston’s husband, fellow WKBT anchor Mike Thompson, posted the emailed letter on his Facebook Page and received an outpouring of support. Emboldened by this, Livingston singled the writer out as a bully. “The truth is I am overweight,” Livingston said. “You can call me fat and yes, even obese on a doctor’s chart. To the person who wrote me that letter, do you think I don’t know that? Your cruel words are pointing out something I don’t see? You don’t know me. You are not a friend of mine. You are not a part of my family, and you admitted that you don’t watch this show so you know nothing about me besides what you see on the outside — and I am much more than a number on a scale.”

 

She continued: “We are better than that bully. We are better than this email. We are better than the bullies that would try to take us down.”"

 

Source Link: http://mashable.com/...r-fat-bullying/

 

Video from YouTube.com.

 

....

 

Note: My re-title and edit of the article fits with the diligence and courage of this response by Jennifer Livingston. I really want to bring this topic into attention and with seriousness.

[lilbluefoxie]

I woulda been like uhh I'll live my life however I want to, I could care less what you think about my size.

[Threxx]

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Perfect example of that spirit.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Bullying??? Is she serious? She admits she is fat and then claims she is being bullied.... Unbelievable... I agree with the viewer 100%. She's on public TV knowing that she is appearing before millions of people. The point he was making is that she should be setting an example and not be the exception. I remember Al Roker with his double neck.... He lost all of that weight and he actually looks younger now even though he has aged considerably. Believe it or not there are folks out there that look up to these folks and that's why I think he was getting at. For some she serves a role model and yes she should be leading a healthy lifestyle. Instead of her getting all bent out of shape she should be in a gym somewhere burning some calories.

[Turbo19]

Bullying??? Is she serious? She admits she is fat and then claims she is being bullied.... Unbelievable... I agree with the viewer 100%. She's on public TV knowing that she is appearing before millions of people. The point he was making is that she should be setting an example and not be the exception. I remember Al Roker with his double neck.... He lost all of that weight and he actually looks younger now even though he has aged considerably. Believe it or not there are folks out there that look out to these folks and that's why I think he was getting at. For some she serves a role model and yes she should be leading a healthy lifestyle. Instead of her getting all bent out of shape she should be in a gym somewhere burning some calories.

 

True, however there is something called respect, something many lack.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

True, however there is something called respect, something many lack.

 

So what exactly are you saying? I thought his letter was very respectful. I think she just got offended because he spoke the truth.

[Shortline Bus]

Bullying??? Is she serious? She admits she is fat and then claims she is being bullied.... Unbelievable... I agree with the viewer 100%. She's on public TV knowing that she is appearing before millions of people. The point he was making is that she should be setting an example and not be the exception. I remember Al Roker with his double neck.... He lost all of that weight and he actually looks younger now even though he has aged considerably. Believe it or not there are folks out there that look up to these folks and that's why I think he was getting at. For some she serves a role model and yes she should be leading a healthy lifestyle. Instead of her getting all bent out of shape she should be in a gym somewhere burning some calories.

 

 

For VG8 and others. What about fact the tv biz is filled with sexism especially at lack of plus-size (not talking being 'fat' or overweight)reporters on tv. You more likely see a man that overweight on tv then a woman.

Personally i am more intrestred in whether the anchor or reporter can do their job or not. If i want to Kate Upton there other places to see that.

 

On national news, only major bigger size female news star I can think of, is CNN 's Candy Crowley.

