# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/141 "2011-05-23T14:24:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > None of us on this message board don’t have an ego. I don’t. That’s what makes me better than the rest of you. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/142 "2011-05-23T17:21:22Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > 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. Ugh! Is she always like that? I caught a part of some special of hers when she was in Africa building her girls schools. She narrated the whole thing and all I heard was “I, Me, My”. Like the purpose of the whole thing was about how it effected her. “I wanted to do this… it made ME feel this way… when I saw this I wanted to do something.. I related to these girls… it change MY life…” If that doesn’t qualify as textbook narccissm I don’t know what does. ---
**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, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/143 "2011-05-23T17:27:14Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > ." > If that doesn’t qualify as textbook narccissm I don’t know what does. Then you don’t know what does. But since the actual textbook descriptions of narcissism have been provided and linked to in this thread, you could learn if you liked. ---
**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, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/144 "2011-05-23T17:28:23Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > 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. Nor was it offered as one. I was noting the irony of his accusation. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/145 "2011-05-23T17:45:14Z")
I am a psychologist, although I am not Oprah’s psychologist. 🙂 Oprah has her flaws, but nothing I have seen or seen mentioned in this thread points to Narcissistic Personality Disorder. For one thing, narcissists tend to be disliked by most. The common trait of hating anything and anyone that becomes too popular fascinates me. It is as if some personality types become threatened by another’s popularity. Those with Narcissistic Personality disorder tend to be one of those types, although it is not a criterion for diagnosis. I do see it a lot in the narcissists I have worked with, though. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/146 "2011-05-23T18:12:49Z")
Thank you for that, Brynda. Oprah would never have gotten to where she is if she was a modest shrinking violet. I still think her good far outweighs her bad, in all the years she’s been on. I don’t get the hate, but am not totally surprised because as I said, she’s a black woman, not thin and blond for men to slobber over, and her show has featured a wide variety of subjects that appeal to women. Ergo, fear, jealousy, and hate. She must be denigrated and demeaned by those threatened. ---
**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, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/147 "2011-05-23T18:22:33Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Nor was it offered as one. I was noting the irony of his accusation. It’s not ironic when you have to make things up. ---
**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, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/148 "2011-05-23T18:26:22Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Thank you for that, Brynda. Ditto. ---
**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, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/149 "2011-05-23T18:28:44Z")
> [@Brynda](#): > > I am a psychologist, although I am not Oprah’s psychologist. 🙂 Oprah has her flaws, but nothing I have seen or seen mentioned in this thread points to Narcissistic Personality Disorder. For one thing, narcissists tend to be disliked by most. > > The common trait of hating anything and anyone that becomes too popular fascinates me. It is as if some personality types become threatened by another’s popularity. Those with Narcissistic Personality disorder tend to be one of those types, although it is not a criterion for diagnosis. I do see it a lot in the narcissists I have worked with, though. You’re planting a bullshit premise in this statement that people who dislike her, dislike her because she’s popular. The always convincing, “you’re just jealous” defense. I couldn’t give a shit less that’s she popular. I like a lot of people who are popular. That has nothing to do with why I dislike her. I dislike her because she does things like hold grandstanding prayer circles outside of vampire movies, promotes all manner of con artists and never shuts up about herself. ---
**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, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/150 "2011-05-23T18:29:57Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Thank you for that, Brynda. Oprah would never have gotten to where she is if she was a modest shrinking violet. I still think her good far outweighs her bad, in all the years she’s been on. I don’t get the hate, but am not totally surprised because as I said, she’s a black woman, not thin and blond for men to slobber over, and her show has featured a wide variety of subjects that appeal to women. Ergo, fear, jealousy, and hate. She must be denigrated and demeaned by those threatened. How am I threatened by her? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/151 "2011-05-23T19:54:40Z")
Do her fans really not see how much she does the “ME, MY, I, MYSELF” thing where she redirects every topic into how it makes her feel and how she relates to it? Or is that the thing that her fans DO like? They tune in to see how the topic affects Oprah. How does Oprah feel about that? What does Oprah think about that? ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/152 "2011-05-23T21:11:03Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I kind of grew up with Oprah, watching her after school, and I’m a total sap so I always end up crying during her emotional shows. When I was very young, it was her show on fostering children and adoption that made me feel compelled to adopt myself someday. Proof of Oprah’s own self-worship. Oprah’s narcissism affected \*\*olives \*\*so much, \*\*olives \*\*feels compelled to adopt herself! It’s as bad as Dennis Rodman marrying himself! (I kid because I love. I just read that sentence all wrong, and was all, “Wait. What?”) ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/153 "2011-05-23T21:11:30Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Or is that the thing that her fans DO like? I think it’s probably a portion of it–responding to things on a human, personal level makes her seem like, ya know, an actual person instead of a soul-less interview machine. It makes her relatable, which is a _huge_ part of Oprah’s appeal. ---
**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, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/154 "2011-05-23T21:15:09Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Do her fans really not see how much she does the “ME, MY, I, MYSELF” thing where she redirects every topic into how it makes her feel and how she relates to it? Or is that the thing that her fans DO like? They tune in to see how the topic affects Oprah. How does Oprah feel about that? What does Oprah think about that? Once again, that is a big part of what people like about her interview style. She’s standing in for the audience and asking what they would ask. From the very beginning that is what people responded to. Not least because, unlike a genuine narcissist, she actually pays attention and hears what the person she’s talking to is saying, whereas many other interviewers don’t seem to be connecting at all, they just have a rote list of questions to ask and don’t listen to the answers. ---
**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, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/155 "2011-05-23T21:17:02Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > I think it’s probably a portion of it–responding to things on a human, personal level makes her seem like, ya know, an actual person instead of a soul-less interview machine. It makes her relatable, which is a _huge_ part of Oprah’s appeal. My response was queued up and I didn’t see this. Yeah. That. 😉 ---
**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, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/156 "2011-05-23T21:19:07Z")
She’s not interested in the answers to those questions, she just wants to find a way to make every answer about herself. ---
**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, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/157 "2011-05-23T21:25:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She’s not interested in the answers to those questions, she just wants to find a way to make every answer about herself. You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Really, none. And your hostility is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/158 "2011-05-23T21:40:09Z")
> [@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 gotta say, that is a glowing post for ol’ Opes! As is my wont in these threads, I gotta say, I love Oprah, love her love her loveher. I don’t get why people keep pointing to the ‘woo’ factor. Lots of crackpots push all manners of woo without a fraction of the vitriol I see spewed at her. Don’t you send your kids to Catholic School? No offense to Catholics, but I find that to be the wooiest woo of all. Perhaps you don’t feel the same way though, in which case, forget I brought it up. [QUOTE=Dio] 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. [/QUOTE] I never heard about this before this thread. If it’s true, with all the prayer circle nonsense, then I’m shocked. I thought she didn’t believe in a personal god and all that. Why a prayer circle, then? Oprah lets me down on that one. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/159 "2011-05-23T21:57:43Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > And Oprah says “So you’re a lady with a beard?” Well, it takes one to know one, right? Hi-yoooooooooooooooooooo!! ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590/160 "2011-05-23T23:02:10Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > She’s not interested in the answers to those questions, she just wants to find a way to make every answer about herself. OMG, YES. I always have liked Oprah, but didn’t watch her show for years. Since I’ve been home I’ve been watching it regularly, and have been astounded at how the show has become All About Oprah. She interrupts guests _all the time_ to talk about her personal philosophies and revelations. It is incredibly annoying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-oprah-become-so-powerful/582590.md?page=9)