Comments on: ‘Bully’ Viewer ‘Never Meant to Hurt’ Overweight TV Anchor Jennifer Livingston http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/ The latest Entertainment news and blog posts from ABC News contributors and bloggers. Sat, 18 May 2013 03:52:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rev Mike http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4378569 Rev Mike Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:00:33 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4378569 I think people should stop trying to parent other people. Fat, skinny, stupid, or whatever. Darwinism is trying to be disproven by the nanny state. Let these obese people eat themselves into an early grave and the only concern anyone should have is for the poor pall bearers who have to carry their big asses to the hole in the ground. People do not need to live forever. People are not that precious. I think people should stop trying to parent other people. Fat, skinny, stupid, or whatever. Darwinism is trying to be disproven by the nanny state. Let these obese people eat themselves into an early grave and the only concern anyone should have is for the poor pall bearers who have to carry their big asses to the hole in the ground. People do not need to live forever. People are not that precious.

]]> By: Wazir Nurani http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4377606 Wazir Nurani Thu, 08 Nov 2012 07:42:05 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4377606 OBESE PEOPLE IN DENIAL AND THEIR OVERLY P.C. PALS ARE WAGING WAR ON THE WAR ON OBESITY I'm not sure where I need to start with this, so let me go back a ways. A coupla weeks ago, I stumbled onto a conversation thread on Facebook where fat people were supporting the notion that being obese was like being gay, not just because they felt they were being picked on, but because since doctors from a hundred years ago believed erroneously that homosexuality was a treatable medical condition, then they must also be wrong that obesity is a treatable medical condition. To those of you who didn't leave your brains at the tractor pull, I'm sure you can see just what a ridiculous attempt at logic that is. It didn't matter how much information they were given showing just how serious a condition obesity is; they were just gonna stick with the idea that anyone opposing their weight crisis was simply an oppressor. But, face it or don't, the reality is that obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and asthma. Obesity is not just a poor fashion choice where the obese individual simply decides to take on a more rotund appearance. It's a sign that a person has an eating disorder which, if left untreated, could likely become the cause of their premature death, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. So when one Kenneth Krause emailed news anchor Jennifer Livingston to ask about her unhealthy weight and how she perceives its impact on her viewers, he would become villified throughout the country as a bully, with Livingston herself describing his words as 'cruel'. For those of you that have not heard what he wrote, here is the transcript of the portion Ms. Livingston aired: "It’s so unusual that I see your morning show, but I did for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years. Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present & promote a healthy lifestyle." Now, when I read that, I hear someone making a serious attempt to initiate a dialogue with a public figure about how her obvious obesity might influence the people she reaches with her celebrity. I don't find his words to be cruel, and I especially do not detect bullying. And believe me; I understand bullying. I was bullied steadily from roughly the ages of 10 to 16 - and that was without being overweight. When people bullied me, they did not send me eloquent letters discussing my personal health failures and how they impact people who follow me. They used profanity, threats, and violence to terrorize me into viewing my walk home from school as a tour of wartime military duty. So when this controversy erupted in October - the month dedicated to stop bullying, I was incensed at the light-hearted way people have been ready to toss the word 'bully' around, as if they WANT the depth and intensity of bullying to get forever lost, such that we no longer take it as the serious social problem it is. If Mr. Krause had wanted to bully Ms. Livingston he could likely have said something like this: "Hey, you whale! Why don't you finally put the Twinkies down so that you don't leave so many potholes in the sidewalk when you stomp down the street? Or are you afraid of losing your side job at the circus?" THAT would have been cruel. And Mr. Krause's tone was WAY more civil and mature than that. In fact, after the media and public at large came to back Ms. Livingston as a 'bullying victim', Mr. Krause followed up his original email by standing his ground and offering up some more non-bullying that was even more non-cruel than his first letter, stating: "Given this country's present epidemic of obesity and the many truly horrible diseases related thereto, and considering Jennifer Livingston's fortuitous position in the community, I hope she'll finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year - And to that end I would be absolutely pleased to offer her any advice or support she would be willing to accept." Damn those bullies - always trying to help people. But it would appear that Ms. Livingston, like I'm sure many obese folks would, found it easier to ignore his original inquiry so that she could just generalize him as a bad guy and not address how his actual message relates to her. She labeled his communication an 'attack', and nowhere in her on-air response does she take ownership of her obesity as something that she has both caused as well as something that she can and should change. Even when she admits that she's obese, she has to qualify it by saying "on a doctor's chart", as if there's some other measure of her weight that does not come up obese. Where is that? Certainly not the mirror, as she would see if she were not so obviously committed to fooling herself. She