Oprah Appreciation Thread (or "Hiii Oprah Haters")

[WordMan]

@Maeglin

This is pretty much the reason why I don’t think this is a grey area. Thanks for your thoughtful remarks, though. I enjoy reading your posts about other things besides music.

Thanks!

[Cumberdale]

@Sleeps_With_Butterflies

Astro,I’m saying that it is ridiculous to think that Oprah is somehow responsible for this apocalyptic vaccination mayhem because she had Jenny McCarthy on her show.

Oprah most definitely shares responsibility because Jenny McCarthy and her ilk peddle conspiracy theories about doctors, “Big Pharma” and the government. Oprah does not challenge anything JM says and allows lies to be spread on her show by her guests.

*With the scientific evidence so solidly against the mercury hypothesis of autism, proponents maintain their belief largely through the generous application of conspiracy thinking. The conspiracy claim has been made the loudest by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in two conspiracy-mongering articles: Deadly Immunity published on Salon.com in 2005 (Kennedy 2005), and more recently Attack on Mothers (Kennedy 2007). In these articles, RFK Jr. completely misrepresents and selectively quotes the scientific evidence, dismisses inconvenient evidence as fraudulent, accuses the government, doctors, and the pharmaceutical industry of conspiring to neurologically damage America’s children, and accuses scientists who are skeptical of the mercury claims of attacking the mothers of children with autism.

From: http://www.csicop.org/si/2007-06/novella.html

[Dallas_Jones]

@cerberus

Given the core mission of The Dope, this statement should result in the immediate banning of the individual who wrote it.

Pardon me, but you are a cocky ass for making this statement. I guess we can be glad that you have no influence on who gets banned.

[Gleena]

@Maeglin

If you do not vaccinate your kid, you are endangering the life of your child and that of other people around you, neither of whom have either the power to consent or to negate your action. Why should Oprah be given a pass just because she is a saleswoman and because this is her brand? Bill Maher certainly doesn’t get a pass for his anti-science crap, so why should Oprah?

Which is exactly my point.

[ISiddiqui]

… and neither does Tom Cruise, who we can all remembered will pilloried up and down for his views on medicine.

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

@ghardester

Pardon me, but you are a cocky ass for making this statement.

TWEEET!!! ::: Moderator blows whistle for attention ::::

I’m not sure where all this name-calling came from, but it stops NOW. Personal insults and name-calling are NOT permitted in this forum. It is possible for people to disagree about Oprah without calling each other rude names.

Anyone who is unclear, here are the Rules: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7697044#post7697044
or **** Forum Rules: PLEASE READ! **** - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board and see Post #3. Insulting other posters may only be done in the forum called BBQ Pit.

I’m just picking out the most egregious:
cerberus: You seem to have started this, back in Post #11, calling another poster a “cretin.” That is not permitted.

ghardester: You may not call another poster “a cocky ass.”

Gleena (post #37): You’re making assumptions and comments about other posters. Please, NO. Comments should address what they have to say, not who they are or where you think they’re coming from. Similarly, Post #56, comments such as “Are you unable to reply with rational thought” are not conducive to reasonable discussion.

astro (post #39): You may not refer to another poster as an “airhead.”
Sleeps with Butterflies (post #53): “Are you out of your mind…” is not a constructive comment.

You are all being officially warned, not to insult other posters in Cafe Society.

In future, if someone starts that kind of name-calling, DO NOT RESPOND IN KIND, but just report the post (little red triangle with ! in upper right corner.) Then the person making the insult will get in trouble, and you won’t. When you respond in kind, you all get in trouble.

[rolandgunslinger]

I appreciate Oprah cause I think she has nice tits.

[cerberus]

:rolleyes:

See me in the Pit. CDH

Make that the other place - ATMB.

[Gleena]

Sorry, CKDH.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

@dangermom

Also, I read the Newsweek article and about jumped out of my chair when I got to the bit about what Suzanne Somers is doing to herself. :eek::eek::eek: Those of you who read it will know what I mean. Yes, I think it’s irresponsible to bring Somers on the show and approve of the very scary things she’s recommending (I think saying that you’ve started doing some of it yourself counts as approval).

Link to the Newsweek article.

Even better, link to the Newsweek blog with comments from bloggers and magazines.

It’s about time one of the big media players pointed out that she is promoting dangerous fake therapies…all with a happy smile, of course, and a message of positive self-esteem for women. It’s still credulous glop, though.

No one, and I mean no one, brings pseudoscience, quackery, and antivaccine madness to more people than Oprah Winfrey does every week…

it’s worth being reminded that Oprah peddles the anti-MMR nonsense that, if its supporters have their way, is much more likely to harm many more children than would be affected even if their crackpottery were based on a sound evaluation of the risks of immunisation. Which, as best I can tell, it isn’t.

This lengthy article is actually far too kind (and brief) to baby-killing nut Jenny McCarthy and her anti-vaccine crusade, and yet it still manages to be a very damning indictment of how Oprah is trying to kill your poor mother.

