I hate Oprah. There, I admitted it. What kind of curmudgeon hates the loveable, exuberant Oprah Winfrey? After all, there are plenty of valid reasons to like Oprah. Her triumph over her tragic childhood is inspiring. She tackles taboo topics. And her philanthropy is unrivaled by any other celebrity
Yet — at the risk of offending her mob of followers — there are also plenty of reasons to criticize, mistrust, disapprove of, and, dare I say, hate the most powerful woman in the world. Here are ten.
1) Her idea of happiness involves a lot of spending
Oprah supports her image as a modern enlightened everywoman with a lot of self-aware, self-help, positive-thinking rhetoric. But at the end of the day, her biggest contribution to the self-improvement landscape is her promotion of retail therapy — the idea that you can spend your way to happiness and fulfillment. 
Her "Favorite Things" can turn a company like Carol's Daughter into an overnight success, and so retailers beg for her approval. Her Oprah store in Chicago sells the items she endorses, to go along with paraphernalia bearing her logo and even clothing she has worn. Go for your dreams! Buy an "O" notebook to write them in! Somehow, with a straight face, she makes the contradictory claims that happiness is available for everyone and that $25 pairs of socks are the way to get it. She's an awfully expensive person to emulate.
2) At heart, her show is a gawk-fest
Oprah has worked hard to distinguish her program as more sophisticated than Jerry Springer's, Maury Povich's, Ricki Lake's, et al. And although she presents it as an empathetic platform for discussing serious issues, at heart, it's still a freak show. She knows her audience will react to the pregnant man and the woman whose face was ripped off by the chimpanzee. But there's no great truth she's seeking from these people, merely audience gasps and higher ratings. The only difference between her show and the low-rent versions is that Oprah gets the A-list freaks.
3) She fat-shames
As an overweight black woman, Oprah's never looked like a typical mogul. The most powerful outsider ever to become an insider, she has the unique opportunity to show women that it's okay to be overweight. But instead of leading by example, she's punished herself with years of yo-yo diets, celebrating her low-weight victories by running a marathon, endorsing her chef, and famously bringing a wagon of fat onto her program. When she peaked at over two-hundred pounds a year ago, she declared herself "embarrassed" by how much weight she had gained. That may be so, but her self-hate and fat-shaming are a missed opportunity for her to show 
American women that they can accept themselves no matter what size they are.
4) She created the monster that is Dr. Phil
Among the army of experts that Oprah has launched into syndicated stardom, Dr. Phil's fame is the least deserved. Why? He counsels strangers on their most important decisions in folksy catchphrases — perfect for sound bites, but nearly impossible to apply in real life. He's given airtime to notorious anti-gay activists, legitimizing their bigoted views. And he used his celebrity to extend his brand into the lucrative weight-loss field, writing a diet book and releasing his own line of shakes, energy bars, and supplements. Oprah gave him his start, and his perceived authority relies on her endorsement.
5) Her perceived infallibility
Oprah's been lauded as the world's most powerful and most influential woman due to her millions of viewers, readers, and listeners, and no other talk-show host, celebrity, or world leader has the aura of authority that Oprah has. But while celebrity worship is nothing new, the "cult of Oprah" is on an entirely new level. Her most devout admirers watch her religiously, quote her as an expert, and scramble for every product she endorses or even mentions. The idea that Oprah expresses anything more valuable than her own opinions gives her a level of misplaced trust she doesn't deserve. Anyone perceived as infallible is dangerous.
Commentarium (196 Comments)
Thank you, Jennifer, for finally speaking out against the cultural hegemony of Oprah. Normally I can just happily ignore the grotesqueries of daytime television, but the fact that Oprah is one of the world's most influential cultural figures means that she MUST be addressed as a topic of discussion.
Also, I very much agree about the essentially anti-feminist/infantilizing character of "vajayjay" (and to a lesser extent, "vaj/vag") What if men started calling their penises "pee-pees" ? That would be bad, but not as bad as "vajayjay," which, IMHO, inherently expresses a bit of antisexual and misgoynistic shame.
Come on people, Oprah has had it harder that alot of talk show hosts. Despite them, she has overcome the odds and has become very successful person.
At who's cost has she become so successful? Does anyone ever wonder if she's ever stalked, harassed, threatened and/or even tortured anyone who refused to comply with her requests. She is definately the master at selling herself. No one can deny the good she's done for so many people but.... she's left a scare on me that will never go away. I don't bother telling my story because no one would believe me. Someone once told me that after refusing to appear on her show, Oprah stalked, threatened, harassed and even tortured this person.
As for Dr.Phil, I've always thought he was an ignorant, arrogant, egotistical quack who belittles, insults and probably does more damage than good to people who really need help. Several weeks ago I accidentally hit the channel he was on while flipping through channels and was elated to see see that he was off that channel and replaced with Anderson Cooper. JUBILATION! I guess I'm not the only one who thinks he's a brown nosing joke. Did anyone ever catch a particular late night show a couple of years back where the host said he met a woman who referred to Dr. Phil as Dr.Death because "anyone who is suicidal who goes to see him will commit suicide" ??? I was that woman.
and don't forget dr phils got family involved now, making ophras liltle rich family, even richer. his son brought us the dr oz show, of which he is exective producer!!!!!! omg he was so proud to tell us this on a show about a month ago!!! she has an army of millionaires, and she gets her share of that pie too! i want to see the spirit filled oprha give lots of her millions away!!! yet she only helps build a school in africa, what about the poor here??? she/s evil!!
I do not say this often. I think that as much as possible one should strive to express themselves in a clear and personal way without resorting to social cliches, but the word 'vajayjay' makes my brain _hurt_.
I thought if Oprah says it we are suppose to love it.
"Negative thinking isn’t responsible for poverty, illness, abuse, or misfortune." Perhaps, but it can certainly make them worse.
"Perhaps"?... Yeah, the three month old who is beaten and thrown out of a moving car - i'm sure positive thinking will aid him, whilst negative thoughts would make the situation so much worse... This is garbage science that the public just laps up, think happy be happy - such BS is dangerous and gives people an over-inflated sense of entitlement. Things happen, end of - your frame of thought is irrelevant to influence any circumstance that is out of your control, negative thinking or not.
I dont give a shit about Oprah, she's just another egomaniac celebrity who thinks that they and their opinions are worth more in all respects than others by virtue of being famous. The ones who spend hours in research labs being a small part of something great are the ones the history books will remember; in 100 years time no-one will remember or care to learn about a jumped-up freak-show host, and her over-hyped shallow endorsements - and all the better for it imo.
I feel like this is one of those stories written just to cause a spark.Yeah, a lot of her stuff sucks aka The Secret but the fact of the matter is Oprah sells. Why should we fault her for that?
"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." - H.L. Mencken, who foretold Oprah's life.
I enjoy her magazine, but yeah putting herself on the cover every month is annoying. What really bothers me is her preoccupation with her weight above all else. She has this huge microphone that speaks to millions of women and her message to them is "I hate that I'm fat, you should too, lets lose weight together"
don't u call that narcasitic??? omg!!! i wondered about this ages ago!! the very Hooksexup of this god-like creature putting her mug on every magazine, is ludacrist!!!!! she has no shame--makes me ill! i would never buy any magazine of hers, but her cult following is still buying anything she puts out, ophras zombies!!! she/s sick any wears $$$ p.j's to bed. excuse my misspelled words.
