TVSquad

I have a very healthy skepticism when it comes to Oprah. I find the entire sycophantic orgy of Oprah worship and Oprah's celebrity worship grotesque and cartoonish. In many ways, I find the woman frightening and repulsive.

However.

I am constantly amazed that Oprah and I land on the same side of many political fences. There is no denying that whatever ill effects she may have, she has been instrumental in many women's journeys to self-fulfillment. She has been very publicly active in charitable works and has been a conduit for the activism and charity for her viewers.

Like all "real" people, Oprah is a study in contrasts. There is something cartoonish about her modus operandi and I definately think we could do without her hyping of shockingly expensive "favourite things", but there is also an element of Oprah that is purely about improving the lives of others.

Sure, she's always name-dropping best buds like Maya Angelou, and it can be gag-inducing, but, she's name-dropping Maya Angelou. How many other daytime talk show hosts are encourageing their viewers to read poetry and agitate for racial/sexual equality between segments promoing movies and fancy shoes?

As always, with Oprah, I don't straddle the fence, I hop back and forth over it regularly.

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Oprah is like no other celebrity in the world. She has an agenda, and that is trying to enrich peoples lives, by charitable acts or by encouraging people to nurture their own lives and the lives of others. Yes, she may have her excessive "favorite things", and have as friends some of the most famous and influencial people in the world. If any of us had the money she has, it would be difficult not to sameple and enjoy life's finest offerings and opportunities. She has earned it. She has changed peoples lives. Her celebrity has benefitted so many and she just continues to do more positive things. She is the most generous person, perhaps besides Bill Gates, that I can think of.

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I worry about the people who have the time to worry about Oprah.

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The most heartening fact about Oprah's ratings (which hover around an 8.0 nationally) is that each weekday 92% of American homes avoid her televised monument to crapulence.

While the article covers no new ground, the basic truths it discusses remain. Oprah is possessed of a staggering self-centeredness (even for a celebrity). Oprah is fat. Oprah is wealthy. Nothing fresh, but all true.

What is not addressed is the long-lasting damage Oprah has inflicted on American culture. Her show (even more than Fox News) is greatly respnsible for the dumbing-down of American discourse and debate. Oprah's gut-level reaction to James Frey's unmasking as a fraud is telling (the truth doesn't matter, the emotional impact does). While she has since withdrawn her support for the pathetic novelist, that attitude remains at Winfrey's core.

Oprah's preference for emotion over intellect ("How does it feel?" rather than "What the hell is happening?") is her great weakness. Her daily pulpit only spreads that weakness.

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mamaloo,
wow i never thought i'd read the words 'oprah' and 'orgy' together in one sentence, ever! AHAHA!

oprah is entertainment, i dont think she takes herself as seriously as everyone in the media makes her out to be. she knows how to poke fun at herself, she knows how to interview people from rapists to reporters to kids to next-door neighbors, anyone! she has an affect on all levels, poor and rich, black and white...sure she's powerful, but i think she uses her [media] power very intelligently.

i think people should definitely celebrate oprah, she doesn't have to bring her positive influences, she doesn't have to give money to charity or help regular people or even try to encourage laws to catch rapists and sexual criminals...no, but she does. it seems to me that oprah has a good heart and soul balanced with a brain, which is very hard to find in the world these days...especially in hollywood [er..tv/media].

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I firmly believe that Oprah, who's also a devout Christian such as myself, is an excellent example for morality everywhere.

She is hard-working, ethical, and makes a positive impact on everyone's lives.

Clearly, if there were more people like Oprah, who were more giving, friendly and hard-working, then the world would really be a much better place.

Regarding, the comments about James Frey that was mentioned by someone else by the TVSquad, I disagree with that person's comment about Oprah because Oprah had every right to confront James Frey on national television after she had publicly endorsed his book, believing it to be a non-fiction memoir in its entirety.

It is highly likely that others would have done the same thing given the opportunity. When someone lies about something and it adversely affects your own reputation, then of course you should confront that person in a non-judgmental way as Oprah had done.

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We should be more worried about the people who are worried about Oprah's "power". We are all individuals and have the "power" to accept or reject or ignore whatever is going on in Oprah's world. I, myself, admire the lady. She has a good heart,makes mistakes as we all do sometimes, but I see her as a good person attempting to make this a better world whereever she is. Leave her alone and get a life!!!

