This is a post about anchor weasels – those members of a news team that provide the face of the TV station to the general public.
My problem with them is their comments on the weather. I’m sure the higher ups like to promote them as being “human”, “non-robotic”, and “likable”. Politics being what it is, I’m sure the higher ups tell them to just comment on the weather, a relatively safe topic, which shouldn’t offend most of the political spectrum. This offends me. Right now. In the summer.
You see all anchor weasels get to work in a nicely air conditioned environment. And the job pays well enough that they can afford an air conditioned home and an air conditioned car. You can see where I’m going with this.
In the summer, when temperatures are average or less than average, all anchor weasels like to say they wish it were warmer. In fact they seem to get depressed until temperatures have finally reached or exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. I guess this feels right when you are only visiting the weather for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. After all this is probably the only time they realize it is actually summer outside.
Myself? I think the only ones that should be allowed to comment on summer conditions are the people who work outside all day over hot tar. These people would know enough to tell everyone to keep hydrated and would see uses for cooling down stations on the hotter days.
I didn’t ever work over hot tar but did work outside for 9 hour days a couple summers in a row. The hot tar thing helped me keep cool as in ‘at least I’m not working over hot tar’. One of those days I worked reached 35 degrees Celsius and I remember barely moving to do work in that heat. The boss never came out of his air conditioned office to accuse me of cheating the company. And indeed, I’m quite sure that I was working as hard as was possible because I drank about 10 glasses of water that day and went to the bathroom once.
So I think you have an idea why I call them anchor weasels. But before leaving I just want to remind you that just as in the cold, cold winter, people die of the weather in the hot, hot summer. Hot isn’t always good.
“Bring on the heat,” say the anchor weasels. Which at times could sound like saying, “Bring on the deaths.” Anchor weasels – their personalities all seem the same – and lacking. I should read my news and weather for the rest of the summer instead of watching it.
