Now, I haven't watched Oprah since ... I think, last summer so I was excited to resume my (semi) daily TV feeding now that I'm back home with a TV that actually functions and has more than 5 channels (yah, that's Kingston's ghetto-ness for you -- though I'm glad that I didn't have cable cuz I woulda been more distracted than I already was). Anyway, I digress.
Her "live" show is a cocktail mix of features, special guests and The View-style discussion (aka: all the guests including Oprah talk over and with each other together and all at once. Rather annoying if you ask me). Suffice to say, I detested how the show was set up. Not only could I 1) not understand half the conversation (fine, call me ESL or deaf or whatever but in general, as a rule, I hate it when people talk at once and over each other) 2) the 'feature stories' didn't mesh well together and there was no coherence between each segment of the show.
First, there were the 3 initial guests of Jenny McCarthy, Nate Something-I-decorate-houses-and I-think-Hugh-Jackman-has-a-super-hot-bod ... and I completely forgot the last guest. Someone famous ... so famous that I'm blanking on who that guy/girl was. I think it was a woman? Hmm...
Oh wait, it was Oprah's best friend. She's only famous because she's Oprah's best friend. No wonder I blanked on who it was.
But I think what got me most disturbed and turned off from resuming my avid fan-like daily appreciation of Oprah and her show was the odd pairing of her support of Invisible Children -- an organization and a movement I am deeply passionate about and was going to participate in the Toronto Rescue (ugh, but got stuck packing up in Ktown) ... and her featuring the rescue of a chihuahua dog that was blown away by a huge gust of wind in Michigan.
Let's just absorb this for a bit:
Oprah speaking out in support for Invisible Children (500 people camped out of Harpo Studios to appeal to Oprah in order to get her support and her backing of this movement to rescue the child soldiers of Northern Uganda) Oprah only ran the story because of the fact that soo many people were camped out for nearly a week in the rain and cold just to get her to publicize this story.
NB: "The Rescue" is InvisibleChildren's most recent effort to raise political and social awareness of the situation in Northern Uganda. The plan was for people (mainly youth) to gather in cities across North America, walk miles to a camp place and wait to be 'rescued' by high authority/public political figures (mayors, governors, celebrities etc). In order to raise awareness as well as to push political leaders to action, Invisible Children will be meeting on Capitol Hill in June to lobby the government for change.
vs.
Oprah expressing sympathies, interviewing the owners of the dog, the psychic who 'found' the dog... all in a > 7 minute portion of the show...
Now, which rescue is more important?
I don't think the answer is too hard to conjure up. But, besides the stark contrast in her 50 minute show between the 2 different rescues, a whole advocacy of gay marriage (Iowa recently passed the bill to make gay marriage legal) as well as an appeal for people to continue looking for Madeline McCann.
Maybe I didn't get the memo but whatever happened to morals, values, decency, justice, righteousness? Now, it's a free for all, whatever floats your boat, whatever is 'in', whatever feels good. Not only that, but Oprah Winfrey is perhaps one of the most influential figures in the world. Up until watching her Friday live show, I really respected how Oprah used her publicity/'power' to advocate for social justice and admirable causes. Yet her show on Friday really has turned me off. Just the mish-mash of stories combined with a free for all liberalism was disgusting. I'm glad that she finally paid attention to the 500 campers outside her studio door (they were there for a week until she 'noticed them when [she] drove up to the studio' [paraphrased]). I'm glad that because she took the time out of her show to speak to the Invisible Children's leaders, there will be more publicity and awareness generated for this movement. YET, the fact that the remainder of her show disintegrated into an incoherent mess of liberal and grey-lined ethics makes me wonder what the heck social justice means anymore in this world.
genocide, child soldiers, the kidnapping of a little girl, the chance encounter with a 60km wind and a tiny chihuahua and gay marriage rights all blended in a perfect mix and served hot and fresh and live to viewers at home.
amazing.
I used to sit and watch whatever on TV but now, it doesn't cut anymore. I can't be brainless and I've learned to heed the voice inside me that prods me and makes me feel uncomfortable whenever a bad or disturbing situation arises.
and seriously, chihuahuas are possibly the ugliest dogs ever. at least run a story on something cute.
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