Oprah is a believer. Money is no barrier against being a scientific illiterate and neither is celebrity. She peddles these quacks knowing full well that they’ll sell out of their snakeoil the next day. Anyone with an ounce of sense or responsibility would run screaming in the opposite direction. Oprah just does it more frequently.

The *Newsweek *article will be a one-week sensation, sadly, and Oprah will surely boo hoo it on her program to the screaming cheers of her audience. Some of whom will die because of her. And Oprah will make more money off of other peoples’ misfortunes. I don’t expect perfection from her. I expect basic human decency. I don’t see it.

[levdrakon]

I thought I hated Oprah before, but this thread makes me hate her more.

I can’t stand it when people love and defend charlatans like Rush Limbaugh and Oprah, saying “oh, they’re just savvy entertainers, all their followers know that.” No, they fucking don’t. People like Limbaugh & Oprah speak to their followers with authority. Far more authority than say, their doctors or teachers or genuine journalists with even an ounce of integrity.

I don’t give a rat’s ass if the crazy guy on the corner is telling people the end is coming. I do give a rat’s ass when someone with Oprah’s authority spouts similar dishonest bullshit to millions of people and can do real, actual harm.

Oh, and Oprah? Quit pretending you’ve never heard or seen anything before. “Oh my gosh! There’s a community of people into S&M???” Shut up Oprah, it’s come up on your damn show approximately 325 other times and every damn time you pretend you’ve never heard of such a thing, you big innocent thing you. Lying bitch. You’ve probably got an S&M dungeon in your own basement.

[Kimmy_Gibbler]

@levdrakon

I can’t stand it when people love and defend charlatans like Rush Limbaugh and Oprah, saying “oh, they’re just savvy entertainers, all their followers know that.” No, they fucking don’t. People like Limbaugh & Oprah speak to their followers with authority. Far more authority than say, their doctors or teachers or genuine journalists with even an ounce of integrity.

Which is why you will be so good as to back this claim up with evidence, yes? No? I s’pose we’ll just have to take it on your say-so then.

I get it. You aren’t entertained by the Oprah Show. People who watch Oprah just are not like you. And that makes them stupid.

[Nzinga_Seated]

I think a lot of OHs like to think that they are on the side of science and that anyone that opposes them in their hate for her must be anti-science.

That’s why it is so fun to watch Kimmy Gibbler post on this topic. Fun.

[levdrakon]

@Kimmy_Gibbler

Which is why you will be so good as to back this claim up with evidence, yes? No? I s’pose we’ll just have to take it on your say-so then.

I get it. You aren’t entertained by the Oprah Show. People who watch Oprah just are not like you. And that makes them stupid.

Look up and read post #60. You’ve got people taking Oprah’s word over their own pediatricians. Nice. Just entertainment. Well, if that’s what you find entertaining, you’re certainly welcome to it.

And I’ve known people IRL who bought The Secret and believed every word. At least, they did for a few months, got bored and then became entranced by Oprah’s latest bauble, whatever it is.

I’ve almost always found that people who dismiss others as “haters” (usually pronounced “hate-uhs”) really just like to denounce anyone who has a different POV than them, without any actual argument.

[cerberus]

I love Oprah. So freakin’ much, you have no idea.

I dig her style. Just her overall ‘steeze’ of being a powerful energy in the damn room! Love that.

I like her gutsy climb to the top, and I love her work in South Africa. The way she is going about it…erecting that school to shape leaders for the future of their nation…that is so much hotter than just throwing money at the problem, which she also does, just to cover all bases.

But, I’m really feeling her because she has so many haters. This one really is the thing that pulls my love most deeply for her.

I don’t mean people that just hate her, like I hate Lil’ Wayne or Will Smith. No, I mean haters ™ in the sense of people that hate for silly reasons like wanting to appear intellectual or cool. I mean, really…not choosing a product or book because it is on Oprah’s fave things list or something? That’s silly. I also happen to believe that Oprah’s haters are hypocritical.

They will say, "I hate her for that book ‘the secret’, but then they will believe in the ‘power of prayer’. Or they have a problem with her pushing that dreck, but no problem with pastors and preachers and such that teach sky magic. Let’s take MLK Jr., and no I am not comparing Oprah to him, but he basically taught faith and sky magic, and somehow, he has sidestepped the hate. Well,…usually.

Then, they say, “Well she is always pushing the next ‘it’ thing that is supposed to change lives! It’s horrible”. Well, yeah, but everyone is always pushing the next thing. Constantly, we are being advertised to. All the time. We are always being told that someone has the next thing to make us thin, young, spry, rich, happy, relaxed, etc. The difference is, Oprah has mastered it. So we can’t get mad at her for mastering a game that we all play. I, myself, have teeth whitening goop in my cabinet. I mean, really. Someone convinced me I needed that mess, and it wasn’t Oprah.

So, I love Oprah, and I am proud. Who else loves her? Come on. I’m not the only one.

