Image Isn't Everything

Count Christy H. sick of all this trivial obsessing over my looks and appearances.

She writes, "I really think you're a smart guy and an incredible anchor and interviewer. All this other stuff demeans you. I think it takes you down a peg or two. Real anchors wouldn't act that way."

Christy, you make a good point. Real anchors wouldn't act that way.

But at the risk of ticking off my boss, I'm not a real anchor. And I don't pretend to be.

I know this anchor who has his assistant book reservations for him at hard-to-get-in New York restaurants with the opening line, "the TV anchor 'so-and-so' wants a table tonight."

I guess the not so subtle message there is that a big shot is trying to pull his weight.

I know another star in my biz who doesn't ask stupid questions because he doesn't want his Wall Street buddies to think him, well, I guess, stupid.

Maybe because I'm just some Italian-Irish kid who lucked out in life, I'm not prepared to get so pompous. At least not yet.

For now, I'm not so much concerned with how I appear than what I am. For good or ill, Christy, what you see here, is what you get.

After all, would a real anchor sing the praises of Yoddles or a fondness for chili dogs? No, a real anchor would not.

I remember someone telling me once, "Neil, remember how you treat people on the way up. Because you're going to meet them again on the way down."

An anchor didn't tell me that. My Dad did. And he was much smarter.

Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World w/Cavuto.