INDIANAPOLIS, IN—A meteorologist from a local news station has been pushed out of his job after a controversial statement during his weekend forecast, calling the weekend "beautiful."
Max Hackman, 43, had been with the local Channel 12 news since 2013, and was a regular contributor to the broadcast, often giving tips on attire for the upcoming days, warning of extreme weather events, and sharing ideas for fun activities given the likely meteorological events of the week. However, his charming and charismatic delivery of weather events could not save him from the fallout of his controversial statement on Friday evening, when he said "It's going to be a beautiful weekend, folks..."
Within seconds, the first of the attacks came from Twitter, and then spread to Facebook and other social media platforms. Soon after his broadcast had ended, #HackHackman was a top-trending hashtag on the internet.
One Twitter user, @verifythis22, posted "Oh, so now the complex balance of temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation can just be reduced to its appearance? How dare you, Hackman! You don't even know the weather, and all that it goes through. [Expletive] you, and every one of your fans! #HackHackman"
Others were quick to follow. @HollowmanDentistry added, "Maybe instead of treating the weather like its [sic] their [sic] for our pleasure, we should take some time to get to know it. It is a strong force, with lots of layers underneath the surface."
As the attacks on social media escalated, many other problematic statements and social media posts from Hackman surfaced. For example, on March 22nd of 2017, Hackman appears to have referred to the weather as "gorgeous." Similarly, on July 3rd, 2015, Hackman encouraged followers on social media to "get out there and enjoy this sun while it lasts." To this statement, social media users were irate, saying "THE WEATHER IS NOT JUST SOME DISPOSABLE PLEASURE! You disgust me. #HackHackman"
Given the moderate temperatures, and cool breeze, hundreds of protesters surrounded the broadcast station on Saturday, picketing and chanting "The weather is not your play thing!" However, the protesters scattered on Monday during a rainstorm for which they were unprepared. Still, as the story caught national attention, Hackman was asked to resign to put the entire controversy to sleep.
Hackman could not be reached for comment, but is reportedly moving his entire family to an undisclosed location. He issued a written statement to news outlets, stating, "I have nothing but respect for the weather, both local and global. I have been fortunate to have many forms of weather in my life, and am a better person because of it. I meant no disrespect with my comments, and apologize deeply to those whom I've offended. To let the community begin the healing process, I will be moving my entire family to an area with diverse weather events, that I will neither enjoy nor lament, but merely accept as part of the experience."
Hackman's statement is currently being picked apart for undertones of weather-related bigotry. Updates may be found by following the #HackHackman hashtag on social media platforms.
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