Jennifer Livingston: Commenting on anchor鈥檚 weight is not bullying
Jennifer Livingston, a TV news anchor, got a viewer e-mail calling her obese, and questioning her body image. She called it bullying. It's not. It's simply rude, and an example of 'bully-creep' and the fight over the label rather than the content.
This frame grab provided by WKBT-TV in La Crosse, Wis., shows television anchorwoman Jennifer Livingston shown in a screen grab, during her WKBT-TV broadcast responding to a viewer who wrote her an e-mail criticizing her weight. Livingston called it bullying.
AP/Courtesy WKBT-TV
Watch out, there鈥檚 another bully out there getting national attention.
Not just a bully, but a body image bully, who has turned his bullying ways on Jennifer Livingston, a morning anchor with WKBT-TV in La Crosse, Wis.听
And Ms. Livingston is not going to take it.
That鈥檚 the story, at least, that鈥檚 making the rounds today, a day after Livingston, who admits to being overweight, responded on air to a letter she received from a viewer named Kenneth W. Krause.
"I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn't improved for many years,鈥� Livingston quoted Krause鈥檚 correspondence as saying. 鈥淪urely 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 and promote a healthy lifestyle."
(Oh no, he didn鈥檛 say that did he?)
And in October, National Anti-Bullying Month, no less!
Livingston, a mom of three, took more than four minutes responding to Krause. She said that yes, she knew that she was overweight, but that it was unkind for him to write her those 鈥渃ruel words鈥� and that he was a bully.
鈥淭his was a personal attack,鈥� Livingston said on 鈥�Good Morning America,鈥� which she went on today to talk about the incident. (Of course she was on 鈥淕ood Morning America.鈥�)聽 鈥淐alling me obese is one thing. Calling me a bad role model for our community that I鈥檝e worked at for 15 years and especially for young girls when I have three girls was a low blow and I thought it was uncalled for and I wanted to call him out on it.鈥�
Her husband, evening anchor Mike Thompson, posted his thoughts about the incident on his Facebook page, and has received more than 1,500 comments in response. Many of those were in support of Livingston, thanking her for her example in standing up to a bully.听
Right.
Here鈥檚 the thing, folks. I鈥檓 just going to come out and say it. Krause鈥檚 letter? Not bullying.
Obnoxious, sure. Calling it unsolicited or unnecessary 鈥渁dvice鈥� would be kind. Despite the cordial tone, it is simply unacceptable 鈥� and rather sexist, I鈥檒l add 鈥� to comment on a woman鈥檚 physical appearance as if that appearance was the substance of her work. Even with all that window dressing of the obesity epidemic. The fact that people feel entitled to these sorts of comments 鈥� and even feel helpful making them 鈥� says a lot about how far (or short, really) we鈥檝e come in terms of accepting women as professional equals.听
But one rude e-mail does not a bullying act make.
Livingston made an effort to tie her hurt feelings to all the girls out there who might also be subject to nasty comments about their weight.听 She was standing up against this bully for them, she said.
And sure. It鈥檚 good to have a role model call weight-based ridicule for what it is: unacceptable.
The problem is that we once again have bully-creep.听
As the fight against bullying in the US has gained momentum and attention, more and more acts of rudeness, incivility or conflict have been given the 鈥渂ully鈥� label.
This is problematic for a variety of reasons. Calling someone a 鈥渂ully鈥� has taken on the tone of calling someone a 鈥渞acist鈥� 鈥� it stops conversation and often leads to a fight over the label rather than the content. Some critics worry that the current bully trend is clamping down on free speech. And at a more basic level, the 鈥渆veryone mean is a bully鈥� phenomenon gums up the fight against the sort of 鈥渂ullying鈥� that academic researchers have identified as incredibly damaging 鈥� the sustained, cruel interactions between a powerful child or children and a less powerful child.
But these days, 鈥渂ullying鈥� gets the attention.听
The 鈥渓et's just all be nice to each other" campaign, not so much.