main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

JCC Wisconsin Newscaster fights back against email calling her "fat".

Discussion in 'Community' started by TahiriVeilaSolo69, Oct 2, 2012.

  1. Juliet316

    Juliet316 Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2005
    It's entirely possible that it was, indeed, more than just that one letter and that particular one, for whatever reason, was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back so to speak.
     
  2. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    So circumcising fat Roma is out of the question?
     
    yankee8255 and JoinTheSchwarz like this.
  3. Lowbacca_1977

    Lowbacca_1977 Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jun 28, 2006
    It is, but to use the word bullying, that context should be included. To not water down terminology.
     
  4. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    I'll bite... what did it look like to you?
     
  5. Mar17swgirl

    Mar17swgirl Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 26, 2000
    Except that I don't think that. I've tried to explain that in the past, but seeing that some people already firmly labelled me as a racist here, I'm not going to bother and waste my time convincing them otherwise, when they haven't listened to me before in the first place. I don't think it's worth my time and effort. And no, let's not start that discussion here, please.

    Self-righteous and inappropriate, at least in form, but not bullying. I was bullied as a child and I know how hurtful it is - but if I'd received this kind of letter, I'd simply laugh and ignore it. Because if I'm comfortable with my own weight, why should I care what some stranger thinks about me?
     
  6. Piltdown

    Piltdown Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 3, 2002
    This.

    I don't think that having a fat woman on the news is going to cause an increase in childhood obesity, like the guy in the letter seems to feel, but the "you go girl" attitude her response elicited is just as childish as his comments.

    The best response was no response.
     
    Everton likes this.
  7. yankee8255

    yankee8255 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 31, 2005
    When did Malkie move to Wisconsin?
     
  8. timmoishere

    timmoishere Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    If she doesn't want people bullying her for being fat, why doesn't she just not be fat?
     
  9. yankee8255

    yankee8255 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 31, 2005
    I'd hardly call a one-off letter "bullying". Continuing to hound a user for comments they made two years ago when they have nothing to do with a topic, however, ...

    Regardless, I assume the author of the e-mail, given his/her extreme concern for the welfare of children in that community, writes similar letters to all the extremely thin newscasters he sees on TV, pointing out the prevalence of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia.
     
  10. Boba_Fett_2001

    Boba_Fett_2001 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2000
    Is it like your life goal to bring up your views on circumcision at every opportunity you get?
     
    Juliet316 and harpuah like this.
  11. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    I guess I don't understand how that distinguishes it from bullying. That, after all, is just a collection of things that other people think about you too. I think that because his intent here seems mean-spirited, it is fair to call it bullying.
     
  12. Everton

    Everton Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2003
    Right. It's an unpleasant letter, no doubt, but it's not bullying. Yet. The correspondent may be a bully, but he isn't yet bullying this woman. Right now he's just being nasty. She should do her best to brush it off. Ignore it as a lonely ass****behaving like an ass****. I realise that's harder for some to do than others, but if you're used to your image being broadcast to a large TV viewership on a daily basis I'd expect you to be hardened to the odd negative comment. I'd also expect you to be comfortable in your own image and not fly off the handle when someone questions it. I'm not defending the correspondent, as I don't think Livingston should have to change a thing about her appearance, but she should be stronger in the face of adversity. Particularly this adversity - one letter. Not exactly a campaign. (plus if it was a campaign, or more than one letter, that should've been revealed to the audience) Livingston said the man's words mean nothing to her - well this is clearly not the case. Turning something into a debate and raising awareness of an issue is generally seen as a positive thing - but in this case, in the face of one letter and based on what's been divulged - I think she's using that as cover to blow a raspberry back at him. He'll be delighted, I'm sure. If you make a big deal of it you only validate the letter and the writer. Their view is given currency but worse everyone is plunged into a discussion like this, where negative comments (outnumbered hundreds to one by positive ones) are the standard bearers. Livingston (or perhaps the station) may think it's good to make a point of this letter, but all it does is satisfy the author - who won't give a damn about their view being contrary to those of the overwhelming majority.

    Monty Burns said it best just after he'd been shot by Maggie Simpson (zomg, spoiler). The dimwitted Jimbo Jones stumbles across the dying man and asks if he's okay. Mr. Burns wheezes back, "Won't... dignify... that... with a... response". Neither should Livingston.