@Amg -- We should fault her because she gives a platform to people who have no business having one. I can forgive The Secret--its a little insulting, but probably doesn't hurt anyone. But there are lots of people who really believe that vaccines cause autism, and Oprah is probably responsible for some of them holding that belief or reinforcing the belief in others. I hope none of them are among the thousands that have died of h1n1. Not that Oprah cares. Her pockets are well-lined.
i just hate how smug the woman is. I LOVE annie liebowitz's photo of her--it's perfect, because it encapsulates that smug smile of OW's.
I ignored Oprah when she got her start, I've ignored her at the height of her popularity, and I'll ignore her after she's gone. Oprah doesn't rise to the level of being important enough (except in her own mind) to deserve my hatred. She's "bread and circuses". Just ignore.
Touché! Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
I agree 100%
amanda, i so agree!!! all we have seen her do is the school in africa, she claims she won't help here, because americans think they have all the rights for hand outs, omg does she see families that are homeless?? she could give a few homes away, as places for the poor, to give a hand up, not a hand out!!!
The week Queen O visited our country, created media mania in Australia. We falked out something like $6 million for her stay. The tourism $$$ was the reason. We got a giant letter O on our bridge and daily news coverage of her activities. Poor Oprah was scared shitless walking through the crowd with our Prime Minister because there was no excessive security surrounding them. She was "Looking out for the crazies", she said. Huge Ackman and all the Aussie celebs were willing to make a human carpet for Her "O"ness. She had to be pressured into visiting Central Australia, the most sacred place of our indigenous people. It took so long for her to ascend the harbor bridge that the helicopter filming the event had to return to refuel and Oprah had a big diva-spit because she was made wait for eight minutes to resume. I hope her memories of her trip down-under were memorable, because mine weren't.
as someone who occasionally likes dirty talk, the vajajay thing drives me nuts. Nothing sexy about saying that during the throes of passion.
THANK YOU! I often mention several of these reasons when discussing why I don't like Oprah and am constantly told that I'm hypersensitive. I agree with all of this and my main issue is that she is constantly going on these rediculous fad diets and dragging the entire country along with her. What she chooses to do with her body is her business, but the fact that she promotes what seems to be a different "diet" every year is completely insane.
I think it's good that she shames fat. Americans have become too complacent and accepting of it. Aside from the health effects, fat makes us ugly. It's unpleasant to live in a country where 60% of the people are ugly merely because of their weight. We must maintain social pressure on ourselves and our countrymen to keep a healthy weight; we must maintain pressure on the government, politicians, civil servants, etc, to make our environment less toxic, such as improving food quality, lowering the concentration of calories in our food, and lessoning the car-culture convenience that prevents people from burning calories.
I agree with your comment 100 percent. Our culture is grooming itself to accept fat; when in fact it broadcasts weakness.
Very good point Bob and Sid. The media is to partial blame for this. Every day they send a barrage of fad diets and other worthless products into society's general thinking. The majority, especially women are susceptible to the lies and bullshit they throw at us. "Do this do that and lose weight. No exercise or diet required." through this false advertising and misconception on fat loss people become lazier and lazier actively looking for ways to lose fat without doing the work.
Then you have the other side of the media who believes there's no way to ever lose fat(In reality, it's a fairly easy thing to do) and they go on telling people things like, "Accept and love your body the way it is."
Every single overly fat person is fat for one or more of these reasons.
1. They're ignorant/uneducated about nutrition and exercise.
2. Lack of control and will
3. Lazy
4. Gluttonous
5. Blindly accepting misinformation
1. Her disgusting self promotion. "Here is my charity, isn't it great I gave .001% of my money to these losers? Why don't I do a show on how wonderful I am!"
2. Taking credit everywhere for everything. "I got Obama elected!"
3. False generosity. "Here are free things for my audience! (of course it cost the sponsor less money to give this stuff away than a 30 sec spot costs.) Aren't I great!
3. Her closeted lifestyle so middle America won't realize that she is nothing like them (childless, lesbian, black, billionaire).
Exactly.
Thank you, Bob, for speaking the truth. This whole "love yourself for who you are" business is great, as long as who you are is healthy. If you're not, have enough guts to realize it and do something about it, instead of pretending like nothing's wrong.
I don't think it can be stressed enough how dangerous she is - she's got unbelievable wealth and influence. People listen to her. A while ago I remember seeing a piece on the woman "who lived Oprah" some writer blogged about her life as dictated by Oprah and was featured on MSNBC.
The fact that she promotes pseudoscience and quackery gives completely undeserved legitimacy to con artists that dupe people or make it ok to back into unhealthy magical and wishful thinking. She is utterly irresponsible and reprehensible.
Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
A few solid points, but it goes without saying that a lot of Oprah-endorsed products, people, or platforms, are just based on her singular view and agenda. Blind acceptance of something merely because Oprah suggests it, is for idiots. Larger than Oprah's completely predictable use of her celebrity and empire for both good and frivolous, ought to be the concern that people would conclude from her success that she is god.
However, just because the woman is a megalomaniac, does not make her always wrong. She's not "perceived" as infallible, either. When I talk to women about Oprah, they almost invariably say something like "I [like or hate] Oprah for the most part, but she [said, did, loves, hates] THIS..."
And most importantly, let's stop getting hung up on semantics with our bodies. A true, intelligent feminist ought to be able to call her vagina whatever the hell she wants. Ditto for Oprah's body issues. If she prefers to be healthy, active, and fit, that is her prerogative. It is her body to do with and perceive how she pleases. Telling a celebrity how and what she should do with her own celebrity is silly. Not only that, but incidentally, Oprah has given ample attention to the problems and deeper issues of body image and eating disorders. But if you want fat love and fat acceptance to have a giant platform, then become a voice yourself, and go for it.
Natalie ... thank you!
A Rebuttal: Ten Reasons NOT to Hate Oprah
1) Oprah endorses material goods. So does every professional athlete. Air Jordans? Now THERE’S a waste of money!
2) Oprah provides a gawk-fest. She knows that most of us take a secret pleasure in witnessing someone else’s tragedy from a position of security.
3) Oprah lost weight. It is not shameful to weigh 100 or 200 or 300, but it is shameful to weigh 20 pounds more than you would like to weigh and do nothing about it. When Oprah felt ‘overweight,’ she did something about it. Kudos!
4) Oprah created the cretin that is Dr. Phil, but anyone who pays attention to Dr. Phil deserves the advice she gets.
5) Oprah is influential because millions of women view, read, or listen to her by choice. Word!
6) Oprah has her own magazine. So does Harvard University. Both are published in the hopes that readers will send lots of money. What’s the big deal?
7) Oprah treats celebrities as medical experts, but that’s no more deplorable than treating medical experts as celebrities. [Are you paying attention, Nancy Snyderman?]
8) Oprah endorses pseudoscience. Tom Cruise endorses Scientology. Now there’s someone you could hate!
9) Oprah popularized a word for a body part that many women found unmentionable. Maybe even a cloying coinage like vajayjay will help women speak about that part of their bodies.
10) Oprah’s retiring. Love her for that!
I agree - she can't retire soon ednough for me!!! Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
You can cut and paste the same thing to every other response. Wow.
Omunene, those aren't reasons to not hate Oprah. In fact, you just took most of the reasons to hate her and tried to put a positive spin on it.
1. And what is your point that athletes endorse products; they don't have a talk show trying to popularize the idea, "Money buys happiness."
2. You're also saying her gawk-fest of a show is really to please people with insecurities? So instead of addressing real people's insecurities, she masks it with a circus act - one reason she's so popular.
