# How did Oprah become so powerful? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590 "2011-05-20T16:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/121 "2011-05-23T00:30:58Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > You just listed a bunch of things you think are woo. I listed a bunch of things that are _unquestionably_ woo. Name a single thing on that list that isn’t provable bullshit. > [@](#): > > Can you demonstrate that Oprah believes in all of them? She promoted them on her show. She has said that she believes a lot of this horseshit (including psychics) herself. I watched and heard her tell Tom Cruise that _Interview with the Vampire_ “contributes to the forces of darkness.” Is that crazy enough for your ass? Even if you think there’s a difference between promoting woo and actually believing it, it’s only different in that promoting it without believing it is morally worse. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/122 "2011-05-23T00:51:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Of course. I’m a highly empathic individual. Nothing that I have ever read gives the slightest evidence of this, and in fact quite the reverse. But your belief that it is so is interesting, because rather than being any kind of empath, you present yourself as having the One True Knowledge Of All Meaningful Human Interaction, and therefore, in my view, appear to believe that you are an empath because you think you represent everyone. With all due respect and genuinely no intention to trash or insult you, Dio, I think the following characteristics of narcissism are very true of you, or at least true of the way I have observed you to conduct yourself in discussions on these boards: [ul] [li]Pretending to be more important than he or she is[/li][li]Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating his or her achievements[/li][li]Claiming to be an “expert” at most things[/li][li]Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people[/li][li]Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)[/li][li]A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)[/li][li]Difficulty with empathy[/li][li]An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges[/li][/ul] [ul] [li] **Envy** : A narcissist may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person’s ability **by using contempt to minimize the other person.** \*(Your contempt for the wildly successful and widely beloved Oprah being a fabulous example) \*[/li][/ul] And this is why I find your post count ironic. It suggests, although I can’t be sure since I have only encountered a handful of your nearly 60,000 posts, that you visit as many threads as possible to one way or another, make it about you or otherwise assert yourself as the All Knowing Being Here To Pronounce Reality. I don’t know if any of this is true or not, I’m simply saying how it appears to me. For all I know, being Diogenes the Cynic is a giant experiement you are running. But this is my perception of the persona you present, and that persona comes across as _ **genuinely** _ narcissistic to a significant degree. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/123 "2011-05-23T00:57:05Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I’ve always wondered just how popular she could become having a show air while a massive amount of the population is working. > I know people do work 2nd and 3rd shift at jobs and work weekends, but the major bulk of the working class is in the rat race. > What are the viewing habits of her die-hard fans? Are they mostly stay-at-home women watching live? Are there masses of people who tape/dvr her show? She’s on at 4:00 pm and again at 7:00 pm in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/124 "2011-05-23T00:57:23Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She promoted them on her show. [/quote] Some she actively demonstrated her personal support for. Some she simply discussed. And some she never featured at all. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/125 "2011-05-23T01:15:45Z")
So you admit that she actively supported at least some demonstrable bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/126 "2011-05-23T01:20:17Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Nothing that I have ever read gives the slightest evidence of this, and in fact quite the reverse. > > But your belief that it is so is interesting, because rather than being any kind of empath, you present yourself as having the One True Knowledge Of All Meaningful Human Interaction, and therefore, in my view, appear to believe that you are an empath because you think you represent everyone. > > With all due respect and genuinely no intention to trash or insult you, Dio, I think the following characteristics of narcissism are very true of you, or at least true of the way I have observed you to conduct yourself in discussions on these boards: > > [ul] > [li]Pretending to be more important than he or she is[/li][li]Bragging (subtly but persistently) and exaggerating his or her achievements[/li][li]Claiming to be an “expert” at most things[/li][li]Inability to view the world from the perspective of other people[/li][li]Problems distinguishing the self from others (see narcissism and boundaries)[/li][li]A lack of psychological awareness (see insight in psychology and psychiatry, egosyntonic)[/li][li]Difficulty with empathy[/li][li]An obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges[/li][/ul] > [ul] > [li] **Envy** : A narcissist may secure a sense of superiority in the face of another person’s ability **by using contempt to minimize the other person.** \*(Your contempt for the wildly successful and widely beloved Oprah being a fabulous example) \*[/li][/ul] > And this is why I find your post count ironic. It suggests, although I can’t be sure since I have only encountered a handful of your nearly 60,000 posts, that you visit as many threads as possible to one way or another, make it about you or otherwise assert yourself as the All Knowing Being Here To Pronounce Reality. > > I don’t know if any of this is true or not, I’m simply saying how it appears to me. For all I know, being Diogenes the Cynic is a giant experiement you are running. But this is my perception of the persona you present, and that persona comes across as _ **genuinely** _ narcissistic to a significant degree. I don’t have a single characteristic on that list. You must be confusting me with some other poster. I’m highly empathic (to a fault, actually), have never claimed any kind of importance, never “bragged,” never claimed to be an “expert” on anything (my user title is an obvious joke). You’re pretty much inagining things and projecting to beat the band. I don’t like raging, self-worshipping egotists. That’s what Oprah is. Sorry I insulted your sacred heifer. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/127 "2011-05-23T01:21:01Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > Oprah’s power comes from her credibility and the buying power of her audience. > > There are popular celebrities, and then there are popular celebrities whose endorsement can send millions of middle-class American women to shopping malls. > > Martha Stewart can get her audience to buy things, but she doesn’t have the range that Oprah does. Oprah can endorse virtually anything, but Stewart is limited to food items and crafts. > > No one has been able to obtain that kind of influence over a male audience because that market has never been ignored. It has been fought over and divided since the dawn of advertising. I agree. I’ve tried to watch her show many times when I’ve seen previews about topics or guests I’m interested in. Anyone see the James Frey circus? _Huge_ hype about bringing back the man she drew and quartered over his lack of veracity in his (enhanced) biography A Million Little Pieces. So she asks a staffer if she was too hard on Frey, and the brave staffer pretty much said Hells, yes you were brutal. Cue Frey: Oprah begins with a half-assed apology, subtracted by justification of her original attack, and the next 2/3 of the show led by the Queen of the Personal Pronoun, Dame of I, Me, Myself, and My as she explained at length how \*\*\*she felt \*\*\*about James Frey. Frey had maybe 4 minutes tops to explain his latest projects and life experience in between Oprah’s revelations. And you know what? I still like her. Oprah puts a generally positive message out there that makes \*\*a lot \*\*of people feel good about themselves, and offers new ideas that enhance life. That’s a pretty cool accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/128 "2011-05-23T01:26:08Z")