[KeystoneRegional]

What a typical people don't get is that dieting is hard, my aim is to cut 50 pounds to the dietitian recommended weight, but I only succeeded to cut 20 pounds. Also, sometimes being big is carried from genes to genes, she might have a gene causing her to be a big girl and this is what I learned from two assistants in my Sophomore year in High School who has these kinda genes. In fact, the two assistants in my Sophomore year eats very healthy and less yet still be big. It's hard, but still, the viewer shouldn't have said it like that, it's ridiculous. She has a job to inform people on news and topics, even though it is kinda like PR for a community in some senses, still people shouldn't be judged by the outside, that's whats wrong with society today! Too much about the outside appearance, not the inside, so this is why bullying and hate is surging yet people say legislation pushed out is too harsh. Well if parents and kids continue this practice, our nation would be broken and going to the bottom. The viewer who sent this hateful message is such a disgrace to the United States.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

For VG8 and others. What about fact the tv biz is filled with sexism especially at lack of plus-size (not talking being 'fat' or overweight)reporters on tv. You more likely see a man that overweight on tv then a woman.

Personally i am more intrestred in whether the anchor or reporter can do their job or not. If i want to Kate Upton there other places to see that.

 

On national news, only major bigger size female news star I can think of, is CNN 's Candy Crowley.

 

 

You are absolutely right but that's part of the TV business and that's exactly why I said what I did. She knows very well how things work in her industry and if she doesn't then she should do some research. A woman being a news anchor is much more than that. Her job is to market the TV station that she is with because the TV station is nothing without ratings. One of the ways that a station gets ratings is based upon how the female anchors look and yeah a fat female anchor does not sell in most markets. In addition to that like I said before the female anchors especially also carry the role as a role models to young female teenagers and children coming up so her being overweight is indeed a big deal. It would be "personal" if she wasn't in the role that she's in, but she gets paid what she does because she's in the public eye and with that comes the good and bad. She herself even said so. It just annoys me that she's trying to make an exception like she's being so attacked because the guy commented on her not serving as a role model being overweight. Her response to me signifies that she's been trying to do something about being overweight and hasn't been successful so in response she becomes defensive and accuses the viewer of bullying her.

[QM1to6Ave]

With all the crazies out there, I find it hard to believe that this was the rudest letter she ever received. If it is, then she has the nicest viewership in America.

[Tokkemon]

The biggest issue I take with the viewer's letter is the fact that obesity is considered a cut-and-dry choice. If it were that simple, there would be no fat people, I assure you. With all the societal pressures out there to be thin, if it were as simple as flipping a switch, do you really think people would stay fat? To (ultimately) risk their health unintentionally.

 

What skinny people or people who have never been overweight or obese don't realize is that obese peoples' hormones end up being biologically altered to cope with the extra fat. Because of the (literal) increased body mass, the person needs more calories to survive, hence the hormones such as Leptin compensate for the actual calorie needs of the body. So if you attempt to lose weight by eating less calories (which is the only real way to get results), people end up starving (literally) and when they eat again, end up overeating to compensate for the lost calories. In other words, it's a cycle that's extremely hard to break without physical and mental intervention. And even then, it takes *years* for that weight to be lost. On top of that, those hormones don't readjust back to a "normal" weight. You will always be hungry until you are thin for probably decades (I don't know if there have been any studies on it but it would be a fascinating topic). That's why the person who was 400 pounds and then lost it all and kept it off either has had surgery, or is miserable because they can't eat what their body is physically telling them to eat. Poor people cannot afford surgery (or a personal trainer) and the crappiest food (nutritionally speaking) is the least expensive. So it's no wonder that the poorest people in America are the fattest. The ultimate American Paradox.

 

And yes, I'm fat, so I know.

[QM1to6Ave]

The biggest issue I take with the viewer's letter is the fact that obesity is considered a cut-and-dry choice. If it were that simple, there would be no fat people, I assure you. With all the societal pressures out there to be thin, if it were as simple as flipping a switch, do you really think people would stay fat? To (ultimately) risk their health unintentionally.