3. Oprah advocates listening to Mr. Quack, you idiot.
4. Quote on quoting overweight. Maybe she felt "overweight" because she was in fact overweight. She lost a few pounds and came closer to not being overweight, technically. She has always been however, overly fat. Even with her wealth she couldn't put on a pathetic attempt at losing her fat.
5. People listen to her because those people are mere sheep and share her stupid ideals not because they have a choice. Given the choice of watching anyone better, her dedicated cult would still follow her into the depths of hell because they're idiots.
6. Harvard could actually use the money. While she on the other hand spends 0.0001 on others only to increase her fame, not for the sake of being generous.
7. That's not even remotely close to the same thing.
You are so moronic that I can't bear to think of what you're spewing so I can actually type this out. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber having read it. May God have mercy on your soul.
10 reasons to find her smug and annoying perhaps, but hate her?
Alas people are sheep. They will listen to and follow somebody. I find it far less worrying that they follow the word of Oprah than potentially anybody else. She is like a shiny bauble that transfixes the crowd.
Understand yourself. Don't hate her.
Retail therapy, however shallow, works. It works. But yes, it is still bad for you. I personally have no problem with Oprah making up cute words for her vagina. I don't think she is setting back women's lib twenty years because she likes to call her vagina something snappy.
Snappy. I've never heard of that one before. Even a child shouldn't be calling parts of their body, "cute words" What's so taboo about reproductive organs? Especially at that age, if you're immature enough to be calling your vagina a 'vajayjay" you might as well go ahead and start referring to your bellybutton as your bellyboo.
I was taught at an early age to loathe hypocrisy & pretense -- O. is no worse than rove or cheney when it comes to manipulating the public from a faux moral pulpit. It's creepy & sad.
Wait, is Oprah really a lesbian? Is Gale her lover?
They're really just best freinds and it's a rumor...
I think I watched part of her show once and that's all it took to make sure it didn't happen again...please be gone soon...
What Oprah sells and espouses with great monetary success is typical of what enamors the majority of the US population today. Most is like the proverbial 'three dollar bill'. As 'genuine' as artificial sweeteners!
I thought she was a lesbian. I knew gale was gay.
You make good points. However, I am disturbed by your use of the word "hate." We have enough hate in the world without you adding to it.
One last thing. The word "vajayjay" was popularized on the show "Grey's Anatomy" when the lovely short black doctor yelled at one of her lower-level doctors to stop looking at her "vajayjay" when she was giving birth.
Oprah just copied it and used it to ad nauseum.
Other than those things - good points.
Wow, Bob, what an ugly comment. If you think we don't have enough societal shame about being overweight, you must be living under a rock somewhere, not noticing the constant barrage of stick-thin models on magazine covers and the countless advertisements dedicated to weight-loss products of all shapes and forms, among others. If shame were the answer, we'd be an extremely healthy society. Promoting healthy habits is all well and good, but there are plenty of people out there who are perfectly healthy yet would be considered "fat" by the standards you would seem to be pushing, not to mention the countless other sources of shame within our culture profiting off of making women (and men) feel bad about themselves. At least you're honest in acknowledging how shallow you are, wishing you didn't have to look at fat people. Nonetheless, because of people like you and the attitude you are espousing, we have bullimia, anorexia, and countless other miseries (not just, but it's a part). Shame on you.
Shame isn't everyone's answer as many have none. And what societal shame are you talking about when you're referring to magazines? Oh right, the only magazines with stick thin women are them are fashion magazines. Maybe you never got the memo but the fashion industry is ran entirely by the gay man. And most advertisements aren't dedicated to weight loss, they're dedicated to selling their product. 99% of those aren't going to work but they'll always get people who don't want to actually do anything to lose fat. They just want to take a pill or sprinkle something on their food and watch it fall off. That's what those advertisements are relying on, the lazy fat person that represents a strong majority of fat people. That's their business and business is good to them. Apparently you don't get that.
I also have to correct you about this but not being attracted to fat people physically isn't shallow. Being fat isn't natural, there's no reason for someone to be attracted to it anyway. And if someone falls prey to an eating disorder like the ones you listed, that simply means they were young and stupid, maybe old and still stupid. Hopefully they were young and had an epiphany later in their life.
Being fat or skinny or healthy or unhealthy isn't the issue. It's how you treat yourself as you're trying to change. Shaming yourself is a bad move, whether you're trying to lose weight or not, or whether you believe being fat is a problem or not. If you want to lose weight, go for it, but do it with an accepting, non-punishing attitude.
Can I shameless self-promote my blog? https://www.AskEdahn.com <--one reason to hate me ;)
Amen to the Mencken quote posted by Amg. Ms Winfrey can do whatever she wants - it's her life. But the adulation she garners drives me crazy. IMHO she is a shallow, obsessive ego maniac and what does it say about our country that we put such a freak on a pedastal.
I'm not much of a positive thinker but I have heard this theory presented in spiritual circles. There was Norman Vincent Peale's power of positive thinking and every yogi I have ever read or listened to has said the thing. The world is a reflection of our own thoughts, our own mind. They say it again and again. I'm not a big Oprah fan so I don't know if this is her source.
Without the yogis, for me, the expression is just a bunch of shit. Oprah is no spiritual master. Give me one of them speaking about thought, not Oprah.
This was the most ridiculous BLOG that I have ever encountered. I bet you that most of you commenting are FAT, unhappy and like Sarah Palin. As one of the BLoggers stated, we have enough self hatred and HATE in the world. WHY HATE on someone who is living their life in a positive manner. And, for the most part, sharing positive information with the World. And, information that may have never reached the masses of Women and People that really needed to be aware of a particular subject matter. Okay, and to start a rumor and have some of you buy into immediately is just plain stupid. Just because she chooses to not marry the Man she loves and has been with longer than the majority of you writing the outrageous comments and to have a BEST friend and her family to share your good fortune with should not be considered a Lesbian act. She does not have any siblings, so what is wrong with sharing with a family that you adore. Many of you befriend the wrong person day in and day out. From lover to best friend and probably get used... So, tuck away your envy, jealousy and racism. Oprah has not asked a single person to follow her. She promotes her favorite things, her ideas, her style...and if the world chooses to follow something that she has passed along in some manner, then Hooray. It is better than not believing in anything but ridiculous conversations as the ones shared on this BLOG. Oh, and Men have nicknamed their body parts for years on end. So, what if we choose to use a cute work here and there. Check out music industry over the years and find out how many terms have been secretly used for the vajayjay over the years. It's cute, fun television speak. SHUT UP and GET a LIFE!!!
" I bet you that most of you commenting are FAT, unhappy and like Sarah Palin."
Would that make our comments more palatable? Truth hurts, doesn't it?
In addition to the very good reasons this article outlines, I also hate Oprah because she's so goddamn egotistical that she won't do ANY act of charity without getting PR to plaster her name all over it [both figuratively and literally].
That all-girl school in Africa? It's OPRAH'S school for girls.
When she gave 250+ audience members new cars, it wasn't the manufacturer who gave them, it was OPRAH [like she freakin' paid for them or something! As if!].
And worst of all, when she had that "reality show" where she gave money to people, it wasn't "the Big Give with a Secret Benefactor to be Named at the End", it was "OPRAH'S Big Give". WTF!!!
9 reasons to hate Oprah.... "vajayjay" became popular after it's use on grey's anatomy, which was prior to it's use by Oprah.
Your envy is unhealthy.
Why would you waste your time hating anyone? Do you feel that writing material like this is the only way to generate buzz regarding your writings?