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I think it is quit amazing that even in 2006; we have people who are more interested in oppressing one instead of congratulating the positive in that individual. When will we as a people began to appreciate the good in one and be thankful to God that He has allowed someone to stir up the positive in so many lives?

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Oprah makes me want to throw up everytime I see her face.

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Oprah makes me want to throw up everytime I see her face.

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In general, I pay little attention to popular culture, and am certainly not a watcher of any "entertainment" tv, let alone Oprah. But let's give the lady and her audience due credit. As popular culture goes, she clearly does a marvelous job, as her popularity (and wealth) attest. There is clearly a lot of truly dangerous popular culture out there--i.e. gansta rap, Martha Stewart,etc. (ok, so maybe Martha isn't really dangerous, but she doesn't encourage book reading either.)Most of the rich and famous don't seem to dedicate their lives to helping others. What is wrong with Oprah and her "thousand points of light"?

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I remember when Oprah first came to Chicago. She was an unknown, overweight black woman whose style was new and refreshing. She made fun of herself and didn't seem to care much about whether she was a "goddess" of daytime talk TV. In short, she seemed like a "real" person.

Somewhere along the line, Oprah did what most stars do when money and fame are showered on them--she changed. Suddenly she "knew everthing about everything" and people were supposed to hang on her every word. What a change for the worse.

I can't stand Oprah now, I won't watch her show, and I could care less what her opinions are about anything. Furthermore, I think that anyone who can't get through the day without their Oprah "fix" needs a little help from a psychiatrist--and I don't mean Dr.Phil. Don't get me started on that one!

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I refuse to let this shill for her own self reign over me at any time. She is a publicity hound extrodinaire, why for example would Dick Ebersol and his family go on her show, to show their private pain?? It is not that I am insensitive to their personal hurt, it is that Oprah should never, I mean never have this kind of power over anyone.

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I've been trying to tell people for a long time that Oprah has entirely too much power and influence, which has a lot to do with what's wrong with this country today. I believe Oprah is planning a global coup d'etat and she will use the brainwashed masses of women (and homosexual men) of this country to do her bidding. And don't even get me started on Dr. Phil...

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Oprah is much too full of herself, and sad to say, some people hang on to her every word and recommendation. Seriously now, anyone who put "Dr" Phil in the public eye is someone not qualified to pontificate as Oprah does.

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It's not Oprah i'm concerned about but her cult following....Just the look on these women's faces in the audience is quite scary to me! The fawning, glazed half maniacal looks when she enters the room...they hang on every word she says as gospel...Geez, have a mind of your own for goodness sake! I think Oprah would even agree to that one!

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I admire Oprah and the empire she worked so hard to build. She deserves everything she has, she worked hard for it. Kick ass oprah!

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Oprah...Oprah...Oprah...give me a break..I think most people who run her down are really jealous of her...She started as a poor black women who made it in life and does nothing but try to make it better for others...If you want to worry about someone having to much power you should direct your attention to the president who's running this country into the ground..

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As for the person ( Kay, I believe ) who said "Oprah makes me want to throw up everytime I see her face, " well, I think that is just downright silly. I think if a person is going to add a comment like that then they should elaborate or just not open their mouth.
As for me, I think Oprah is fake. I think she spends too much time trying to impress people with her "favorite things". Everyone knows she's already rich enough, why does she have to flaunt it to the average American? Does she seriously think the average American could afford to buy 1oz of perfume that costs $1,000? I mean, come on Oprah, we don't all have nationally syndicated television shows.
Oprah, however, does have her good points. She build house's for the the needy, helps kids, brings in experts to teach women what to do in an emergency, ect. I don't have too much problem with Oprah because she doesn't just hoard all of her money for herself, she does do extremly wonderful things because she knows the difference between right and wrong.
I think Oprah got to where she is by hard work and dedication. She deserves what she has. She didn't just wake up one day and have power and money, she earned it and people should get over it. If people are so worried about power, then go out and get some of your own: GET OFF WELFARE< PUT DOWN THE POTATOE CHIPS< GET OFF THE COUCH and do something with your life, but you got to stop watching Oprah first.

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Oprah is a celebrity. As long as the public places celebritites on a pedestal, they have power. My opinion is that Oprah is a nice person who has the wealth to do "deeds" some good, some bad, on a grand scale. She has afforded herself the wealth to do these deeds on a much larger scale than the average nice person. I am a nice person, I would love to be able to help alot of people, instead of just as much as I can afford. I guess my question is...would she still be a nice person without all the money?

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