Sponsorship Link
Oprah Winfrey, the American television mogul, is visiting India for the first time and has already been wined and dined by Bollywood’s elite stars, including Aishwarya Rai and her husband Abishek Bacchan.
/
Normally, I would not care about such things… except that I harbor strong (read: negative) feelings about Oprah Winfrey and I was born in India.
Firstly, I have long been mystified by her huge success and popularity. Although I have rarely watched her program, she has been such an omnipresent force in media that it seems like she is everywhere round-the-clock. Thus, I know a lot about the woman without having any interest in her whatsoever (reflecting the all-consuming power of mass media).
The few times I have watched her afternoon program, I was either bored out of my skull or was deeply irritated by her shallowness, superficiality, lack of intellect and, most especially, her phony, cloying sentimentality (fake tears, etc.).
Must Read
It’s indeed a cliché, but Oprah’s success “could only happen in America.” Oprah the media giant could not possibly exist anywhere in the world, not even in Western Europe.
Follow us
A poor female from the most disadvantaged group in the country rises to become one of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the land. A power so huge that she has become an icon that dwarfs virtually all of her peers and puts her on an equal footing with Presidents, Prime Ministers and kings.
I have no problem with abrupt upward mobility and instant super-wealth whatsoever (that is, of course, the essence of the “American dream”).
My principal problem with Oprah is that…. she has no talent and no skills that I can see.
I think success (even in the frivolous world of showbiz and mass media) should be based on having some “asset” or “ability” that has some value for the public.
What are Oprah’s “skills”? What is her “talent”? What does she really bring to the table?
Oprah’s supporters and defenders (and I realize there are millions of them around the globe) will say that she is a very successful “businesswoman” who has parlayed her talk show into planet-wide superstardom.
Others cite that she is a “role model” and “inspiration” to girls and young women. But what is she "inspiring" them to be? TV talk show hosts? How many such jobs are there available?
They also point out her generous charitable contributions -- including spending tens of millions of dollars for a girls’ school in South Africa (a very worthy cause indeed).
But I am talking about the source of all this incredible wealth and fame – what is it based on? I realize that doing a daily talk show is not easy -- but what seperates her from all the other talking heads on television?