The reality is that Ophrah (whom I have barely watched in her career) has contributed more to the social platform than most human beings will in their lifetime combined. Her charity work alone would enshrine her in the hearts of many.
I think perhaps women should spend less time trying to nit pick at one another with their claws out and more time encouraging one another. This sort of writing only makes you look shallow, unthoughtful, uninsightful, and without depth of character.
Cheers.
Most of these things are reasons people ENVY Oprah and call it hate. Hate is a very strong term and used too lightly. I don't know too many people who would not want Oprah's life, or at least the money part of it. She works hard for what she gets and when she does supposed 'pr' for her charitable works it is not to say look at me, it is to bring awareness to that charity, She uses her popularity to encourage people to giveto charity...shame on her. The reality is most people who claim to hate her are jealous. I would love to have her financial life but it appears to me she works her ass off to get it.
Hate is typically the result of jealousy. Why don't you try getting off your ass, working hard and being successful and tell me that you would not enjoy the fruits of your labor as Oprah does. And to bash the good that she does for others... how many of you are actually getting out there to volunteer or donate your money? Sadly, those that are successful will always have some jealous person to try and bring them down.
Oprah is wonderful! Yes, she is wealthy and very famous--so what. She isn't the only female who is wealthy, popular and successful. Just stop hating, okay!
On the psuedoscience issue, anyone who makes health decisions based on what Jenny McCarthy says is probably someone we're better off without anyway.
I was right up there with this because I also think the same about Oprah and her stupid Magazine... right up until the point where this idiot writer called the secret 'junk science' - thats y you're writing about Oprah and not actually have any chance of becoming anything remotely close to Oprah -
Oprah is a great example of how our culture, especially the media, makes a celebrity out of someone who really shouldn't be a celebrity at all. And it's frightening to think of her wealth and influence. The kind of wealth and influence that can, for example, wreck the beef industry should she decide that beef is to be shunned. Or the power to put a very left-wing, inexperienced junior Congressman from Chicago in the White House!
fat shaming is a good thing. Women have to stop blaming others for their weight and do something about it. Also, vajayjay is much better word than vagina which sounds disgusting.
If Oprah wants to practice fat shaming, that's her prerogative. But to then tell her mostly female audience they "shouldn't change for anyone" and "to be themselves regardless of what anyone thinks" is hypocritical.
do. not. care. STILL LOVER HER!
Ziggy, I completely agree with you and with the writer of the article. Oprah, with limitless funds at her disposal and enough determination and drive to become a billionaire, can't keep the pounds off keep herself at an "acceptable" weight. She probably has a private chef and one of the best personal trainers in the world, so the problem is neither lack of will nor lack of opportunity. She, like many people, is probably genetically predisposed to weigh more than is considered acceptable in our society (and who decides what's acceptable, anyway?). Several studies have shown that extreme dieting causes most people to return to their original weight or gain MORE in the end. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/08iht-snfat.5614611.html?_r=1
I don't hate Oprah, but I think it's sad that she, along with so many others, is stuck in this cycle of body-hatred.
One another fact, is that Oprah thinks she is the most powerful women in the world (as you said at the beginning), but, well... nobody knows her outside US... or almost nobody, so... I don't think she is that famous, or that powerful... as she thinks...
Why don't you haters and loathers do your own show/magazine and focus on what YOU deem important and let's see how good you do. Dumb ass sour-grapes losers, the whole lot of you whingers.
Hi Stedman!
Thankfully, we live in a country where every American citizen can follow his or her dreams, which Oprah has successfully done. There are some countries in this world that would execute women in their country if they even thought about doing half of what Oprah has done. Women have come a long way. No other woman has accomplished what Oprah has. We can thank her for staying true to herself. There was a time when black women were only viewed as being only good enough to be slaves. She has kicked the door of media opportunity wide open for women especially black women. How can I allow the spirit of hatred to live deep down in my soul? All of you who are "haters" of Oprah should really question your inner hatred for yourself. Are you really so unhappy, unsatisfied, unfullfilled, unimpressed, and uncontent with your own life that you need to blame your overwhelming, time consuming, and waste of precious life feeling hatred toward a woman who has done nothing to harm you, your family, your friends, and your pets. Life is too short to be twisted up, tangled up, and tied up into hatred, which leads you nowhere in life but straight into darkness. Save yourself because hatred requires a lot of energy and effort to keep it alive - stupid choice. Oprah is where she is because people including her viewers and readers have helped take her to where she is. Don't watch her on her show. Don't buy or read her magazines. Pretend like she doesn't exist. And just maybe that will be the key ingredients to heal your soul, because I know you must be living in Hell being that Hell is living in you when you decide to hate people rather you have a legitimate reason or not. Hatred is associated with sickness and disease. So, if you end up dying from a disease, you can blame yourself. Is hatred worth your health and your life? I hope and pray to God that you are not teaching your children or any other child that resulting to hatred toward others is one of the most powerful and rewarding thing one can do for him or herself. Have a little mercy on your own soul. Release yourself from hatred; I promise you hatred only kills, steals, and destroys your life. What will you be thinking about on your death bed? I guarantee it won't be how much you hate Oprah. God bless you all. I pray for you to be released from the spirit of death (hatred) and live life to the fullest and pursue what you have been created to do. Follow your path in life and stop following the path of hating others who have successfully followed their paths.
Jennifer, you and the other haters can hate anyone you want, but ask yourself, what is the REAL basis for you to so hate a self-made extremely intelligent, successful black woman that anyone suggesting this outcome at her birth would have been declared certifiable!
How dare this black woman be considered the most powerful woman in the world? By the way, how do you haters stack up? What are your accomplishments given the fact that you are considered to be "superior"?
It's not about skin color. Oprah would annoy me just as much if she were lily white. She is smug, superior, and arrogant, and clearly has her own narrow aganeda. Which is fine, but don't tout yourself as an Everywoman...
Touché UGH! Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
No, I missed that show, thank God. I wonder why the people on this blog who call us haters are oblivious to Oprah's smugness and her arrogance and bullying personality. Are they blind?
Why did so many of you "hate" this blog so much that you had to comment on it? If it bothers you, then don't read any further...morons
Here, here! Perfect! Alas, you're a racist because you don't like a black woman. How dare you! Thanks for pointing out that Oprah is as full of shit as anybody.
you guys are focusing so much on her but don't forget about all the good things she does for other people
If we had minions and a media juggernaut, we could "do good things" too. wait, we do do good things, even with our limited resources. But we don't stand on our pulpit letting people kiss our ring...
we won't and we don't! Enjoy being ignorant ... I hear it's bliss!!
Furthermore, how casn you avoid Oprah. Dr. Phil, that decorator guy and Dr. Oz? They are on every time you flip on your tv. And did you ever stop ti think we tune in sometimes because we are interested in the topic? Oprah is not the only draw...Just because we are put off by her arrogance and the way she treats some of her guests doesn't mean we have no right to our opinions. The only way to form opinions is to examine something, not just blindly follow what the mob says.
This article pretends to not know that Oprah is a brand and a business. Then it pretends to give voice to the hurt feelings of people who think Oprah is their friend. This article is dishonest in that it pretends to be something it's not. This article is PURE comment bait. Happy to help, Hooksexup. Here's my comment: Oprah's a brand, Oprah's a business. This article is far more manipulative and and dishonest than the Oprah Winfrey show.
I totally disagree. There was nothing inflammatory...The author was just stating his or her opinion. I thought it was very well crafted.
trokenmatt writes "But there are lots of people who really believe that vaccines cause autism, and Oprah is probably responsible for some of them holding that belief or reinforcing the belief in others. I hope none of them are among the thousands that have died of h1n1. Not that Oprah cares. Her pockets are well-lined."
