The 'NOprah' Phenomena

My employer, The Birmingham News, ran this article in the Sunday Lifestyle section this past week and it intriqued me. I have never really liked Oprah (with the exception of her performance in "The Color Purple"). She is self-righteous, melodramatic, all-knowing and presumes she rules the roost of American women and media in general.

Recently her antics have been turned up a notch by her on-air grilling of shamed author James Frey concerning his book, "A Million Little Pieces." Her soap opera dramatics with the writer had 'ratings boost' tattooed all over them. I don't think its right to publish a work that claims to be autobiographical when its not, but at the same time we are not talking about issues of national security here. James Frey was a addict who hit rock bottom and he exaggerated some of the details of how he got there. Oprah, surely you can relate with dramatics babe.

We all know by now that no one gets called on the carpet the way James Frey did when it comes to faulty U.S. intelligence, preimptive strikes or any matter related to this so-called "War on Terror". The American public can be misled by its goverment into a deadly and costly war, but don't anyone dare ever lie to Oprah. The nerve! I don't think Michael Brown even had it so bad facing the senate last month during the "Who's on First?" Hurricane Katrina hearings.
I guess Oprah's true power is seen in the fact that all the major new networks actually covered this confrontations like it was a real news story. These pieces were presented as if James Frey had let down the entire country, maybe even the world, and Oprah was the sole truth seeker out to confront him and settle the score on air for the good of all truth seeking citizens who were misled by his book.

This article has some very valid points as far as the power this woman has over American households. I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, who doesn't watch the local or national evening news, she gets her news from Oprah. The devastation of the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina was not something she really absorbed like the rest of us watching the the 24 hour news channels, scanning internet headlines and, for me, watching the stories and photos come through the wire at work. She learned about the worst tragedies from Oprah.

It's like this information has to be pasteurized and processed through Oprah's sentimental spin cycle and then released to her followers for consumption.

There is clearly a cult-like following of millions who need this woman to make sense of their chaotic world, recommend books to read, how to become a better person and offer pyschological advice from another self-righteous Texan blow hole, Dr. Phil. It's so good to have that army of support since most of us are incapable of learning and helping ourselves and I think that's just the way she likes her loyal followers -- dependent.

Thanks Oprah! What would have we done without you?





Published Friday, March 3, 2006

Had Enough of Oprah?
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There's a growing membership in the I Hate Oprah Club


By ARIEL BREWSTER
Columbia News Service


A nod from Oprah Winfrey moves best-seller lists. Stocks rise when her name is attached to a company or product. Millions listen when she speaks at Coretta Scott King's funeral, and millions more cheer when she loses 20 pounds.

Forget about her 49 million viewers each week. The real pinnacle of celebrity is attaining single-name status.

But there are Oprah-haters, too: those who speak out against America's most beloved talk show host. They accuse her of materialism, manipulation, power mongering, arrogance and generally being in love with herself.

As her media empire expands and her billions multiply, antiOprah people who resent her wealth and influence are wondering, hasn't America had enough?"Oprah Winfrey is not quite one of those people that we love to hate, but there's a growing membership in the I Hate Oprah Club," said Dr. Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

"She was so sanctimonious with the James Frey thing, she lost even some of her loyal followers. I think she skated through this one, but she's got to be careful."Frey's book, "A Million Little Pieces," shot to the top of bestseller lists with an Oprah endorsement, but questions later arose about the truthfulness of his story, which was an account of his years of alcohol and drug abuse and his time in recovery.

Oprah brought the author back on the show for a public scolding when it became clear that much of the "memoir" was fiction.The anti-Oprah sentiment has been stirring, mostly online, for years. Shoppers wishing to show their solidarity can purchase "I Hate Oprah" stickers. Self-proclaimed "anti-Oprah" book clubs and reading lists offering alternatives to her selections proliferate on the Internet.

David Letterman spent 16 years cracking jokes at Oprah's expense until the two talk show hosts finally resolved their feud last December."I think of her as the human embodiment of Wal-Mart," said Kevvy Schlaucher, a 25-year-old engineer from Calgary, Canada, who used to watch the show with his mother.

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