 

What skinny people or people who have never been overweight or obese don't realize is that obese peoples' hormones end up being biologically altered to cope with the extra fat. Because of the (literal) increased body mass, the person needs more calories to survive, hence the hormones such as Leptin compensate for the actual calorie needs of the body. So if you attempt to lose weight by eating less calories (which is the only real way to get results), people end up starving (literally) and when they eat again, end up overeating to compensate for the lost calories. In other words, it's a cycle that's extremely hard to break without physical and mental intervention. And even then, it takes *years* for that weight to be lost. On top of that, those hormones don't readjust back to a "normal" weight. You will always be hungry until you are thin for probably decades (I don't know if there have been any studies on it but it would be a fascinating topic). That's why the person who was 400 pounds and then lost it all and kept it off either has had surgery, or is miserable because they can't eat what their body is physically telling them to eat. Poor people cannot afford surgery (or a personal trainer) and the crappiest food (nutritionally speaking) is the least expensive. So it's no wonder that the poorest people in America are the fattest. The ultimate American Paradox.

 

And yes, I'm fat, so I know.

 

 

Very well put. Biological set points for weight are absolutely real, and obesity is not a choice.

 

I think the issue is that, like with all things that have been brought into the political and social arena, we end up with 2 loud, polemicized camps: 1 side says "being fat is a sign that you are lazy and stupid and choose to eat hamburgers all day, so you should get punished for your choices." The other side says "I can't do anything at all about my weight, so I deserve tons of free medical care and accomodations."

 

In reality, the way to curb obesity is (duh) to make healthy food and exercise more available to all, but also have realistic expectations, and realize that some people will naturally be obese no matter what they do. But of course, in politics, those who scream loudest must be correct...

[Tokkemon]

Yup, polarization in politics doesn't help anybody.

[lilbluefoxie]

Chances are the jerk who wrote that letter probably weighs a lot more than she does.

[Shortline Bus]

You are absolutely right but that's part of the TV business and that's exactly why I said what I did. She knows very well how things work in her industry and if she doesn't then she should do some research. A woman being a news anchor is much more than that. Her job is to market the TV station that she is with because the TV station is nothing without ratings. One of the ways that a station gets ratings is based upon how the female anchors look and yeah a fat female anchor does not sell in most markets. In addition to that like I said before the female anchors especially also carry the role as a role models to young female teenagers and children coming up so her being overweight is indeed a big deal. It would be "personal" if she wasn't in the role that she's in, but she gets paid what she does because she's in the public eye and with that comes the good and bad. She herself even said so. It just annoys me that she's trying to make an exception like she's being so attacked because the guy commented on her not serving as a role model being overweight. Her response to me signifies that she's been trying to do something about being overweight and hasn't been successful so in response she becomes defensive and accuses the viewer of bullying her.

 

 

 

VG8 well explain Oprah Winfrey's success? She was an award winning News Anchor in Baltimore and Chicago before she launched the most succesful daytime talk show in TV history! She not exactly a slim woman either and also has had problems with her weight.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

Hold on. How exactly does an adult woman receiving a letter (not even being called fat to her face), count as bullying?

 

Why is this even news? I mean, I'm sure these anchors get hundreds of letters a year. There are always some that are going to be inflammatory, and that letter wasn't even a particularly rude letter.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The biggest issue I take with the viewer's letter is the fact that obesity is considered a cut-and-dry choice. If it were that simple, there would be no fat people, I assure you. With all the societal pressures out there to be thin, if it were as simple as flipping a switch, do you really think people would stay fat? To (ultimately) risk their health unintentionally.

 

What skinny people or people who have never been overweight or obese don't realize is that obese peoples' hormones end up being biologically altered to cope with the extra fat. Because of the (literal) increased body mass, the person needs more calories to survive, hence the hormones such as Leptin compensate for the actual calorie needs of the body. So if you attempt to lose weight by eating less calories (which is the only real way to get results), people end up starving (literally) and when they eat again, end up overeating to compensate for the lost calories. In other words, it's a cycle that's extremely hard to break without physical and mental intervention. And even then, it takes *years* for that weight to be lost. On top of that, those hormones don't readjust back to a "normal" weight. You will always be hungry until you are thin for probably decades (I don't know if there have been any studies on it but it would be a fascinating topic). That's why the person who was 400 pounds and then lost it all and kept it off either has had surgery, or is miserable because they can't eat what their body is physically telling them to eat. Poor people cannot afford surgery (or a personal trainer) and the crappiest food (nutritionally speaking) is the least expensive. So it's no wonder that the poorest people in America are the fattest. The ultimate American Paradox.