I daresay the American pharmaceutical industry's pockets are far, far, far more well-lined and Oprah has done a service to her viewers to occasionally explore alternative health solutions the mainstream media would either not cover or would ridicule.
That said, I am not a huge fan. The materialism, the "Dr. Phil," the "everybody jumping on the Oprah bandwagon" did it for me. I won't even deign to read an Oprah-endorsed book.
I don't watch Oprah, but I acknowledge that she could kill every user on Hooksexup by sheer will power.
sad but probably true!
testing here
author:your points are obvious and true. everybody watching oprah knows its true--they likes her anyway. something soothing and maternal/mammy like.
America likes fat, sensitive materialism. Oprah endorses fat as ok, as long as you act shamed, but look at this recipe...
Her prosaicism is the worst--the lightbulb moment, etc.. dumbing down? or maybe not in this country.
All in all, she's flawed but I believe she helps the inner city, the oppressed feel hopeful, so all the rest is part of the pkg.
In the end, she helps more than hurts. I can say I'm glad for her even if I see the problems in her.
Oprah is the face of America, she is never satisfied, she is the most unhappy person in the world. She can never be filled.
filled? except by eclaires!!! sorry ... that was petty ... but funny?
I really don't like anything about oprah, i have watched the show occasionally, but it does nothing for me; except wish she'd throw me a house or car. P.S. Dr. Phil should be shot.
Haha! LOL @ Dr. Phil comment.
You're just a jealous hater.
will everfyone stop using the term "hater"!!! Get a dictionary, a thesaurus ... buy or rent a vocabulary!!! PLEASE!!!!
Well don't you know Amanda, that if you disagree with someone, you're nothing but a jealous hater? And if you disagree with someone that's black, well then your a jealous hater racist. Honestly, Remi, expand your mind..pick up a book. If you disagree, come across intelligently and make points that actually support your argument.
Haha, so true...
Well said, Katherine...you can't "hate on" someone - hate is a verb, not an adjective. And because I dislike someone, doesn't mean I'm a "hater"; more like a "disliker" or an "I don't want to hear about her any more'er". Plus, the fact that I dislike an African-American person doesn't make me racist, it just means I don't like her. I dislike her because of reasons other than her ethnicity.
You guys don't know Oprah personally... We humans are not perfect. Cmon seriously these "facts" are all based on media. Stop hating lol if ya don't like her then why do you even bother posting this? and btw im reading this b/c i want to see why ppl hate her but now i just think this is a load of bs and junk. I love Oprah and i think she sends a good message to fellow americans :) and is a good role model. She is a person my gosh. You people can be so jealous of her it makes me sick! but then again whose stopping ya? go ahead w/ your misconceptions and miss out on her news about the world, your loss :) and so what if she's not retiring? whats that business got to do w/ you? some of her info that she tells us on her show i dont mind but that doesnt mean im omg like i have to watch it lol i just simply turn to the next ch... if its interesting then i watch it. simple. and im glad we have a famous, wealthy person to stand up for us and the issues we have in this world. just watch food inc. lols oprah got sued by the cattlemen and she won! :D goodjob Oprah! love ya!
"You guys don't know Oprah personally..."
Neither do you, yet you love her. Hmm... (rolls eyes)
Again UGH ... I agree! Ignorance is bliss ... and watches Oprah! What a shame these people don't have their own thoughts or opinions. They need their 4:00Pm fix to know how to think. Let them - they deserve what they get!
I know all I need to know about her. In her speech to Howard University graduates (predominantly black college) she talks about "white folk" working for her. Secondly, she has never EVER endorsed any other president except Obama, AND then uses her show to ram him down people's throat. When I think of Oprah, I see a self indulgent, narcissistic racist.
Yes... I have suspected her of being a Black Seperatist for some time now...
Pressing the "Like" button.
To me, Dr. Phil is no more than a doctor, than Dr. Seuss. He offer's small minded advice, that basically any average person could offer. It's all power, publicity, and purchase.
Dr. Phil is a joke!
As usual all the oprah lemmings try to come here and sound soulful and spit symapthetic views for one of the greediest, irresponible media icons in human history. Oprah MAY have given some $$$ to someone or SOME people, but she only donates about 1% of her wealth. She's a greedy piece of trash that fills stupid people, mostly women with false claims and feelings to keep them occupied from paying attention to real problems in the world like healthcare, lack of water, poverty and government corruption.
Right on!
Thank you!!!!! She has billions but donates 1% AND gives away stuff on her show and takes credit ... the companies involved pay for everything!!! She is a joke ... good riddance to bad rubbish!
And don't forget she also one other thing...DANGEROUS! She is a cult leader with blind followers. Pathetic, really, to think that there are women that are actually weeping because she's gone..."who's going to tell me now how to raise my kids, who to vote for, and what cotton count my sheets should be?" And for any Oprah supporters...how did you end up on this site? Don't you want the "I love Oprah and will do whatever she tells me to do from this moment on because I'm just a mindless shell with no direction or clue" Website?
The only difference between her and Jim Jones is that she has not made here audience drink poisoned Kool-Aid.
I do admire her self-made rise, but cannot stand to watch her on the show anymore. I think the last straw was the one where she took a "road trip" with her BFF Gayle and she didn't know how to drive on the freeway, or put gas in her car. She has an air of superiority with whatever topic she airs, and fawns all over her celeb friends (esp WAAAAY to much Julia Roberts, John Travolta, Kirstie Allie). Think about the topics she could seriously discuss with her viewers and enlighten people with (like someone said above, health care, pharaceuticals, BP Oil/oil industry, so much more). Instead let's drool over Jen Aniston's yoga arms, assure everyone if they think positively enough, it will all be OK, and then give everyone a free trip to Australia. Blech.
She has the same guests on all the time...the ones mentioned here and Chris Rock, et al, who are her personal buddies. Why is no one wise to this? I started to dislike her when she started having these eulogies for herself on her show and celebrities like Maya Anjelou, Sidney Poirtier, etc. would come out and she would not only bask in their glow, but name-drop other famous people and show off the Christmas cards she sent them, that sprt of thing. That's just tacky. Friends aren't meant for our own personal display. And her showing off her fabulous retreat and properties on her new network is also very tacky. The last straw was when she tore James Frey a new one. She showed just what a bully she was that day, and how in love with herself she is, even as she passes out the Kool-Aid.
Let's not forget Jamie Foxx...
Whatever will he do for air time now?
The Jews are destroying America. FYI-The ADA are mostly Jews. They place (toxic) Mercury into the mouths of ALL non-Jews b/c they know it causes serious health problems, especially later in life. It also weakens the immune system. The Jews control EVERYTHING. They're behind the financial crisis and the foreclosures. Theyre behind the Pharmaceutical scams ... EVERYTHING. Oprah (arrogantly) believes she controls everything, but actually it's the Jews ... who are also (drooling) after her money. I'll bet they kill Oprah shortly after her show ends next year and take all her money. They'll get an Oprah look-alike (it's not hard) that they probably already selected and every once in awhile, she'll pop up in the news, walking into a restaurant, or wherever. So, a quick snapshot of her or perhaps a 10-second video-clip will keep her 'alive' through various mainstream efforts, but she'll actually be dead and a bunch of greedy Jews will be wealthier then they already are. She's a CLASSIC NARCISSIST who thinks she's going to Heaven (doubt it) believing she'll retire in luxury. Problem is -- can't take it with you. Although, she will be the richest person in the Cemetery ... or Mausoleum ... whatever.
