The Other "Bullies"

All's well that ends well.  That's what they always say.  And apparently, that is the case with the controversy over the "overweight TV anchor" in La Crosse.  Jennifer Livingston became a national sensation for publicly embarassing the viewer that wondered why she wasn't losing weight to serve as a "good example to young people watching".  She called the man a "bully"--and encouraged overweight kids to feel good about the way they are and don't let people judge their worth by the way they look on the outside.  Kenneth Krause (no relation) initially stood by his e-mail--but then offered an apology after being hounded by national media reporters.  Livingston says she has accepted the apology and has put the matter behind her.

So what lesson have we learned here?  Don't criticize someone with a TV tower located behind their office--and peers with lots of TV towers and satellites at their disposal as well?  Definitely.  But we are also supposed to learn that overweight people are just fine the way they are--and telling them to lose weight is "bullying".  So now that we've brow-beaten Kenneth Krause, let's get to work on some of the other "bullies" terrorizing our kids.

We can start with the cafeteria Lunch Ladies who are refusing to give our kids as much food as they want to eat at school--because they are saying "IF YOU EAT TOO MUCH YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!"

And then we can set our sites on the school dieticians who won't let kids have things they've had for lunch for decades--like pizza and chicken nuggets--because "IF YOU EAT THOSE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!"

And then we should target the school boards that ban soda machines and sugary sports drinks from their schools because "IF YOU DRINK THOSE YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!!"

And don't forget the school administrators that require students to walk around the building until classes start--and again before they play with their friends during "active recess"--because "IF YOU DON'T EXERCISE YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!!"

Then we can move out of the schools to target the San Francisco City Council--which bans McDonald's from putting toys in Happy Meals at McDonald's because "IF YOU EAT THERE YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!!!!!"

Oh, and we certainly need to beat up New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg--who won't let people buy extra-large sodas because "IF YOU DRINK THOSE YOU ARE GOING TO GET FAT!!!!"

If time permits, we can move on to Spin Class instructors, the trainers on the "Biggest Loser", and Richard Simmons in our "Anti-Bullying" Campaign as well.