# Someone finally takes on Oprah **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266 "2009-05-31T16:40:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/41 "2009-06-01T17:29:26Z")
I lost all respect for Oprah during her promotion of _The Secret_. My personal issue was that my mom was then fighting breast cancer (second occurrence) and I was and am offended by a theory that she “attracted” cancer to herself or could have “thought” herself well. AND – most offensive – that people should avoid her (avoid all sick people, actually) in order to not catch her “negative energy” by proximity. Mom thought herself well, all right; by maintaining a positive attitude and refusing to be beaten by surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. But seeing Oprah sing the praises of a theory that I found not just ridiculous but actively harmful and meanspirited, made me really dislike her. Oprah, that is; I’m still a big fan of Mom. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/42 "2009-06-01T17:39:22Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > I lost all respect for Oprah during her promotion of _The Secret_. My personal issue was that my mom was then fighting breast cancer (second occurrence) and I was and am offended by a theory that she “attracted” cancer to herself or could have “thought” herself well. AND – most offensive – that people should avoid her (avoid all sick people, actually) in order to not catch her “negative energy” by proximity. I think we talked about this before. I’m a huge believer in the law of attraction, but within very defined limits. Does that book (or Oprah) actually say it cures cancer? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/43 "2009-06-01T17:41:21Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > I wouldn’t have bought the damn thing but I’d promised I’d read it. I can’t say I was terribly impressed. He seems to have taken a bunch of old, mostly Eastern, ideas and renamed them as his own. Yeah, it’s pretty much basic Buddhism. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/44 "2009-06-01T17:42:20Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Last year I was reading Eckhart Tolle’s first book, and found it to insightful and profound. It was endorsed by a number of people whose opinions I really respect. When his 2nd book came out, he was on Oprah’s show, and she was practically fellating him. That really made me wonder if he’s just some new age moron, just by association. > > Thanks, Oprah. I experienced this in reverse. Found a book at Barnes & Noble that I thought sounded good. On my way to the checkout, I noticed that sticker on the front that said it was Oprah’s Book Club pick. I put it back. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/45 "2009-06-01T17:52:40Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > The plus side is Oprah helped Obama get into office… For some of us, that’s just another reason to hold her in contempt, since it fits perfectly into her pattern of: Let’s take a charming notion without substance and elevate it to the masses because we want the world to work this way. Many of us find Obama to the _The Secret_ of representative democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/46 "2009-06-01T17:53:29Z")
> [@Wakinyan](#): > > IIRC this is what happened to the King; his middle name on the birth certificate is “Aron”, but the gravestone says “Aaron”, which is how it was meant to be spelled. Yeah… like Elvis is really _dead_. This proves it was all a conspiracy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/47 "2009-06-01T18:04:20Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I think we talked about this before. I’m a huge believer in the law of attraction, but within very defined limits. Does that book (or Oprah) actually say it cures cancer? The linked article seems to indicate that the book does. Scroll down to the fourth paragraph from the end, which mentions a testimony in the book from a woman who claims to have cured her own breast cancer, no chemo or radiation, via positive thinking using their method. To Oprah’s credit, the next paragraph lists her reaction to one of her viewers writing her about stopping conventional cancer treatments, and how horrified she was. However, the article writer points out that just weeks earlier she showed effusive praise and now all of a sudden it’s merely “a tool” and not the answer to all problems. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/48 "2009-06-01T18:04:58Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So what IS the conspiracy theory behind why Oprah is really called Oprah then, if it’s not a misspelling of Orpah? I thought her mother was a three stooges fan and went with harpo spelled backwards 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/49 "2009-06-01T18:07:02Z")
> [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](#): > > I experienced this in reverse. Found a book at Barnes & Noble that I thought sounded good. On my way to the checkout, I noticed that sticker on the front that said it was Oprah’s Book Club pick. I put it back. Seriously? This attitude kind of seems snotty to me. She has picked some pretty good books in the past, and it’s not like the authors can help being picked. If she picked Shakespeare, would that suddenly become unappealing? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/50 "2009-06-01T18:09:08Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > For some of us, that’s just another reason to hold her in contempt, since it fits perfectly into her pattern of: Let’s take a charming notion without substance and elevate it to the masses because we want the world to work this way. Many of us find Obama to the _The Secret_ of representative democracy. I wonder how many of those people think Obama was born in Kenya. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/51 "2009-06-01T18:15:26Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The linked article seems to indicate that the book does. Scroll down to the fourth paragraph from the end, which mentions a testimony in the book from a woman who claims to have cured her own breast cancer, no chemo or radiation, via positive thinking using their method. To Oprah’s credit, the next paragraph lists her reaction to one of her viewers writing her about stopping conventional cancer treatments, and how horrified she was. However, the article writer points out that just weeks earlier she showed effusive praise and now all of a sudden it’s merely “a tool” and not the answer to all problems. Well, at least Oprah got smarter about it. Maybe because her lawyers urged her to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/52 "2009-06-01T18:19:16Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > For some of us, that’s just another reason to hold her in contempt, since it fits perfectly into her pattern of: Let’s take a charming notion without substance and elevate it to the masses because we want the world to work this way. Many of us find Obama to the _The Secret_ of representative democracy. Well, don’t blame us. Better a overly green Democrat than a overly experienced Republican, say the people. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/53 "2009-06-01T18:21:41Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I thought her mother was a three stooges fan and went with harpo spelled backwards 🙂 I wonder how Harpo found time to appear with the Three Stooges. I thought the Marx Brothers kept him pretty busy. After the whole Secret thing there was a lot of attention paid to Oprah’s advocacy of nice-sounding feel-good nonsense. It doesn’t seem to have slowed her down. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/54 "2009-06-01T18:27:35Z")
> [@archiveguy](#): > > from the article: tiffany! Key word = super expensive ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/55 "2009-06-01T18:30:26Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > The plus side is Oprah helped Obama get into office…then again, she helped Dr Phil rise to his notoriety. > > On a side note, I have an aunt who is 58 this year. When my grandmother, her mother, died, she got her baby book and her birth certificate which had a different birthday than the one she was celebrating for her whole life. She’s a smart person but can also be quite clueless at the same time. I’m not sure how this bit had slipped by her (oddly enough, even her driver’s license’s birth date was the one she had been celebrating). My grandma had 8 children so it might have been easier to celebrate it on a different date. Gracie Allen was never even sure what [_year_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracie_Allen#Birth_date_mystery) she was born in. Her birth certificate was destroyed (along with most other public records) in the San Francisco earthquake. > [@billfish678](#): > > I thought her mother was a three stooges fan and went with harpo spelled backwards 🙂 You mean a Marx Brothers fan. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/56 "2009-06-01T18:32:01Z")
Oprah is a Marxist? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/57 "2009-06-01T18:33:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Oprah is a Marxist? Well, she DID support Obama. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/58 "2009-06-01T18:45:24Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I wonder how Harpo found time to appear with the Three Stooges. I thought the Marx Brothers kept him pretty busy. > > . Duuude, you just dont get how DEEP the conspiracy goes do you? 🙂 Harpo was the missing 4th stooge you never hear about ! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/59 "2009-06-01T18:50:42Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Harpo was the missing 4th stooge you never hear about ! Harpo was Shemp? I think my mind was just blown. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266/60 "2009-06-01T18:52:27Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Harpo was Shemp? > > I think my mind was just blown. When the men in black show up (and they will soon) run! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-finally-takes-on-oprah/498266.md?page=4)