The idea of the school is good. The idea of 300 thread count sheets for 100 or whatever girls who would be happy with sheets at all, in a poor country to me is insane. I’m not alone on this, there are several articles written by people who work for real news outlets who have called it insane just as I have, so its not my lone theory.
You could help hundreds more with some sensible decisions. You can’t help everyone, but be reasonable.
its like I give 20 kids Air Jordans, when I could give 500 sensible shoes for that price.
Not sure, but I think it was probably along the lines of, “Bah! You sheeple! You unthinking mouthbreathing masses doped by the opiate of daytime TV! You believe anything Goddess Oafrah says! If she tells you Lemon Pledge rulez, you run out and buy a case!”
Like I said, I thought it was a slam, but not sure, so I thanked someone who I thought may possibly be paying me a compliment. Turns out they weren’t. No shame there my friend.
In which case you’d have no doubt been pitting her for refusing to admit any wrongdoing- “Look, she was all over the news when the school opened, but now she won’t be on camera?”
I think Oprah (note spelling- the Oafrah thing is not just old but, in fact, dead— I’m calling it, time of death- now) is an egomaniac with some beliefs I find abhorrent (the Deepak Choprah nonsense). I also think- actually, I know- she donated an INCREDIBLY GENEROUS amount of her own money to fund a school to lead people out of poverty in one of the nations where it’s most needed, something that ideally will affect the future in waves as education is the best way out of poverty. She’s never been a teacher or a headmistress and she’s not a South African national so she hires qualified professionals who turn out to be corrupt- but, unlike most corrupt people in the U.S., they didn’t put “I’m corrupt and I like to fondle young girls” in their cover letter, so there’s a scandal. She apologizes and takes steps to correct it.
What in fuck am I missing here? I really don’t get it. The fact you don’t like her or her show doesn’t mean that a $45 million school for impoverished girls is something she should be embarassed about. What happened is terrible but it could have happened at any American school.
And as for the fact her name is on it- she PAID FOR THE PLACE. If she wants her name on it, that’s her by-God prerogative. She’s proud of it and she should be, and this is coming from somebody who can’t stand her show.
What you’re missing is that Oprah sure does love to give presents. She does it on her show all the time. So here’s she’s giving one lollapalooza of a present, not to a few staffers, or even a largish studio audience, but to 450 genuinely needy students.
So you tell me about the psychological ramifications of a girl who was abused as a child, grew up in poverty, rose through sheer grit and guts to be one of the richest and most powerful women in today’s society, and now likes to give big fancy presents to people.
And be sure you refer to her contemptuously as “Oafrah” a lot while you’re doing it, because that always helps your case.
I would also like to point out that her Angel Network has been responsible for building lots of other schools in other countries that don’t get the press that her “Leadership School for Girls” is getting. So, should she be on top of things at all those other schools, too, 24/7/365?
IIRC, one present was cars. To many people who couldn’t pay the taxes on them. And then didn’t pay the taxes for them.
No one’s knocking her generosity to American women in her audience though. Its the sanity of marble tile in a school where many people are happy just to not walk on dirt. I get the whole “good surroundings you’ll do better, etc”, all that. But there is a difference in “nice” and ridiculously opulent. Hell, I would bet some places in Brunei don’t have the shit this school has.
And just because someone gives, doesn’t mean its for the right reason- I know people who “give” to look good.
Allow me to once again highlight the glaring idiocy of your position here, Wee Bairn, because last time I pointed it out, you seemed to have missed it entirely:
Oprah donates a buttload of money to found this school. If the school runs perfectly, and the girls who attend it all graduate and go on to fabulously succesful professional and personal lives, Oprah can take no credit for this, because she was not personally involved in the day-to-day operation of the school.
However, if something goes wrong, and one of the students is assaulted, Oprah, despite not having any personal involvement in the day-to-day operation of the school, is entirely at fault for what happened, and should be on the hook for millions of dollars of her personal fortune.
Can you honestly not see the contradiction between those two scenarios, Wee Bairn? If the world actually functioned the way you think that it should, what sort of idiot would ever do anything charitable, where the giver is denied any credit for his deeds, but must take all of the responsibility? Does the mammoth unfairness of that make any impression on you at all?
The fact is every day there are children abused by one parent while the other has no idea. Or, they get abused by a sibling and both parents are unaware. And, they are right there, in the house, every day.
Even if Oprah decided to move there and run the school herself and involve herself in all its day-to-day activities it’s likely she would have no idea about abuse until someone came and told her. When she was told she got there so fast she practically teleported. Pretty good for someone as busy as she is.
I am no fan of the woman, that feel good glurge of hers makes me sick, so normally I would not sit here and defend her, but you are way off base with this rant.
yes, and it depends on the set up of the school, legally or what not right? If she has signed something that says nothing that happens there is her responsibility or whatever, then yes I agree she would not be legally liable, but perhaps morally.
So, are you saying because my family didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was in my mid-teens ('tis true, MS y’all), once I got to college on a full scholarship provided by the private college I attended, I should have been happy just to keep shitting in an outhouse while on campus?
This is utterly bizarre. Should the girls live in mud brick hovels just because their contemporaries live in straw huts? Do you really think 300 count sheets are luxurious? Do you live in the Congo?
Is there some optimal facility that you believe would increase the girls’ standard of living but would not be so high that it would trigger your outrage? Really, tell us how best to equip a boarding school in a country where women are systematically abused. I really want to hear how you feel.
Can’t argue with that. I’m not Oprah’s biggest fan, and her show usually makes me want to barf, but this is one lame ass pitting. Unless we find out Oprah is really just running the school as a brothel for wealthy international pedophiles, I don’t see how she’s handled this wrong, or is to blame.
Sheets, period. the idea that 100 girls are handpicked to live in opulence while others live in shit is offensive to me. The internet is full of sensible people who agree with me. If whatever poster is thought of in the highest esteem posted same claim in a different amnner, most here would be in agreement. Oafrah’s (if I stop now it’ll be seen as a sign of weakness ) chosen few.