I agree that Oprah’s not all bad, and promotes some good things. She’s very pro-GBLT, which is good, and her book club at least promotes reading. She is generally positive. I still don’t like her, though. I never got over that _Interview with the Vampire_ stunt. That exhibited a whole cluster of distasteful personality traits. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/129 "2011-05-23T01:33:56Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I agree that Oprah’s not all bad, and promotes some good things. She’s very pro-GBLT, which is good, and her book club at least promotes reading. She is generally positive. > > I still don’t like her, though. I never got over that _Interview with the Vampire_ stunt. That exhibited a whole cluster of distasteful personality traits. Yikes. Didn’t know about that one. She shamelessly makes every topic all about her, and still we smile and nod; something about her tone and attitude elicits agreement. I’m relieved her brand of power and influence is generally positive. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/130 "2011-05-23T03:23:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t have a single characteristic on that list. Res ipsa loquitur. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/131 "2011-05-23T03:28:16Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > She shamelessly makes every topic all about her There’s pretty much nothing remotely true about this. The only thing she does that someone who wasn’t paying much attention could imagine is making it about herself is asking questions from her personal perspective, which is one of her great talents, since the questions she asks are the questions in the minds of her audience, and that’s exactly WHY she does that, and why people love her interview style. Use of the first person pronoun is not making the topic about oneself. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/132 "2011-05-23T03:43:11Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > There’s pretty much nothing remotely true about this. The only thing she does that someone who wasn’t paying much attention could imagine is making it about herself is asking questions from her personal perspective, which is one of her great talents, since the questions she asks are the questions in the minds of her audience, and that’s exactly WHY she does that, and why people love her interview style. > > Use of the first person pronoun is not making the topic about oneself. Entertainment is subjective, for sure, but I just cringed through [this Oprah/Frey segment again.](http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-Apologizes-to-Author-James-Frey-Video)Please give it a listen and tell me if she didn’t somehow make the her original butchering of Frey and this showboating apology about herself and her own feelings about him. Apologies, if sincere, should contain humility and an earnest attempt to right a wrong. I detect very little. I hear her say “_My_ ego, me, me, me” as Frey graciously accepts and attempts to interject a word here and there. We really learn very little about his life and projects, but we learn an awful lot about how Oprah feels. It’s cool that her style works for you, but just once I’d like to hear her guests finish a sentence. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/133 "2011-05-23T05:00:31Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t have a single characteristic on that list. You must be confusting me with some other poster. I’m highly empathic (to a fault, actually), have never claimed any kind of importance, never “bragged,” never claimed to be an “expert” on anything (my user title is an obvious joke). You’re pretty much inagining things and projecting to beat the band. I don’t like raging, self-worshipping egotists. That’s what Oprah is. Sorry I insulted your sacred heifer. Never claimed to be an expert on anything? [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12971061&postcount=43](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12971061&postcount=43) > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I’ve never heard of any of those titles (though maybe I’d recognize the tunes if I heard them), and I’m a fucking rock encyclopedia. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12971471&postcount=54](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12971471&postcount=54) > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > It’s a fact, I have a pretty deep knowledge of rock history ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/134 "2011-05-23T06:30:15Z")
That’s the best you can do? I feel fully vindicated. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/135 "2011-05-23T06:33:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > That’s the best you can do? I feel fully vindicated. Nah, it’s just the one which sprung immediately to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/136 "2011-05-23T06:45:32Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > (my user title is an obvious joke). An obvious joke to _us_. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/137 "2011-05-23T06:47:12Z")
As well it should be and is intended to be. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/138 "2011-05-23T06:48:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Nah, it’s just the one which sprung immediately to mind. No, it’s the absolute best you could do. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/139 "2011-05-23T09:40:36Z")
What in the world does **Dio** ’s supposed narcissism have to do with his claim that Oprah is a narcissist? “You do it, too” is not a defense against a definition. You can argue that his anger over the issue is improper, but the idea of someone being a narcissist being unable to identify other narcissists is extremely silly. Also, if you are going to try to provide evidence of **Dio** being a narcissist, you can do a whole lot better. And even then you need to realize that some narcissistic tendencies are normal and healthy, as long as it is regulated properly by other impulses. Everyone loves themselves to some degree and will instinctively judge people who hate them as having a problem. And few people have the ability to notice this about themselves, especially in the moment. In fact, I’m sure I can come up with traits that make his accusers look like narcissists, too. None of us on this message board don’t have an ego. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/140 "2011-05-23T13:12:38Z")
Re: her book club. When it started, my neighbor was all over it like a rash. I love to read, but at that time I was not into anything remotely deep. frivolous romances, sue me. and said neighbor would share books with me. I can’t remember the titles, but every one of them just were depressing. I wasn’t expecting unicorns frolicing under rainbows, but I could never get past two or three chapters. My reading tastes have evolved considerably. Several of the books she’s had on her list, I have previously read, so I was pleased when she brought them too light. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590.md?page=8)