April Rose A.

Capispisan
ABE 3 1

The Man behind the Camera

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with
myself, and proud. A famous line he said to The Daily Beast blogger/reporter Andrew Sullivan, who is
he? Its Anderson Cooper.
Known for his best works on CNN, on anchor at Anderson Copper 360, and having his own TV
daytime show, that is Anderson Cooper. Born on the 3rd of June, 1967, blue eyes and grey haired with the
height of 5' 10" or 178 centimeter. Everyone may seem to think that he got in television because of his
parents, but what people dont see is that his strong personality brought him where he is now. He had the
courage to face all the obstacle he faced in his life like the death of his family members, and he went all
through this by visiting warzone places where everyday people face life and death situation, where loss is
always spoken. People who relate better to Coopers life taught and encourage him to tolerate his losses.
"'After that,' Cooper says, I wanted to be in places where survival was an issue and people talked about real
things. Places where life and death were real. People are often very uncomfortable talking about death,
grieving and loss. I wanted to go somewhere where the language of loss is spoken" (Albiniak). Cooper
faced his struggles head on by gathering all his courage to show it when he was in Africa, Vietnam and
other foreign countries where war is common and started to accept all the family and emotional problems
he faced. Not only that he was very courageous to focus and continue where he is now, he didnt let his
past determine his future and seized the day. He was even determined to work even though he felt ill, earn
his own money and so on. With his determination, he succeeded in the news business. Anderson Cooper
will not be a well-known TV personality if it wasnt for his sincerity. He is able to translate information he
has observed to his audience with great sincerity. Viewers of his shows even said that Cooper is: one of
the most sincere people to report on air. I remember when he himself went to the Philippines in Tacloban
when there was a huge typhoon coming when our own president couldnt. He was there to see how it is, he
showed what the Philippine media is trying to hide. You can see that he is really concerned to the Filipino
people. He even sent out goods for these people and helped them.
Cooper publicly announces that he is gay in an email to writer Andrew. He doesnt really like to
talk about his personal life as he told the New York magazine in 2005. "...The whole thing about being a
reporter is that youre supposed to be an observer and to be able to adapt with any group youre in, and I
dont want to do anything that threatens that. Although, he said these words, he learned that buy not
speaking up he did more harm than good: "Its become clear to me that by remaining silent on certain
aspects of my personal life for so long, I have given some the mistaken impression that I am trying to hide
something - something that makes me uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid. This is distressing because it
is simply not true. Ive also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater

inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully
visible."
Anderson Cooper was born and raised in New York City, and he has been very secretive of his
personal life. He is a son of a famously wealthy industrialist Vanderbilt Family. His father died when he
was only 10 years old. Quoting, "... his brother, Carter, who had been under treatment for depression,
jumped out of the 14th-floor window of their mother's New York City apartment in front of her, and fell
to his death." ("Anderson Cooper"). His mother on the other hand, Gloria Vanderbilt, a famous socialite
and fashion designer is a Catholic. He doesnt tell much about his personal life as he likes to maintain his
journalistic integrity.
His unrestrained persona, words and actions makes who Anderson Cooper is. He is a man of
courage, determination and great sincerity. Thats what I like about him. It is best that we ignore all the
negativities of a person and try to see all the good things a person does. Not only he is mysterious, that I
completely relate to, he is not ashamed of who he is and couldnt be more proud. A person who presents
himself with great confidence and smile.