"It is easier to pass a Camel through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man (or woman) to enter the Gates of Heaven" Rahahahahahahaha
I agree with the "She's a CLASSIC NARCISSIST" but really? Jew-bashing? I'm a Roman Catholic from Canada and would NEVER say such filth!!!! Jews, Mussilum, Christians , whatever ... we all hate Oprah - don't desriminate!
"Oprah got sued by the cattlemen and she won! :D goodjob Oprah! love ya!
Err ummm - 'she won' -- Are you kidding? She freaking lost $44 Million defending herself in "The Great Set-Up", not too mention the stress and anxiety it caused. That's NOT winning. The fact that $44 million is a drop in the bucket for her doesn't matter. Rich people have feelings too. It doesn't matter. If you make 6-figures and even if someone just steals a $20 bill from you, it still feels real bad b/c you were wronged. She didn't win anything -- she was scammed by the very people (the Jews) who will probably kill her and take her money when her idiotic show ends OR put her through some expensive ($10 million) horrible, publicly-aired, mainstream medical treatment for a disease she won't really have, just like they did to Farah Fawcett .. for no other reason than $$$$$$$$$$. Oprah is a classic Narcissist. Narcissists are where the expression came from ... "He/She makes my blood boil". She deserves whatever is in store for her.
Agian ... MayHem12 ... enough with the Jew-bashing. It's extremely distasteful and rather ignorant.
I agree with most of this article. I also think Oprah is quite admirable, and I hope to be able to achieve half of what she has.
That being said, I am tired of Oprah telling me how to think and what to buy. I think there's so many people who cant be bothered to think for themselves, and therefore let TV (Oprah in this case) form thoughts for them. In some cases she is telling people to think things that aren't necessarily true, like the vaccine causing autism, and she normalizes people on the fringes of society thereby insinuating to her followers that these things are okay (like the pregnant man). What's even crazier to me is the flocks of obsessive fans preaching the good word of Oprah: "This must be a good product because Oprah said so!" Give me a break! Shut up Oprah.
I agree with u very much
She is a fat, egotistical,DUMB (and I stress DUMB) greedy, self absorbed bitch. "Dr".Phil, is a douche! him and oprah make a good couple.
Self-absorbed doesn't even cover it!!!! Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Oh and great article glad to see other people who arent brainwashed by the media and these disgusting talk show maggots.
Hear, hear!
Agreed!!!!
Loved her in The Color Purple. Personally I think she and her show suck. Period. Pure CRAP.
i was really offended when she needed an entourage of 58 people, including her hairdresser, for her visit to africa before opening the school for under-priveleged girls--then there was her utterly superficial and inane trip across america and the truly obscene camping trip--but she took the cake this past week fawning over dubbya whilst helping to promote his new book absolutely hideous!
oh and i forgot to add--the books she suggests in her bookclub are for illiterates
I wouldn't know ... I don't take book suggestions from people who have NO: medical degrees, psychology degrees, academia, true humanitarians, and NOT self-absorbed FRAUDS!!!! I am soooooooooooooon happy she has finally been put out to pasture!!! No cow reference ... really!
This article is excellent. My one caveat is the vaccine/autism issue - I cannot confirm or deny the accuracy of these fears but I think people should be aware of it. That being said, I think you summed it up pretty well with the statement that "anyone considered infallible is dangerous." My problems with Oprah stem from her involvement in the 2008 Presidential Election, and the fact that she has an army of fans that worship her. The fact that someone with no political background or expertise uses her influence to sway large blocks of voters is presumptuous on her part and disgusting to me. This is the topic of a conversation I was just having on my lunch hour where I was trying (against much opposition and justification by others) to explain why Oprah stimulates my gag reflex. I then googled "why I hate Oprah", and thanks to this article, my position has been both solidified and expanded. You do need to check spelling and grammer though.
this is very well written and well substantiated. Ive hated Oprah for a while mostly because she is a capitalist pig who makes billions of dollars publicly giving away millions of dollars to charity. She is yet to subscribe to bill gates and warren buffetts pledge. Oprah proves there is no business like philanthropy
I think we need a new word
PHILLanthrOPRAH
Careful, her security army is probably reading these entries now and we shall all soon hear a knock on our door. lol
thanks KM .... but us Canadians are safe! We're not as ignorant as most (yeah - too friendly and kinda simple) but even WE don't give a shit about Oprah ... she's nothing up North!!
I have hated Operah from the day she started her show I agree with the person who stated
"She is a fat, egotistical,DUMB (and I stress DUMB) greedy, self absorbed bitch"
I would like ro rub my butt in her face.
hate.
oprah is the phoniest piece of shit on the planet ,fuk her!
Well, she is phony, I'll give you that.
"He's given airtime to notorious anti-gay activists, legitimizing their bigoted views."
It's called presenting both sides of an issue, loser, something all free societies should encourage.
Dr. Phil is a bullyspouting hokey idioms from his bully pulpit, then parading his vacant-eyed wife around like a Barbie doll. And millions eat it up!
I love Oprah very much you all are roud if someone writes about your favourite person so u gaonna shout be angry if you hate her do not write anything bad about her and what the words are you using you all are bad compering to oprah just remember that she gave people so much her show talk about many things will help u in your life and she don't show up that she is a celebrety she is a giver she is black that's why I don't know and I m not interested to know but watch out what are u saying it gonna come back over u all and I wish it will if u don't stop to write bad things about her
She "gave them so much"? What would that be, exactly. The "freedom to be yourself"? The "freedom to not change for anyone"? That is what they were praising her for today on her goodbye spectacular. Which contradicts herself, as she has said over and over again how we "can all change" and we can "all learn to be better people". She also tells people all the time to "believe in yourself no matter what anyone says", then turns right around and says "NO ONE can do it alone (struggle through life). I'm sure that makes those of us who do struggle through life all alone feel like crap. What a clueless, self-important idiot is Oprah.
Omunene
You are clueless, you listen to her and her religion you will go straight to hell and burn forever. She is a cult leader pure and simple. She is so smug in her wealth she thinks she is God and following her will NOT get you to heaven but it will get you people that do follow this quackery woman is a path to hell where you will burn for ever and ever. I use to watch her shows years ago but when she started this so called crazy religion of hers and I stopped cold. I will not watch her show or have anything to do with this woman. My family, friends and anyone I can reach on facebook are doing the same, not watching her shows. I hope her ratings get down so bad and ALL people quit listening to her craziness. The bible speaks of people like her. You have been fore warned!!
BINGO, shes a modern day " jim Jones " and i pity the fools that follow her!!! She has rode on the coattails of selfishness and greed...
I wish she'd take the Kool-Aid!!! Thank you! I am not a hateful person but really??!! Oprah as guru? as gospel??!! I agree whole-heartedly! She has for years duped so many Americans with her crap - I am soooooo happy she's going off the air (to start her own network? AAARRRGHHHH) Did you see the Australian bit w/ Hugh Jackman? She's convinced herself and too many others that she's royalty! NO medical degree, NO psychology degree, NO true humanitarian acts ~ she has over a billion dollars and all sdhe does is open a few schools in Africa led by pedophiles & con artists!!! I could go on .... but she's not worth my time or energy. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Well that said it all... "Good riddance to bad rubbish."
Abrabella you are clueless also and not very smart. Can't spell good either. This Opray is a cult leader get it...dadada!!!
