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News Anchor On Air Response to Viewer Calling Her Fat

 
Old 10-03-2012 at 12:44 AM   #1
Ish001
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News Anchor On Air Response to Viewer Calling Her Fat
I stumbled upon this video online and thought I'd share it.

I know not everyone will agree with the views presented in this video but she does raise a valid point.

Thoughts?

P.S. October is National Anti-Bullying Month. Pass it on.




Old 10-03-2012 at 01:50 AM   #2
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Old 10-03-2012 at 02:22 AM   #3
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WTF? shes acting like the fact that shes fat is a curse or something. Not once did she mention that shes trying to do something about it. Ameerrricaans.
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Old 10-03-2012 at 09:01 AM   #4
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I don't think that the letter was written in a demeaning manner. It just seems like good advice to someone, with valid points. Further, it was written as a private letter to her; not publicly, which could have caused her some grief.
I don't think this is really a case of bullying, just somebody's respectful opinion of a public figure in the media.

Old 10-03-2012 at 09:56 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reda View Post
Why is she hurt for being called fat? Because being fat can kill you? Why is she attacking a man for giving her advice that can help her live and enjoy life more.

Fat people can lose weight if they clearly put their mind to it. But clearly this woman loves eating. I gaurantee you while she was reading that letter she was thinking of what she is having for lunch.


The problem here is with the lady not the letter. This lady is clearly on some free mcdonalds mcflurrys
While a lot of obesity is due to lifestyle, it is not always, and you should be careful what you assume. Words like that are the "cruel words" she was talking about. For all you know she could have a genetic condition that leads to being overweight (and there are many that can do this, both directly and indirectly). You are in no position to judge the reasons why this woman is overweight.

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Old 10-03-2012 at 10:15 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starfish View Post
While a lot of obesity is due to lifestyle, it is not always, and you should be careful what you assume. Words like that are the "cruel words" she was talking about. For all you know she could have a genetic condition that leads to being overweight (and there are many that can do this, both directly and indirectly). You are in no position to judge the reasons why this woman is overweight.
Yes, and no. Obesity is something really overlooked in society, and a healthy lifestyle is really undervalued. Yes, we get bombarded by tons of health marketing, but in actuality, eating and living unhealthy is casually accepted, and healthy eating and living is considered a something special and unusual (which is why it is so highly marketed).

Of course I understand that she could be obese due to genetic reasons, but it is not unusual or wrong to assume that she is not. People tend to get very defensive and touchy on the topic of obesity, and I think that's a very unhealthy approach. Stop trying to shove it under the blanket.

It is not an issue of being sensitive or insensitive (of course, at the same time, I'm not in any way suggesting to be mean or discriminate against overweight people, or anyone for that matter). The issue is of "Yes, I know I'm fat. Okay." That is the same problem that the writer of the letter was addressing. You don't stop at "...Okay", because society come to think it's okay to stop at okay.

That said, it was meant to be a personal letter. I the reporter was just displacing her frustrations with the truth by wanting to make it public. However, if it was a letter meant to insult her, I do agree completely with what she said, and the way she handled it was awesome.

Last edited by Yogurt : 10-03-2012 at 11:04 AM.

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Old 10-03-2012 at 11:33 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yogurt View Post
Yes, and no. Obesity is something really overlooked in society, and a healthy lifestyle is really undervalued. Yes, we get bombarded by tons of health marketing, but in actuality, eating and living unhealthy is casually accepted, and healthy eating and living is considered a something special and unusual (which is why it is so highly marketed).

Of course I understand that she could be obese due to genetic reasons, but it is not unusual or wrong to assume that she is not. People tend to get very defensive and touchy on the topic of obesity, and I think that's a very unhealthy approach. Stop trying to shove it under the blanket.

It is not an issue of being sensitive or insensitive (of course, at the same time, I'm not in any way suggesting to be mean or discriminate against overweight people, or anyone for that matter). The issue is of "Yes, I know I'm fat. Okay." That is the same problem that the writer of the letter was addressing. You don't stop at "...Okay", because society come to think it's okay to stop at okay.

That said, it was meant to be a personal letter. I the reporter was just displacing her frustrations with the truth by wanting to make it public. However, if it was a letter meant to insult her, I do agree completely with what she said, and the way she handled it was awesome.
It's not unusual, that is true, but I disagree that it's not wrong. Even if she is obese due to lifestyle factors, without knowing her it's not right to just assume that this is the reason.
There are plenty of stories of overweight people having some encounter with someone that makes them finally realize that they must change and then they lose like, 200lbs and everything is fine. But not everyone overweight due to lifestyle would have the same reaction, and those words can be extremely harmful for someone who has no control over it. I have a relative who is in this situation, and she is extremely obese. She walks into a Tim Horton's to get lunch, and you would not believe the looks she gets from people assuming that all she eats is fast food/junk food and that her weight is her fault. She doesn't eat an unusually large amount of food, and she certainly eats healthier than most people (the reason we were in Tim Hortons in this case was to buy lunch for the rest of our family; she wouldn't touch the stuff), she exercises to the best of her ability. She lives a healthy lifestyle, but due to a genetic disorder she is obese, and is constantly judged for it. She's developed a pretty thick skin, but if I were her I would never even want to go out in public. Yes, people get defensive and touchy, but look at how much they get judged for it. To think that you have any place to tell a complete stranger that they should lose weight is ridiculous.