    [Kate edit: word not allowed Everton]
     
    Mar17swgirl likes this.
  13. cipe

    cipe Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Seriously. Is there anything that we can do reclaim the perfectly good threads that have been stolen from us?
     
    Juliet316 likes this.
  14. cipe

    cipe Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Also, the newscaster is just trying to be the next bus monitor lady and get someone to raise $700,000 for her.

    And the guy may be an idiot but it's not bullying.
     
  15. Darth Morella

    Darth Morella Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2004

    Well, we can try to stretch the good threads that we have left.
     
    harpuah likes this.
  16. malkieD2

    malkieD2 Ex-Manager and RSA star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 7, 2002
    I like to see I've left a lasting legacy ;)

    I don't see the bullying in the original letter - merely pointing out his opinion that having an obese person on TV sets a bad example to the youth of today. Of course, TV is littered with extremely bad role models for children, so I'm not entirely sure that singling out someone who is over weight is entirely fair.

    The whole 'obesity is a choice' comment still stands - back in the day we got a decent thread discussion out of it. It isn't easy to control weight (I know I've gone up and down over the years), but the central argument remains that you, and only you are responsible for your calorie intake.
     
  17. GargantuanThrillMachine

    GargantuanThrillMachine Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    malkie is 100% correct. i put on a lot of weight 4 years ago, and it's taken me 2 1/2 years to lose it. why did i gain so much weight? because i was wasting time sitting on my ass posting on messageboards and gorging myself with food. how did i lose it? diet, exercise, and a ton of effort. i've lost 139lbs. since then, and have earned the right to make fun of fat people everywhere
     
  18. Piltdown

    Piltdown Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 3, 2002
    Wow, 139 lbs! The most unwanted weight I ever lost was 130lbs, but all I needed to do was break up with her.

    Edit: Buh-dum tssssh
     
  19. Everton

    Everton Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Jul 18, 2003
    May be some ambiguity here. I don't think being overweight is something to be proud of, or to be defended. Ideally one wouldn't be overweight. I'm only saying that - given her occupation - her reaction to this inappropriate letter is a surprisingly insecure one, engaging with author rather than ignoring him. Whatever the debate, don't feed the troll.
     
    Mar17swgirl likes this.
  20. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    I already made a malkie joke, sorry.

    That's how I feel - being overweight isn't something that should be defended, and it does show insecurity that she didn't ignore it. Although the person was totally rude.

    Way to miss the point.
     
  21. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    That's the thing though... ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away. I think it's admirable that she took this as an opportunity to address anti-bullying month and to educate her young viewers and their parents about how this sort of thing happens everyday, and how it's not okay.

    Also, OZK... you have an entire thread dedicated to talking about your foreskin. Will you please stop bringing it up in every thread you post in?
     
    Juliet316 likes this.
  22. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    Way to miss the point.
     
  23. Boba_Fett_2001

    Boba_Fett_2001 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 11, 2000
    No one is missing the point.
     
  24. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    I'm not the one continuing the discussion about foreskins. It's everyone else. I only mentioned it to point out how irrelevant the accusations of racism against Mar are.

    I mentioned it in one post and have only addressed it to continue to state, as I have in the first post, that it's irrelevant, just like the accusations of racism against Mar.

    It annoys me because Mar is being crucified for failing to hold to an American cultural standard of cultural sensitivity - one that she was not raised with, and appear to have violated only with regards to the Roma. I remember the discussion and while things that she said may not have been exemplary, I think that it hardly justifies continually harassing her over it. That continued harassment of her is as annoying and banal and irrelevant as me harassing you guys about my lack of foreskin.

    People are instead, missing that point, and instead of addressing it (Dani did address that point), they're complaining that I'm derailing the thread, when in fact, the people derailing the thread are the people continuing to talk about my lack of foreskin. It's only after I've been continually been harassed for using that as an example of an irrelevant topic that I've discussed it at all, and only to discuss why people should stop harassing Mar over an incident that happened a long time ago.

    I suppose that one benefit is that people are instead harassing me over having mentioned it rather than harassing Mar over her alleged racism.
     
  25. yankee8255

    yankee8255 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    May 31, 2005
    Except that mine was actually funny, and brought him out of lurking. I win.
     
    Sith-Lord-Gunray likes this.