Dear Oprah Haters pt.2 – Taking out the Trash

There wasn’t going to be a part 2 to this issue of Oprah haters, but then someone posted the most ignorant garbage I have seen in a long time. There is this backwards, mindless notion that (according the poster) rednecks and (as the poster called herself) white trash MADE Oprah! Now, first of all, people are people, and categorizing groups of people into such negative categories based on race and region is pathetic. Having said that, it is really important for people who think like this to get their facts straight, and the order of things straight.

No one of any race watched Oprah to “give” her anything. No one thought “huh, look at that woman. I think I’ll give her my hour today as a gift to her.” No one believed Oprah could become anything big, let alone a star or the superstar she became. And this ESPECIALLY includes many of the people that this poster was describing. No, Oprah grew and Oprah is loved because of what OPRAH offered, not the other way around. In other words, people tuned in to RECEIVE from Oprah. And for over two decades people have RECEIVED ALOT FROM OPRAH.

Aside from daily valuable information on almost any topic one can imagine, from health to dieting to finances to relationships to clothing to addictions to education to children to weddings to environmental issues to pets and animals to celebrity insights to technology to cooking to politics to hair, and on and on and on, people RECEIVED MUCH FROM OPRAH. People were given a platform to be themselves with the public, share their stories, learn from others, celebrate, cry, laugh, dance, kiss, surprise, discuss, debate and enjoy whatever topic Oprah chose for that show. They tuned in and showed up in long lines, they called in for reservations, not to give but to be given to (to receive).

And that’s just the start. We haven’t even began to calculate how many home giveaways, cash giveaways, scholarships, cars, gifts giveaways, book giveaways, clothes giveaways, discounts, coupons, vacation giveaways and FREE stuff people have RECEIVED from Oprah in the span of over two decades.

Yes, to receive something, viewers had to tune in (DUH!), a task that cost them no money. Just like if a person is thirsty, they have to open their mouth to receive the water they are drinking. They are not “giving” to the water or “making it” significant, they are receiving the benefits of what the water has to offer.

Even businesses, news outlets, advertisers, and authors came to Oprah to RECEIVE, not to give. They wanted to receive the viewership SHE drew because of what SHE offered on her show.

So please don’t think the arrogant and ignorant thought that a viewer ‘made’ Oprah. Please don’t credit her hard work, intelligence, dedication and success strictly to the passive viewer on sitting on their sofa. Yes viewers are important, but they are not the creators of anything, they are the receivers, the consumers, the customers. Viewers enjoyed the information, the entertainment, the interviews, the giveaways, the true life stories, the promotions, and whatever else she brought on that viewers watched for themselves. Oprah was and is successful because she offers her viewers QUALITY programming and QUALITY products.

It is really sad and shameful that the moment this GIVING woman makes a personal political decision for herself that some selfish people do not agree with, these self centered people decide to bash her and claim they are responsible for all of her success. Trash is not a word that should be used to describe a person, however it is a very accurate word to describe an opinion. And frankly, the opinion that some people have that THEY made Oprah is simply trash, and it really really stinks.

Dear Oprah Haters…

Upon her recent announcement that she will be ending her daytime talk show which has successfully spanned for 25 years, media Queen Oprah Winfrey has received a number of varying responses. While she does have many who are sad to see her go, whether they are shocked about it or anticipated it, there is a shameful segment of the population who have decided to make their bitter, ignorant and selfish thoughts known on blogs, youtube comments, news story comments and polls.

There are those in the media who are and have been jealous of Oprah for some time. Their inability to compete with her star power has left some of them feeling helplessly bitter. And while that is certainly no justification for hating this world humanitarian television superstar, it should not be entirely unexpected in the competitive and often dishonest world of mainstream media culture.

However, there is unfortunately another group of average, everyday “Americans” who …do not entirely process information correctly, or at least through a moral lens. Oprah Winfrey is a SELF MADE WOMAN. No one GAVE her ANYTHING! Growing up in poor humble beginnings, during a shameful racist period in our country, the thought of someone like Oprah rising to even a local management position would seem unlikely. Born in Mississippi, and raised in Tennessee, this little dark skinned black girl endured sexual abuse and also got pregnant. Flash that statistic to any average citizen, and one can just see the assumptions popping into their heads. “Oh great, another WELFARE MOM depending on the GOVERNMENT to take care of her!” NO ONE would think that background could lead to the making of one of the most powerful and influential women in the world.

From the start, people counted Oprah out. There were her early coworkers who did not want to work with a woman who looked like her (a dark skin black woman with a short afro and personality). As she mentioned in her 20th Anniversary dvd set, nearly everyone except for Gayle counted her out. They even wanted her to change her name to Suzy, because they did not think anyone would be able to relate to the name Oprah.

However Oprah never quit. She decided to embrace herself for who she was, and share herself as she was with America. She worked hard and got her own show where she shared her life story with America. She interviewed everyday Americans with an empathy, warmth and love that had not really been seen before on daytime television. People of all backgrounds felt comfortable opening up with Oprah, and sharing their story on her show. And as a result, those shows were able to touch and help people all across the country (and eventually the world) as many other people were going through similar circumstances.

