This was in the Yahoo news this morning. While I'm extremely happy that these families will have some closure in finding their loved one's remains in the WTC - did they HAVE to mention the woman that they were trying to save was "obese"?? Does it matter? Are they making some kind of point? I'm I just being senstive....?

Terri


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The bodies of six Port Authority police officers were found early on Saturday in the World Trade Center ruins near the remains of a woman they apparently were trying to rescue, the Port Authority said on Monday.

The bodies of the officers were found in what had been the lobby of 1 World Trade Center, the second tower to collapse, suggesting they probably already had been ordered to evacuate. Next to the officers, recovery crews found an obese woman still strapped into a rescue chair.

Funny you should write about this, well, not funny at all really.

Peter Jennings was just in Detroit this past week doing a town meeting on the Media in our lives and he had a group of local folks in the audience and a panel of some local journalists.

One man stood up in the audience and was saying that when these journalists report a story they should mention whether the people are gay or not. It struck me as what difference does it make, people are people.

Several journalists on the panel made the point that if it was important in the context of the story, then they mention it, if not, they don't. This guy was not happy with the answer.

I don't think you're being too sensitive at all. She was a victim. Her size shouldn't matter, or be a part of the story. Just like race and sexual preference shouldn't be a part of many stories.

I'm not sure what the answer is, or what can be done, but this land is full of intolerence. Just my two cents......

Wow, just think what a furor would ensue if the story mentioned that the woman was (insert ethnicity, religion, sexual preference here)...

Just another example of how "obesity" is a category that does not fall under the protection of "Politically Correct."

I agree... people are just people and I don't see what difference it makes, size, race, gender, sexual preferance... what-EVER...

I think the whole story implies that if she wasn't so "obese" and if it didn't take _6_ people to take her out that they wouldn't have died. Even on Yahoo, the idiots that are leaving messages about the news report are saying things like this. I know it shouldn't bother me, the opinions of others, but since it's the MEDIA that's started this prejudice in this story it just really frosts my cookies... Like they're blaming a "fat woman" for killing those 6 people when they should be pointing fingers elsewhere - or not pointing them at all since it's really a moot point and we all need to get on with it and heal.

Terri

Hi all,

Just my 2 cents...

If people are looking for someone to blame, why don't they pin the blame on the terrorist a*****es who are responsible for ALL those people dying.

I mean really. Maybe we should get some of the funds diverted to educational programs so these morons can put 2 and 2 together...

I too got the impression that they were trying to say if she wasnt "obese" maybe they would have survived.

I am not sure what way it should have been reported..but thanks for making this a discussion point, it helps everyone.

Hello all,

The AP (Associated Press) released the same story and covered it beautifully. It made those that were trying to rescue the woman out to be true heros - just trying to help someone who needed assistance. No mention as to why.

I worked in a 15 story building in San Francisco in '92 and we had a bomb threat. At the time I was pretty overweight and I still hauled butt down 15 flights of stairs (kicked off the heals, hiked up the skirt and ran for it). I was 21 years old.
Thankfully our building was ok, but if the worst had happened and I was needing help for ANY reason, I would hope that there'd be 5 wonderful men and women like these guys to help me out. And I'd hope that the damned Reuter's press coverage wouldn't have my family remember me as that "obese" woman that someone had to help and then died because of me.

Sheesh...

Terri

Size doesn't matter! But yeah, I agree with you. There was no reason to mention that the person was obese. Ditto on the above remark about there being an uproar if insert racial stereotype here was mentioned. A person is a person is a person.

The blurb could have been pointedly written to blame the victim. It could have been an honest mistake. You know...involuntary foot in mouth syndrome.

Just wanted to mention that I watched CBS evening news and they did NOT mention the woman was obese. Just stated that they died while trying to save another.