Re: cult - I think so too, especially after watching her goodbye show. It was even bigger than Michael Jackson's funeral.
I hate her as well. You should post the top 100 reasons to hate her, that would be better.
Amen.
she is a COW and cant sing tho she thinks she can with real singers. she thinks she is a Kennedy and anyone else she has on her stupid show. what a Cow
After watching Oprah's goodbye show (Part I), you would think the pope died. Thanks for a great article! People forget Oprah couldn't have been a success without her guests, many of whom she belittled and shamed, even. She is a big fat hypocrite.
UGH - you need to get a life and maybe start focusing on something a little more positive than slaming Oprah. Maybe just try doing one good thing that she has done. Maybe spend more time volunteering than writing hateful email
Drea: Ok - not fair!!! UGH is just expressing her thoughts & opinon. As for gettingt a life ... you're on the same website - do you own a mirror? As for doing good things ... I work as a Consultant in a Political Office (Federal) in my nations capital. I work over 10 a day/6 days a week. I still find the time to volunteer at a local shelter for over 12 hours a week AND hold "feel good about yourself" workshops for the homeless, mentally ill, those with addictions and the local sex-trade workers. DO NOT TELL ANYONE TO GET A LIFE!!! WE ALL HAVE ONE - GOOD OR BAD! Shame on you for judging! Ok .... is not OK!
hey Amanda, thanks! :)
Thumbs up to OK! Seriously, it says a lot that people have to criticize her and then include her weight in their criticism, why?...says a lot about that person. Sad. I like OK!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY TO SEE HER GO!!!!!!!! RICH PEOPLE HANDED GIFT OVER TO RICH PEOPLE. I HAVE NEVER UNDERSTAND WHY. I ASK FOR HELP AND SHE NEVER ANSWER MY LETTER THAT WAS OVER FIVE YEARS AGO. I GUESS IF SHE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE SEENING HER HELP PEOPLE SHE DON'T WANT TO HELP SOMEONE. SHE JUST A RICH PERSON SHOWING OFF ALL THE TIME.
Right on!
I am so glad to see this. Especially the part about the "Secret" which I think is a scourge against humanity, encouraging people to be naive, shallow and yes, blame the victim. Yes, if bad things happen it's because you didn't have positive thoughts. So much for empathy.
I know, right? I guess all those starving children in Somalia and those people who are victims of genocide here and there, past and present, just aren't thinking positively ;)
That's not what she's saying. Truly, if you're really interested you should look into Eastern thought instead of just spouting.
It's about damned time somebody took on the Oprah mystique in an intelligent manner! I will never understand the phenomenon.
hey, "OK"...I do volunteer, at an equine rescue, for your information. And I have also volunteered in an abused children's shelter, if it is any of your business. The difference between people like the Divine Miss O and myself is I don't parade my charity before the masses for accolades, 'k?
Natalie... That was great. Thanks.
This is all rubbish, I believe Oprah is just a very inspiration person who cares for other people. You people just are saving this to create a fuss.
you are one of the spell bound delusional idiots who scream over purses, and nothing at all.
The writer didn't even begin to address the unethical and illegal nature of some of her 'relationships', like bringing her own Doctor on the show,Rosen and Oz, bringing Dr. Phil, whom she had hired , onto her show the NEXT day , and him profiting off of her. All that is unethical and in some states illegal, not allowed by doctors, therapists and some other professional relationships.
How she 'appreciates' all her audience, all the while not having an ounce of respect for them.(oh my audience will applaud anything i say )
Self admittedly turning from showing 'nice' to the mean, humiliation queen with the advancement of the misogynist Dr. Phil, which seems ok with Oprah , as long as she maintains her controling and top stance with that and other relationships 'she created'. She is now queen bee, the only person who somehow has magically become wealthy by thinking her way there., and deserving it, while Everyone else is now creating their own poverty and world. Anyone without straight A's is not worthy of her or life.
That the doctors have all exploited her, and that feeds her delusional in 'control' ego and the rest. They all know that plays into her being sexually abused and feeling all powerful with the whole breasts thing, sexually kissing other bad boys , like simon C. and stringing along Jamie Fox, who obviously thinks he is in love with her, and g-ddess knows who else. All this, while not one person points out the whole sexual control and other dynamics of a sexually abused person. Women who hate themselves and other women. It works, and they use it. This fulfills her purpose and child dynamics and dr. phils child dynamics of love /hated mother, and his love hate of women in general. Anyone who sees 'nothing' wrong with the legal system or psychology, is clearly part of the problem itself.
When dr phil said 'coming up poor, ones focus is on results. There is no such thing as 'intention' , speaks for volumes about HIM toward others, not others, and is very telling in how he justifies all his no ethics, no boundaries, and love of a psychological system as long as it means 'he wins and you lose' and then completely denies he is doing what he is doing. He clearly coaches Oprah to talk in legal terms about 'intentions' all the time.
Ahhhh, there is so much more, never talked about, because the spellbound idiots are still screaming over what? shoes? purses?
Her entire show based on a fantasy fairy tale.
The 25 is a highly regarded number in Islam, and a highly destructed number in Feng Shui.
It isn't 'galvinizing people to the truth' it is just exploitation.
She is rich now, with people who will all beat you up if you disagree or try to succeed.
The rich have their rewards.
i have gotten the same impression of dr. phil over the years, especially lately - that he appears to be mysogynistic, i mean. i have seen him get violently on the offensive towards women who do wrong, like an alcoholic mother whose drinking was putting her family on destruct, but when the person is a man, he is much kinder & gentler. in one week he lambasted the alcholic woman yet was kind and understanding to a man who was a sex addict, cheater, tortured and abused defenseless animals, touched an underage passed-out young girl, fantasized about young girls, pleasured himself 20 times a day or more to porn depicting violence against teen girls, neglected his toddler daughter so he could pleaure himself in the bathroom, admitted to his wife, the girl's mother, that he got erections when his own baby daughter sat on his lap and that she wasn't completely safe with him, as he didn't know what he could be capable of. i mean he was all "you poor man - you're sick and we're gonna get you some help" whereas with the drunken woman he was shouting at her and calling her names and bullying her - it was tough to watch. then he grudgingly offered her some treatment. at the end, he walks over to his deer-in-the-headlights-looking wife and walks out of the studio and she smiles and nods like always. ugh...
They should realize that part of the problem with those coming up watching them, ARE learning exactly how to succeed, without ethics , or rules.
They are leaving the world to the likes of those who see all this for what it is.
I would not waste time hating Oprah Winfrey. People who notice that Oprah’s paradigm was to tell the audience what to think should also have enough insight that she was tapping into a huge audience of gullible people already addicted to a medium that for the most part tells people what to think.
According to L.A.Times today June 23, 2011, James Arthur Ray was just convicted of negligent homicide in the death of three persons who paid $10K each to attend one of his programs which some people call new age self-help events, others call typical mind control cult tactics.
I have read that Mr. Ray was promoted by Oprah Winfrey. Oprah would promote anything for a price, or just if she believed it would drive up her ratings. But that is really the paradigm common to most commercial video broadcasting.
On May 25, 2011 the L. A. Times had this to say:
“. . . [Oprah] is an extraordinary self-creation — as many powerful people are — who helped forge a sea change in the way the culture looks at black women in particular and black people in general. . . She proved canny at laying bare the problems of life that beset us all and became a kind of life coach extraordinaire. . . . All of that proved to the world — if people doubted it — that a black woman could be charismatic, immensely wealthy, loved and feared.”