attempts to say that there is so much more to her life and her personal makeup than just her weight that Mr. Krause is supposed to somehow be made to feel like he was out of line in calling her a bad role model. This couldn't be further from the truth. It doesn't matter that there may be other ways that she might serve as a proper role model in her life. Her public image is the one that most people see, and there is no arguing that her excessive weight can only make her a poor role model when it comes to physical fitness. She also says with all transparency that Mr. Krause's words mean "nothing" to her. Well, if that were the case, she wouldn't have issued such a heartfelt albeit misguided response. She would have simply deleted the email and forgotten about it, or perhaps - at the very most - she might have sent off a quick private reply to him to dismiss his concerns and signify her dislike for the topic as one of discussion. Instead, she also says something that to me sounds outright dangerous. Her exact words are "We need to teach our kids to be kind, not critical." Really, Ms. Livingston? When a loved one is strung out on drugs or alcohol, is it kindness they need over criticism? I think not, and the same goes for when we see someone we care about eating themselves to death. And with all of the people now supporting her - thousands of Americans, many probably overweight themselves - she can smile smugly, knowing that she was able to use her position as a talking head speaking out to people across the land from inside that electronic box to, if not set an example to impressionable young people watching her, then to at least use it to manipulate folks into giving her the free pass she needs to keep on eating and keep on poisoning her body so that one day, she can finally set a different kind of example from inside a different kind of box. In fact, if you dare to define bullying as someone who uses their clear advantage over another person to hurt them, then it is Ms. Livingston who is the bully. Mr. Krause was just a private citizen who sent a personal note to an email address Ms. Livingston makes available for the public to send correspondence. She took his email, and she used her special advantage as a media figure with access to a TV broadcast to publicly malign Mr. Krause as this 'bully' he has watched himself become in the eyes of the nation. Pretty damn good bullying there, Ms. Livingston. By the way, according to Mr. Krause, his email also included parts where he confided his own battle with obesity, offered to help her, and asked her to take the message in the way he intended it, but all of which the 'fair journalist' Ms. Livingston conveniently excluded. Now, I know obesity first-hand, having been there myself, and I'm still overweight. I'm no longer as heavy as I was, but I maintain a round belly, I knowingly shun proper nutritional practices, I don't exercise enough, and I've even been eating candy as I wrote this. And that is all my fault. It is all my choice. I do not attempt to transfer the blame or pretend that it isn't there. Sweeping my problem under the rug is probably the best way that I could set myself up to never get into better shape, so I'm not going to do that. I'll readily eat my cheeseburger with a side order of guilt, thank you very much. And I could never bring myself to condemn anyone who cared enough about me to voice their concern about my health. Obese people need to stop fighting for their right to be walking time bombs. And no well-coordinated diversions, deflections, or distractions will delay the eventualities of their choices, especially when encouraged by an army of enablers. OBESE PEOPLE IN DENIAL AND THEIR OVERLY P.C. PALS ARE WAGING WAR ON THE WAR ON OBESITY
I’m not sure where I need to start with this, so let me go back a ways. A coupla weeks ago, I stumbled onto a conversation thread on Facebook where fat people were supporting the notion that being obese was like being gay, not just because they felt they were being picked on, but because since doctors from a hundred years ago believed erroneously that homosexuality was a treatable medical condition, then they must also be wrong that obesity is a treatable medical condition. To those of you who didn’t leave your brains at the tractor pull, I’m sure you can see just what a ridiculous attempt at logic that is. It didn’t matter how much information they were given showing just how serious a condition obesity is; they were just gonna stick with the idea that anyone opposing their weight crisis was simply an oppressor. But, face it or don’t, the reality is that obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, osteoarthritis, and asthma. Obesity is not just a poor fashion choice where the obese individual simply decides to take on a more rotund appearance. It’s a sign that a person has an eating disorder which, if left untreated, could likely become the cause of their premature death, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century.
So when one Kenneth Krause emailed news anchor Jennifer Livingston to ask about her unhealthy weight and how she perceives its impact on her viewers, he would become villified throughout the country as a bully, with Livingston herself describing his words as ‘cruel’.
For those of you that have not heard what he wrote, here is the transcript of the portion Ms. Livingston aired:
“It’s so unusual that I see your morning show, but I did for a very short time today. I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn’t improved for many years. Surely you don’t consider yourself a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular. Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you’ll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present & promote a healthy lifestyle.”
