Oprah Winfrey: What's Her Deal?

So she owes her success to performance enhancing drugs, too? I hadn't heard that.

 

Oprah might be FOS and a master manipulator (it depends on your perspective), but when it comes tapping into pop culture, she knows how to "give the people what they want." She wouldn't be where she is today if people ignored her. To my knowledge she has never forced anyone to watch her program and the programs she owns and produces, never forced anyone to read her books, her magazine, or any form of media that she endorses.

I'm mostly neutral, with a qualifier:
If she figured out how to appeal to the masses, and makes a fortune doing so, fine with me.
If she is standing on the bodies of people she screwed to reach her level of success, not fine with me.

 

I can understand how she rubs some people the wrong way. I have nothing against her per se, but as with most successful people I'm sure she did some things that don't sit well with her detractors.

 

I honestly have nothing to add to this thread except this Photoshop I did probably about ten years ago:


Yeaaaaahhhhhhh... like a fine wine, it is.

 

I didn't create this thread. Rather, my joking response (#1, above) was magically transplanted here from a thread about Lance Armstrong.

I'm not particularly a fan of Oprah Winfrey, and I never saw more than a few minutes of her long-running TV show, but (like @Chris Noyb) I have nothing against her.

The Huffpost article linked above was apparently written by a disgruntled acolyte: he adored her TV show, and is horrified at what she's doing to make a living these days.

Anyone who says that Oprah Winfrey, of all people, "embodies what's wrong with American public life" has a sharp focus on the extremely inconsequential.

What's wrong with American public life? How about congressional science committees chaired by politicians who openly hate science? How about high court judges in most states being elected in multimillion dollar political campaigns funded by interested litigants? How about the disappearance of news media coverage for the antics of state and local politics?

Or if venal moneymaking is really your thing: how about the spread of something-for-nothing state lotteries and casino gambling as a solution for anything?

I'm sorry, but I can't find it in myself to even raise an eyebrow for Oprah Winfrey. She has entered the category of used-to-be-famous. Loss of status is hard to endure, and sufferers often do weird or crazy things to attract attention, make money, or both.

It's so commonplace that it isn't even interesting.

 

I have no problems with Oprah. She should be doing more in terms of starting the 'conversation on race' in America and expose the real life issues. But also help those people who feel like there is no hope to figure out different ways to improve their lives (without charging them $199). And also to show how people need to improve their own lives and shouldn't always blame others or society.

 

I saw a TV interview some actor, I can't remember the show or the actor. He commented on his visits with Oprah and Pres. Obama, saying Oprah's security team was much better than Obama's SS team.

As I previously posted--my were comments moved/quoted from another thread--Oprah doesn't force people to watch her or purchase her various media offerings.

 

I think the issue is that she has so much more money already, that it is pretty bad to need to get people to pay $199-$999 to go to a self-improvement seminar. $10-$20, maybe, those things cost money, and it is a decent event I'm sure. But now that Bill Cosby is done, the black community needs a leader that they can look up to and get advice from. She can tell them what they are doing wrong without being 'racist', and to call out problems and get the attention of millions very quickly.

 

Not too happy with her for introducing Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz into the veins of media.

Her production company did Selma which is a great addition.

But I'll use a short little piece that my oldest told me about her goddaughter.
This is the child of my daughters BFF from high school, the result of getting pregnant in the 11th grade.
This bright precocious child asked why my daughter didn't have any kids, since her mom had three.
My kiddo said she had decided to do different things.
Her goddaughter replied, "I don't want kids either. I want to be like you and Oprah. I want to make decisions for myself and be powerful."

She could have picked a lot of woman but she picked Oprah as an example of someone who was empowered and in control.
I think that says a lot.

 

On the other hand I just ran across this article.\

4 Ways Oprah Screwed The World (Nobody Ever Calls Her On) | Cracked.com

I mentioned Dr Phil and Dr Oz.
Forgot about the other two.