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Old 10-03-2012 at 11:55 AM   #8
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cant blame her for not wanting to be called fat- even if she eats mcdonald's 3 times a day whose business is it? obviously some people commenting on this either have really thick skin or have never been called a hurtful name constantly or constantly have been judged for things that they sometimes cannot control. no wonder so many people suffer from mental illness, depression and low self esteem, they cant even do their job without being judged or criticized for how they look. i wonder if the letter writer would have so open to receiving the same criticism that they offered to the newscaster.

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Old 10-03-2012 at 03:45 PM   #9
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http://www.theglobeandmail.c om/lif...rticle4576071/

If you're in the public eye you should be able to handle criticism.

The clothing sizes in North America are made so that people who are larger don't feel bad about themselves. People constantly skirt around the fact that one is overweight at the fear that it might hurt one's feelings. In the article I posted, many obese/overweight children don't know that they're overweight or obese because they're so coddled. Canadians make fun of Americans for being fatties, but really we're not all that much better than they are.
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Old 10-03-2012 at 04:11 PM   #10
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hypothyrodism is a medical condition that can cause excessive weight gain as a side effect, many anti depressants have side effects that cause weight gain- this is not someone who has decided to be overweight and unless you know their exact situation you dont have any right to judge them or their life. i really dont care if you are the queen of england or the garbage collector its none of my business and the problem with people is that they are overly judgemental based on people's appearances. maybe it is up to a parent if they notice their kid is eating too much junk to step up, but its not my place as a stranger to go up to them and say "your kids a fat ass stop feeding them crap" maybe thats just how i was raised to have empathy and not judge someone until i know the whole story

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Old 10-03-2012 at 04:59 PM   #11
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I love how our society refuses to take any responsibility for their own problems. Yes, medications and health problems can cause weight gain; however, in a majority of cases it is a result of poor diet and/or lack of exercise. Sure a person can have hypothyroidism, but it only causes modest weight gain (10-15 lbs). If they are still 5'5" and 200 lbs, they can't blame everything on the fact that they have an underactive thyroid.

It's not just about appearances. I see so many people who are overweight who come with issues (infertility, irregular periods, issues associated with high blood sugar) that can easily be resolved if they made more of an effort to lose weight via lifestyle modifications. These overweight people also raise obese/overweight children because of their poor lifestyle decisions and our society is so conditioned to not to offend others that it leads to bigger issues (childhood obesity, adolescents who already have type II diabetes). To equate being overweight to something that you can't control (race, sexual orientation) is absolutely ridiculous. Many children don't even know that they're overweight. If I end up offending one by making them realize that there is an issue, I can handle that. I prefer that over having to amputate their foot in 20-30 years as a result of diabetic complications.

It's important to be tactful when approaching issues of weight, but to completely avoid the issue seems absurd - especially now that the childhood obesity rates are rising.
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Old 10-03-2012 at 06:59 PM   #12
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I think this is an issue where doctors, friends, and family members need to step up, but outside that people need to lay low. A person should not be constantly berated for being fat, or smoking, or getting drunk etc. People are people and we are not perfect.

That said family and friends and especially doctors need to stress the importance of obesity. I would very much like a doctor to tell an older friend of mine (who we have all told them they need to lose) that they will be diabetic by 40, in a wheelchair by 50 and dead by 60 if they dont lose weight. Even if it is exaggerating a bit.
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Old 10-03-2012 at 07:14 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by qwerty91 View Post
I think this is an issue where doctors, friends, and family members need to step up, but outside that people need to lay low. A person should not be constantly berated for being fat, or smoking, or getting drunk etc. People are people and we are not perfect.

That said family and friends and especially doctors need to stress the importance of obesity. I would very much like a doctor to tell an older friend of mine (who we have all told them they need to lose) that they will be diabetic by 40, in a wheelchair by 50 and dead by 60 if they dont lose weight. Even if it is exaggerating a bit.
I agree with this. Friends, family members and health professionals (particularly doctors) *do* have the right (and in some cases, the responsibility) to talk to an overweight person about this, but it is not the place of random people to go up to strangers and tell them.

Some people will refuse to listen to their doctor, and that's their prerogative. Often though, having a doctor tell you that something needs to change can be very helpful. I have no idea how, but in one visit, a doctor somehow convinced my very stubborn grandfather to quit smoking after he'd done so for 50 years

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Old 10-03-2012 at 09:31 PM   #14
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I don't get what the problem is with the video. Its ridiculous, no one called her fat, they just pointed out the obvious. No if she posted her bikini video on YouTube, and got trolled, then she would have a case... but then again, that's what YouTube is for. Its almost as bad as that stupid feminist who got asked out and made a whole video about it, on how inappropriate such behavior is and how sexist it is to ask her out. Which makes me think that the whole video is just a promo of some sort, who would waste their time on replying to every annoying social network comment.

Also, If there are people who weren't taught by their parents on how to deal with bullies, and are emotionally not ready for real world, its their problems. World is tough, they need to learn how to deal with it, and stop changing the society (the rest of us) to feat their needs, that's egoistic.

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Old 10-03-2012 at 10:00 PM   #15
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well.. she did say it was her husband who initially took offence and decided to post the letter publicly... she is responding to the responses
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