Now, when I read that, I hear someone making a serious attempt to initiate a dialogue with a public figure about how her obvious obesity might influence the people she reaches with her celebrity. I don’t find his words to be cruel, and I especially do not detect bullying. And believe me; I understand bullying. I was bullied steadily from roughly the ages of 10 to 16 – and that was without being overweight. When people bullied me, they did not send me eloquent letters discussing my personal health failures and how they impact people who follow me. They used profanity, threats, and violence to terrorize me into viewing my walk home from school as a tour of wartime military duty. So when this controversy erupted in October – the month dedicated to stop bullying, I was incensed at the light-hearted way people have been ready to toss the word ‘bully’ around, as if they WANT the depth and intensity of bullying to get forever lost, such that we no longer take it as the serious social problem it is. If Mr. Krause had wanted to bully Ms. Livingston he could likely have said something like this:
“Hey, you whale! Why don’t you finally put the Twinkies down so that you don’t leave so many potholes in the sidewalk when you stomp down the street? Or are you afraid of losing your side job at the circus?”
THAT would have been cruel. And Mr. Krause’s tone was WAY more civil and mature than that. In fact, after the media and public at large came to back Ms. Livingston as a ‘bullying victim’, Mr. Krause followed up his original email by standing his ground and offering up some more non-bullying that was even more non-cruel than his first letter, stating:
“Given this country’s present epidemic of obesity and the many truly horrible diseases related thereto, and considering Jennifer Livingston’s fortuitous position in the community, I hope she’ll finally take advantage of a rare and golden opportunity to influence the health and psychological well-being of Coulee region children by transforming herself for all of her viewers to see over the next year – And to that end I would be absolutely pleased to offer her any advice or support she would be willing to accept.”
Damn those bullies – always trying to help people.
But it would appear that Ms. Livingston, like I’m sure many obese folks would, found it easier to ignore his original inquiry so that she could just generalize him as a bad guy and not address how his actual message relates to her. She labeled his communication an ‘attack’, and nowhere in her on-air response does she take ownership of her obesity as something that she has both caused as well as something that she can and should change. Even when she admits that she’s obese, she has to qualify it by saying “on a doctor’s chart”, as if there’s some other measure of her weight that does not come up obese. Where is that? Certainly not the mirror, as she would see if she were not so obviously committed to fooling herself. She attempts to say that there is so much more to her life and her personal makeup than just her weight that Mr. Krause is supposed to somehow be made to feel like he was out of line in calling her a bad role model. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It doesn’t matter that there may be other ways that she might serve as a proper role model in her life. Her public image is the one that most people see, and there is no arguing that her excessive weight can only make her a poor role model when it comes to physical fitness. She also says with all transparency that Mr. Krause’s words mean “nothing” to her. Well, if that were the case, she wouldn’t have issued such a heartfelt albeit misguided response. She would have simply deleted the email and forgotten about it, or perhaps – at the very most – she might have sent off a quick private reply to him to dismiss his concerns and signify her dislike for the topic as one of discussion.
Instead, she also says something that to me sounds outright dangerous. Her exact words are “We need to teach our kids to be kind, not critical.” Really, Ms. Livingston? When a loved one is strung out on drugs or alcohol, is it kindness they need over criticism? I think not, and the same goes for when we see someone we care about eating themselves to death.
And with all of the people now supporting her – thousands of Americans, many probably overweight themselves – she can smile smugly, knowing that she was able to use her position as a talking head speaking out to people across the land from inside that electronic box to, if not set an example to impressionable young people watching her, then to at least use it to manipulate folks into giving her the free pass she needs to keep on eating and keep on poisoning her body so that one day, she can finally set a different kind of example from inside a different kind of box.
In fact, if you dare to define bullying as someone who uses their clear advantage over another person to hurt them, then it is Ms. Livingston who is the bully. Mr. Krause was just a private citizen who sent a personal note to an email address Ms. Livingston makes available for the public to send correspondence. She took his email, and she used her special advantage as a media figure with access to a TV broadcast to publicly malign Mr. Krause as this ‘bully’ he has watched himself become in the eyes of the nation. Pretty damn good bullying there, Ms. Livingston. By the way, according to Mr. Krause, his email also included parts where he confided his own battle with obesity, offered to help her, and asked her to take the message in the way he intended it, but all of which the ‘fair journalist’ Ms. Livingston conveniently excluded.
Now, I know obesity first-hand, having been there myself, and I’m still overweight. I’m no longer as heavy as I was, but I maintain a round belly, I knowingly shun proper nutritional practices, I don’t exercise enough, and I’ve even been eating candy as I wrote this. And that is all my fault. It is all my choice. I do not attempt to transfer the blame or pretend that it isn’t there. Sweeping my problem under the rug is probably the best way that I could set myself up to never get into better shape, so I’m not going to do that. I’ll readily eat my cheeseburger with a side order of guilt, thank you very much. And I could never bring myself to condemn anyone who cared enough about me to voice their concern about my health.
Obese people need to stop fighting for their right to be walking time bombs. And no well-coordinated diversions, deflections, or distractions will delay the eventualities of their choices, especially when encouraged by an army of enablers.