Oprah never claimed to be all knowing. She brought on experts in whatever topic was being discussed to speak with guests and educate the audience. She never got bashful of sharing her strengths and weaknesses, her successes and failures with her audience. And whether she was interviewing a celebrity, a head of state, a prostitute, a teacher, a struggling family, a homeless person, a movie star, a championship team, an injured/sick or deformed person, or anyone else, Oprah always showed them the same dignity, warmth, kindness, and respect no matter who they were or what their story was.

If you hate Oprah, ask yourself, what kind of person are you? Are you human? I’m not suggesting everyone must love Oprah, nor am I demanding that everyone be her loyal viewer. But how on earth can any decent person hate this woman? Is it because you can’t control her every move, as if she personally belongs to you?

Oprah did not just give to charity, she gave to EVERYONE. She gave to people in need, as well as held huge giveaways to her audience members. Promotions through her show have boosted authors to become best selling authors, and jolted sales for American businesses to the point where corporate America coined the phrase “The Oprah Effect”. She has interviewed Al Gore and George Bush during the elections. She interviewed Bill O’reilly and Frank Rich. She has held concerts of all different music genres.

Oprah has had the Make a Wish foundation, Wildest Dreams giveaway shows, Oprah’s favorite things show. She not only gives and gives and gives, but encourages and rewards others to give. Through Oprah other unknowns have gained jobs including Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rachel Ray, the employees of her magazines, the employees & actors of her films, etc.

As her show comes to a close, I hope some level of dignity comes from people and they celebrate how much this woman has accomplished despite the odds, and how many lives she has touched and helped. It would be pathetic if, through jealousy selfish ignorant people would zero in on how much money she has EARNED and get mad about her decisions AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN to support whoever she wanted to in this past election.

Every American has the right to a private life, free from the control and demand of others. And every American should be paid for their hard work and their success. Oprah became Oprah by being true to herself and helping and befriending others, no matter their status in life. It is time Oprah haters add some value to their own lives, and stop being bitter and jealous about the life of someone else.

Unlike many wealthy Americans, Oprah (like Michael Jackson) has been a giver. She didn’t bring down the economy through selfishness and risk taking like many of those on Wall Street. She didn’t go crawling to the government for aid, like AIG and the top banking execs who subsequently rewarded themselves for failing by paying themselves billions in bonus money they DID NOT DESERVE. She didn’t CHEAT people out of their money like Bernie Maddoff, or step on, kick, back-stab, or sleep her way to the top.

No, Oprah EARNED her money. She EARNED every penny of it, the old fashion, Conservative, capitalistic, American way. If you are a hater, don’t hate. Add some value to your own life, and focus on what YOU can do to be true to YOURSELF and help others.

Sick for Profit

http://sickforprofit.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKI9be55N00

This issue should not be a partisan one. Tell Republicans to support Americans, not the profits of Health Insurance executives.

President Obama on Health Care

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32011493#32011493

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83FvLjsUOJg

President Obama’s speech on the Economy

Youtube link

Two of the great strengths of our President are his calm demeanor and his ability to communicate clearly and analytically what he believes and why. One reporter mentioned that this latest speech was like an Economics 101 class, in terms of its presentation. To often in politics, substance and reasoned explanations are replaced with high volume emotion and fear mongering. Take Glenn Beck for example. He might very well have some legitimate concerns and good arguments to make against some of the policies from this administration. However, his over-the-top “dooms day” rants, and ridiculously immature behavior (like pouring “gasoline” on a guest spokesman or drawing cartoon pictures of “Jesus” representing the President) prevent many independents and most mature adults from taking anything he says seriously. He just comes across as an idiotic and potentially dangerous buffoon.

While Keith Olbermann might not be as crazy as Glenn Beck, he would still add more credibility to his stories if he calmed down the mockery, the anger rants, the “worst person in the world” garbage, and just spoke plainly about the issues facing our nation. One could argue that these are media personalities, and thus a certain level of “entertainment” value is necessary to increase viewership. But the issues they are discussing are real to the American people. If they are discussing war, torture and our military, or health care or government response to natural disasters, or the record job loss, these are not “entertainment” issues, they are real and should be treated with a manner of seriousness and respect.

And as for the politicians, the Dick Cheneys, Rudy Giulianis, Michele Bachmanns and the like in both parties should remember that we are Americans first and should respect fellow Americans even if they are in the opposing party. You don’t need over-the-top rhetoric or insane fear mongering to prove your point, if you have a good point. If you have sound reasons to support the policies you do, then simply explaining them as the President has here will gain you much greater respect, attention and possibly support.

Even for those that disagree with the President’s economic policies, it cannot be denied (after hearing this speech) that he has thought through them thoroughly and has sound reasons for his beliefs. This isn’t some wild liberal idealism. It is a practical approach to restore the economy and secure America’s future.