Oprah Winfrey’s cult of personality is one of many available to people who lack sufficient knowledge of the real world and its history, do not recognize propaganda when they view it, lack insight into how the mind works, and who otherwise lack sufficient critical thinking skills.
The audience probably got that way by years of training via staring at a television screen featuring more or less continuous irrational or unfounded claims.
Pressing the Like button on BK's post a jillion times...
Hey, I don't hate Oprah anymore! Know why? She's gone! Pretty soon no one will even remember the old gal. :D
People it's not that serious. Did you ever consider that women of a certain generation aren't as comfortable saying Vagina,? When my parents were children adults were uncomfortable using the word pregnant, it was a different era. She's just from a different generation and culture. I like Oprah and I'm not a part of a cult. I can see when she's full of it and when she has something interesting to say. I don't agree with everything she says or does and I regard myself as a media critic. Do people actually think she became famous for telling people what to think? OR because she tapped into what people were looking for or what they wanted to talk about? As for her not being qualified to give advice because she's not an expert, well in many black families, it is the mother who is the source of wisdom and one doesn't need a PhD to pass on valuable lessons learned through experience, it is grounded in oral tradition. Yall are out of control and Oprah is laughing all the way to the bank and doesn't care or know who you are. And to BK...how in the world do you even know the myriad of reasons why people watch Oprah? I am a Black woman and I am proud of what she has done in Africa and for girls of all cultures all around the world. HATERS.
I'm finished with this garbage...who in the world creates a hate page for a philanthropist. PEACE OUT.
I love this page. I can't add a thing to what people say about this windy old gas bag. If she wasn't so full of herself, I would at least appreciate some of what she stands for. But in the end, it's all about her. She is the most important thing in her universe, and she should be the most important thing in yours.
This is just plain stupid. These "reasons" are weak at best. So are you really writing about the reasons to hate Oprah, or reasons to hate the people who subscribe to what she endorses?? So now she is respnsible for the voluntary actions of others? Hmmmm? Lame really.
I really liked the article, and the very cool blog
First of All Oprah is a she boon, she was alwas a she boon and always will be a she boon Second I have Prozac I don't need Dr Phil. he's a fag Oprah is a Chimp, and a She boon........face facts,
this woman is a pathological male basher.
Great post I must say. Simple but yet interesting. Wonderful work!
I am wondering if there is anyone out there who was threatened, harrassed, stalked and/or even tortured for refusing to appear on her show? Would love to talk to you. Must be careful with my words here.
At who's cost has she become so successful? Does anyone ever wonder if she's ever stalked, harassed, threatened and/or even tortured anyone who refused to comply with her requests. She is definately the master at selling herself. No one can deny the good she's done for so many people but.... she's left a scare on me that will never go away. I don't bother telling my story because no one would believe me. Someone once told me that after refusing to appear on her show, Oprah stalked, threatened, harassed and even tortured this person.
As for Dr.Phil, I've always thought he was an ignorant, arrogant, egotistical quack who belittles, insults and probably does more damage than good to people who really need help. Several weeks ago I accidentally hit the channel he was on while flipping through channels and was elated to see see that he was off that channel and replaced with Anderson Cooper. JUBILATION! I guess I'm not the only one who thinks he's a brown nosing joke. Did anyone ever catch a particular late night show a couple of years back where the host said he met a woman who referred to Dr. Phil as Dr.Death because "anyone who is suicidal who goes to see him will commit suicide" ??? I was that woman.
Can the editors here please take my comments off? not worth the head ache of more threats.
Sanctimonious, money- fucked, hypocritical cow. The queen of American T.V. "Spin".
How about the episode dedicated to her learning to drive. Watch out! if she's considered
a responsible driver. Man, it's scary to imagine so many people (women) would vote to
have her as President.
DOPRAH!
How many people does it take to get Oprah to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge?
Hundreds apparently!
They were pushing pretty hard too!
Now that Doprah's not on anymore, it's like - Out of sight, out of mind.
I'm glad to know many other people weren't fooled by her fakery.
... ain't no amount of fake make up lines gonna make you thinner oprah... ain't gonna make you any whiter, which I think is what you want more than anything else, but you just can't get it no matter how much cash you've got. ... you gotta learn to love yourself rather than pretending that you do. You are really into the "business" of dumbing down America and anyone else who will buy your Oprahisms. You talk good "black folk" talk, but you don't buy into it yourself. I don't see authentic pride in your image. I'd like to see you camping out with your fellow brothers and sisters in camp city Haiti for a couple of weeks or more. How about doing an authentic "real" talk show. ... and puhleeeeeeeeeeese, don't give ever citizen a "free" Gucci bag to take back home to their tent!
I'd like to see Bill Gates give Oprah a lecture on "How to get a real social conscience".
She is revolting!! in every way. She is a hypocrite and like Paula Deen, she has traded her soul for money. Her entire public life is a shameless sham. She learned early on how to manipulate people for her financial gain and has spent her entire adult life making a fortune by bringing out the worst in people.
please..there is nothing great about oprah. there are peopel who have overcome far worse childhoods and lives and have nothign to show for it. I dont care WHERE someone came from if they are a MULTI FUKING BILLIONAIRE i have NO SYMPATHY for them...oprah is just another filthy rich egotistical b*tch celebrity....who people so stupidly worship giving her more power and fame. Its sad to witness someone like HER have that power and fame...it's lame. I agree that she is revolting and a hypocrite....why stupid people just love her is beyond me....theya re sheep who follow anyone possible...total losers....i wish oprah didnt have the money power and fame she has now....waht is the purpose of her being so on top with so much money....what does she do to change the world??? she's just another overhyped rich celebrity...screw her!
I find it SO typical of these people! Let's take a YEAR to say goodbye to oprah? Only to find out she's rich enough to not only buy out her station but BUY HER O W N NETWORK!!!??? WTF She is a self proclaimed deity that honestly sucked the system dry!!
Here is a chick that made billions of dollars off white middle class housewives but she slams them at every opportunity. And they like it. HUH?
People wonder why I make such a fuss about not liking Oprah (and "not liking" is putting it mildly). They wonder how I could say such unflattering things about such a "generous" person. I believe in the following maxim: "It's easy to give a quarter to a poor man if you keep a dollar for yourself". Folks harp on about how Oprah is so magnanimous, but it's pretty easy to open a school in Africa when you're a billionaire--it's chump change to her. The problem is that after donating a few million here and there to charity, she uses the rest of her money to indulge herself in a cesspool of boundless greed, and encourages such avarice in others. When she visited Australia, she was a great big fat inconvenience wherever she went. She couldn't visit the country relatively discreetly--she had to go and make a big celebration of it. I don't know why Hugh Jackman spends so much time around her, either.
So what if Oprah overcame adversity to get where she is today? She's the World's Greediest Woman, and she's not doing the rest of the world any favours by being such a lousy role model to millions of people. Anyway, it's all in people's minds that she's The World's Most Powerful Woman. Anyone who is truly so potent would be able to solve all the world's problems, or at least some of them, but Oprah can't even seem to get herself in check. It's just a bunch of hype. Few people have the bravery to call her on her BS. People claim that she is "successful" because she has money, fame, houses in several different countries...but all Oprah ever does is complain about her personal problems, her weight, relationship issues...does this sound like a "happy" person to you? She can't solve her own problems, so she subjects herself to retail therapy, then encourages millions of housewives all over the world to do the same, because misery loves company.
Not quite, Mark V. Gina Swinehart is the World's Greediest Woman.
Oprah might be a distant runner-up.