]]> By: Paul http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4297009 Paul Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:48:19 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4297009 Ken sends Jennifer provate e-mail. Husband Mike puts PRIVATE email on Facebook. Jennifer complains on-air about PRIVATE email. Emailer Kenneth says he only meant to encourage Jennifer to do better with her appearance. News anchors are to promote a positive image of their employer. Talk show host Ellen gives Jennifer a 5 day Carribean vacation. What am I missing here? Ken sends Jennifer provate e-mail. Husband Mike puts PRIVATE email on Facebook. Jennifer complains on-air about PRIVATE email. Emailer Kenneth says he only meant to encourage Jennifer to do better with her appearance. News anchors are to promote a positive image of their employer. Talk show host Ellen gives Jennifer a 5 day Carribean vacation.
What am I missing here?

]]> By: tamars http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4291619 tamars Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:50:00 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4291619 kenneth krause showed his ignorance in his email. it is judgmental and unkind. overweight is not a moral issue and those who make such ignorant comments have a lot to learn about their own imperfections. kenneth krause showed his ignorance in his email. it is judgmental and unkind. overweight is not a moral issue and those who make such ignorant comments have a lot to learn about their own imperfections.

]]> By: JustMe http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4291524 JustMe Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:55:48 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4291524 People should learn to mind their own business. It wasn't his place to lecture her on her weight or public image. He called her out and got what he deserved. Hopefully he learned to mind his own business and not approach strangers about personal matters. Now he's whining like a baby. lol People should learn to mind their own business. It wasn’t his place to lecture her on her weight or public image. He called her out and got what he deserved. Hopefully he learned to mind his own business and not approach strangers about personal matters. Now he’s whining like a baby. lol

