Broadcasters, Bullies, Presidents and Immanuel Kant

If you ignore a bully they think you are weak.  Being morally bankrupt themselves, they learn no moral lesson from deferment.  They will become more aggressive with each act. 

Let us consider morning news anchor Jennifer Livingston (CBS-La Crosse, Wisconsin).  Ms. Livingston chose to begin news coverage of October as, “National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month” by discussing a rude letter she got from a viewer.  The writer told Ms. Livingston that she was fat, indeed obese, and as such, was a poor role model for the youth of our nation.  The man who wrote the letter was, undoubtedly, a model of masculine beauty--probably an Adonis.  Oh, that my pulchritude starved eyes could behold him!  Oh—you think not????  Well, maybe, but he certainly felt qualified to criticize. 

Maybe he is like Marie Claire magazine writer, Maura Kelly, who is disgusted by the sparkling comedy of Mike and Molly but admits to having an eating disorder herself!  Obesity is a serious problem, but so is the ritualized self hatred and death wish of anorexia and bulimia.  Never-the-less, Ms Kelly feels free to castigate CBS for featuring a comedy about two overweight people actually having a functional life! 

My point is not the merits of maintaining a healthy weight, that is a given, but instead how Ms. Livingston chose to deal with her detractor.  She saw a connection between the man who criticized her and the bullies we read about in schools and on social media.  First of all, the man chose to say things in print that he wouldn’t have the courage to say in person.  Second, instead of ignoring the comment or laughing it off (both mature responses, but too subtle to be appreciated by a bully), she decided to call him on it.   She spoke directly to how obvious was the insult, how hurtful the intent, and how ugly the example that was set for watchful children.  Then she asked an important question.  “Do you want your children to behave toward others as you have behaved toward me?”

There is a quote concerning this concept: May you live your life as if the maxim of your actions were to become universal law.  It was written by my favorite philosopher, Immanuel Kant.  It is a heavy take on your mother’s, “Golden Rule.”

That brings me to the second incident that keeps chasing around with this one.  On November 21, 2004 President George W. Bush was visiting Santiago, Chile.  He was attending the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a consortium of 21 countries around the Pacific Rim.  He was attending the evening dinner at Estacion Mapocho Cultural Center with Laura and the usual detail of secret service when the local authorities tried to push around the men protecting the President. 

As the President’s entourage entered the formal gathering there was a sudden commotion at the door behind them.  It seems the Chilean police had closed in on Bush’s secret service man and were denying him entrance.  The President handed off Laura to the greeters, returned to the door and muscled his way through to his agent.  Bush reached into the mob and literally pulled his man through!  He then returned to Laura as if nothing had happened.  He didn’t pull rank, he didn’t yell for someone else to do the work; he just took care of his own.  Now there is a Commander in Chief! 

Once again, the bullies of the world were confronted by straight forward energy, commensurate with the wrong being done.  I like that concept. 

Arm yourself with the right, and keep the faith.