Bullying takes on many forms, but the message from a television anchorwoman in La Crosse, Wis., is one that should be repeated loudly and often.
After a viewer sent an email to anchorwoman Jennifer Livingston that criticized her weight, she used some of her airtime to respond to the bully and to tell her viewers, especially young viewers, that they should not let bullies define their self-worth.
The video of her on-air segment has gone viral, and Livingston told The Associated Press that she has gotten a lot of positive feedback and support since she spoke out.
According to AP, Kenneth Krause wrote in an email "obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make" and said Livingston should "reconsider your responsibility to present and promote a healthy lifestyle."
In her response, according to AP, Livingston told her viewers, "To all of the children out there who feel lost, who are struggling with your weight, with the color of your skin, your sexual preference, your disability, even the acne on your face, listen to me right now: Do not let your self-worth be determined by bullies."
The world is full of crude, rude and inconsiderate people who take a perverse joy in tearing down and insulting others because they perceive them as somehow different or inferior. But when it comes to bullying, the inferiority is always in the one doing the bullying.
Krause told AP that he was not being a bully, but any time you make judgments on other people, and then disparage them based on their looks, beliefs or anything else, you are indeed being a bully.
We need more people like Livingston to stand up and speak out against bullies, and to send the message to those who are the victims. As Livingston told The Associated Press, she hopes victims will "learn from my experience - that the cruel words of one are nothing compared to the shouts [of support] of many."