]]> By: PANEWMAN http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4291340 PANEWMAN Mon, 08 Oct 2012 15:58:00 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4291340 MR. KRAUSE, PLEASE SUE MS. LIVINGSTON FOR DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER! Believe it or not, you've got her caught red-handed! Please see the Savannah Guthrie/Elizabeth Vargas interviews where she admits in those interviews that 1.)your letter was sincere, and 2.)you were not intentionally being a bully. Take this to an attorney and also explain to him that your actions do not fit within the technical definition of the term "Bully". You can file a lawsuit against both her and the TV Station(s). Don't believe me, just set up a free consultation with an attorney who will handle this on contingency. MR. KRAUSE, PLEASE SUE MS. LIVINGSTON FOR DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER! Believe it or not, you’ve got her caught red-handed! Please see the Savannah Guthrie/Elizabeth Vargas interviews where she admits in those interviews that 1.)your letter was sincere, and 2.)you were not intentionally being a bully. Take this to an attorney and also explain to him that your actions do not fit within the technical definition of the term “Bully”. You can file a lawsuit against both her and the TV Station(s). Don’t believe me, just set up a free consultation with an attorney who will handle this on contingency.

]]> By: Monica http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4291140 Monica Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:09:53 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4291140 Anybody who agrees with him is a complete idiot. She didn't ask for his "help" or advice, and maybe this will teach him to mind his own business. Does he tell fat men to lose weight, too? Or is it just women he picks on? Maybe he should concentrate on figuring out how to keep his mouth shut and fix his old looking face. Anyone who has an stupid, ugly tattoo on his arm and the face of Skeletor has no business telling someone else how to live. Anybody who agrees with him is a complete idiot. She didn’t ask for his “help” or advice, and maybe this will teach him to mind his own business. Does he tell fat men to lose weight, too? Or is it just women he picks on? Maybe he should concentrate on figuring out how to keep his mouth shut and fix his old looking face. Anyone who has an stupid, ugly tattoo on his arm and the face of Skeletor has no business telling someone else how to live.

]]> By: Barbara http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4289463 Barbara Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:12:59 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4289463 This story is wearing thin. It was a one time moment in private from an insensitive person. Jennifer turned it into a week long public media frenzy. The only bully here is Jennifer. I totally resent her taking attention away from the very really problem of juvenile and adult bullying. I was bullied in a workplace in public for 10 years. I feel your pain Jennifer but get over it and work on your self esteem and teach your children that unsolicited opinions from strangers mean nothing to you. And if you want to do a story on bullying make it about real victims whose lives have been ruined on a daily basis. This story is wearing thin. It was a one time moment in private from an insensitive person. Jennifer turned it into a week long public media frenzy. The only bully here is Jennifer. I totally resent her taking attention away from the very really problem of juvenile and adult bullying. I was bullied in a workplace in public for 10 years. I feel your pain Jennifer but get over it and work on your self esteem and teach your children that unsolicited opinions from strangers mean nothing to you. And if you want to do a story on bullying make it about real victims whose lives have been ruined on a daily basis.

]]> By: Pixie http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4289381 Pixie Sun, 07 Oct 2012 23:24:10 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4289381 This is NOT ABOUT BILLIMIA or ANOREXIA, this about being comfortable advocating and EXCUSING OBESITY...Let's get this straight...This woman is not OVERWEIGHT, she's OBESE. This is NOT ABOUT BILLIMIA or ANOREXIA, this about being comfortable advocating and EXCUSING OBESITY…Let’s get this straight…This woman is not OVERWEIGHT, she’s OBESE.

]]> By: john http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/10/bully-viewer-never-meant-to-hurt-overweight-tv-anchor-jennifer-livingston/#comment-4288505 john Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:56:42 +0000 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/?p=273143#comment-4288505 @Laura "Does the author of this email have ANY idea of the damage young women do to themselves trying to reach some insane “ideal”, including bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills?" Being sub 180 lbs is not 'some insane ideal' @Laura

“Does the author of this email have ANY idea of the damage young women do to themselves trying to reach some insane “ideal”, including bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills?”

Being sub 180 lbs is not ‘some insane ideal’

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