 

And yes, I'm fat, so I know.

 

 

As far as I'm concerned it is pretty cut and dry. Yes some people are fat due to genetics, but the majority are fat because of lack of exercise and eating tons of garbage. She would be better off channeling her energy into losing the weight as opposed to crying about how folks are bullying her. She probably went home and cried and stuffed her face some more.

 

As for you and your "poor" comment, you know I think you're giving yourself an easy excuse to excuse you being overweight and I do take issue with it and yes I know I don't know you but that's my honest opinion. When I moved to Europe I could not work and had to live off of my own money which meant that I could travel and such on my free time when not taking class, but I had to watch what I spent in food and I managed just fine. I ate out sometimes at nice places, but for the most part I went to the supermarket and cooked. I'd be really interested in your eating habits to explain why you're overweight. You've made arguments in the past about how folks drink soda because it's cheap, even though there are cheaper, much healthier alternatives out there like water. What's funny is I'm willing to bet that I drink far more water than you (and I don't mean Perrier or San Pellegrino either) and far less soda. That right there would partially explain why you're overweight.

 

 

VG8 well explain Oprah Winfrey's success? She was an award winning News Anchor in Baltimore and Chicago before she launched the most succesful daytime talk show in TV history! She not exactly a slim woman either and also has had problems with her weight.

 

 

 

LOL!! That photo is sooo not real... Anywho, I never said that a woman on TV can't be fat and successful. What I said was that the particular news anchor in question knows very well what her role is, so it is pretty pointless for her to be making a big stink about a letter.

[Shortline Bus]

Hold on. How exactly does an adult woman receiving a letter (not even being called fat to her face), count as bullying?

 

Why is this even news? I mean, I'm sure these anchors get hundreds of letters a year. There are always some that are going to be inflammatory, and that letter wasn't even a particularly rude letter.

 

 

True checkmate. However it does bring up a bigger issue in society about Americans being overweight versus the tv news biz which tries to promote fairness. Yet as i said before there not many Plus size/bigger woman on tv creating the view it's sexism.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

True checkmate. However it does bring up a bigger issue in society about Americans being overweight versus the tv news biz which tries to promote fairness. Yet as i said before there not many Plus size/bigger woman on tv creating the view it's sexism.

 

 

Well yes this part is true... I mean let's face it... Most men prefer chicks that aren't overweight and woman on TV are supposed to be a bit of eye candy which in turn helps boost ratings. If you think the U.S. is bad, you should see the chicks on TV in Europe or Latin America.

[Shortline Bus]

Well yes this part is true... I mean let's face it... Most men prefer chicks that aren't overweight and woman on TV are supposed to be a bit of eye candy which in turn helps boost ratings. If you think the U.S. is bad, you should see the chicks on TV in Europe or Latin America.

 

 

Oh yes. In Europe and Latin America lol where soft porn is shown on national tv shows in many of those places as early as 9pm at night.

 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Oh yes. In Europe and Latin America lol where soft porn is shown on national tv shows in many of those places as early as 9pm at night.

 

 

 

I used to love watching the soccer shows in Italy on Monday nights. They review all of the games from Sunday with an in depth analysis and so forth and these half naked women are just in the background though they contribute nothing by the way of intellect but yes, they do make the show far more interesting.

[VWM]

If anyone, they should be making fun of those dipsh*ts on the morning show... worst news anchors ever.

[lilbluefoxie]

I think that news anchor that guy made fun of is pretty the way she is and her size is perfect the way it is

[Joel Up Front]

There goes Vittorio waving his johnson over how he's thinner than everyone...

[MTARegional Bus]

Wrong thread