By the way, I readily admit I don’t really watch her show much, and never really did all that much. But I catch it once in a while and enjoyed her. Also, I don’t think she is perfect. I know she panders to a certain kind of audience. I have caught her ass in the act with that. But it couldn’t make me dislike her.

So you seem to have decided to just like her, regardless, and to provoke people who have decided to not like her, regardless. You also seem to have issues with people who don’t like her for specific reasons.

Also, it’s true this is a call out to Oprah Haters, and I nearly put it in the pit, but I really wanted this to be more of a light hearted thread. Hope it doesn’t get too heavy, but I figure this is a good forum to start it in.

So you seem to want it both ways - flame bait thread to tweak/poke the “haters,” and to simultaneously “keep it light.”

:rolleyes: on me for getting all heated up over this little trap. The OP premise begs for conflict, but the placement of the thread is less-than-ideal for the topic.

For me, at least, the issue is that Oprah and her minions, and their business model enables, exploits and aggravates the latent irrationality and explicit intellectual stagnation of too many people. Yes, the individual cost for individual stupidity lies with the stupid, but the larger implications of this affect the greater society for ill. We need to fight stupidity, not enable it the level of Oprah/Dr.Phil/Jenny/Jerry/etal. Recreational stupid is fine from time-to-time, but the chronic, ongoing, professional-grade stupid is not.

[Bites_When_Provoked]

I find her hard to tolerate. Her emotions never seem to reach her eyes - she gets glittery when she’s meant to be upset, but it’s a cold, hard glitter. It’s like the brain never stops going tick, tick, tick … as though she never actually feels anything, but has a reasonably life-like recreation of emotion going on to satisfy her audience.

I just don’t like her. I wouldn’t prejudge one way or another on anything she recommended, be it books or movies or products… but I don’t like her.

Cold, glittery eyes. Like a snake. All facade, no reality.

[glee]

I think there is a clear line and Oprah has crossed it.

1. The good stuff

Obviously she’s a successful chat show host and can waffle with guests about entertainment all she likes.
If she recommends a book or film, that’s great too. It’s all a matter of taste and if people are enjoying her choices, more power to her.

2. Careful now

If she talks about diet or ‘The Secret’, then there’s no scientific evidence to back her claims. However personal motivation is important in dieting and lifestyle choices, so if Oprah is a source of encouragement, then OK.

3. The unacceptable

Publicising the misguided mumbo-jumbo of Jenny Mccarthy, persuading people that there is some reason not to vaccinate, losing ‘herd immunity’ and causing death by preventable diseases is evil.
I’d like to see a show in which parents of children who died from measles etc confront Oprah. Laugh that one off. :rolleyes:

[WOOKINPANUB]

@Bites_When_Provoked

I find her hard to tolerate. Her emotions never seem to reach her eyes - she gets glittery when she’s meant to be upset, but it’s a cold, hard glitter. It’s like the brain never stops going tick, tick, tick … as though she never actually feels anything, but has a reasonably life-like recreation of emotion going on to satisfy her audience.

I just don’t like her. I wouldn’t prejudge one way or another on anything she recommended, be it books or movies or products… but I don’t like her.

Cold, glittery eyes. Like a snake. All facade, no reality.

*Well *said. I really liked her when she first came out. She seemed so genuine and kind and she was funny. Now on the occasions when I catch her show (I have the good fortune / misfortune to have a tv on my desk at work) she just comes across as kind of snarky and vaguely condescending.

[Kalhoun]

@glee

I think there is a clear line and Oprah has crossed it.

1. The good stuff

Obviously she’s a successful chat show host and can waffle with guests about entertainment all she likes.
If she recommends a book or film, that’s great too. It’s all a matter of taste and if people are enjoying her choices, more power to her.

2. Careful now

If she talks about diet or ‘The Secret’, then there’s no scientific evidence to back her claims. However personal motivation is important in dieting and lifestyle choices, so if Oprah is a source of encouragement, then OK.

3. The unacceptable

Publicising the misguided mumbo-jumbo of Jenny Mccarthy, persuading people that there is some reason not to vaccinate, losing ‘herd immunity’ and causing death by preventable diseases is evil.
I’d like to see a show in which parents of children who died from measles etc confront Oprah. Laugh that one off. :rolleyes:

The thing that bothers me most is her “spiritual” side. I don’t like the tone of authority she takes when she talks about matters of the supernatural. Of course, nearly everything she says has a tone of authority about it, but that’s the one that scorches my shorts the most.

I would love to see your suggestion for a segment from the opposite side of the vaccine argument. I’d probably take an early lunch to watch that one.

[Jodi]

@Kalhoun

The thing that bothers me most is her “spiritual” side. I don’t like the tone of authority she takes when she talks about matters of the supernatural. Of course, nearly everything she says has a tone of authority about it, but that’s the one that scorches my shorts the most.

The five words Oprah’s never uttered are . . . but I could be wrong.