When it comes to Oprah, she is ossified

[vovat]

On Saturday, Gina told us a story about some woman indignantly questioning her when she said she didn't like Oprah. Really, that seems to be a pretty common reaction among Oprah fans, and I can't say I get it. bethje had the same sort of argument with my stepmother. I mean, Oprah is an entertainer, right? (Not a good one, in my opinion, but you're entitled to your own.) If someone were to tell me they didn't like, say, Weird Al or L. Frank Baum, I might be a little sad, but I wouldn't get indignant about it. It seems like, to some fans, Oprah ISN'T an entertainer, but the Messiah. Whatever she says merits hours of applause, and whatever she's reading becomes a bestseller. But why is she so admired? People will say things about how she gives a lot to charity, but so does, say, Bill Gates, and I doubt someone would get particularly indignant if a stranger said they hated him. And I've heard that Oprah puts weird stipulations on some of her charitable projects, like that weird girls' school in Africa. But the thing is, even if she IS doing a lot of good in the world, that doesn't mean I have to like her personally, does it?

Comments

off topic

[zimbra1006.livejournal.com]

Hey - have you read A Lion Among Men? I thought I remembered you posting about it, but I can't find the post. If so, I was wondering if it's necessary to read Son of a Witch first (I own the latter but haven't read it yet, and then found the third book at the library, which obviously has more of a time limit to it than one I own. :p)

Re: off topic

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've read it, and my review is here (http://vovat.livejournal.com/429654.html). It has some spoilers, though, so you might not want to read the post until you've read the actual book. In answer to your other question, I don't really think having read Son of a Witch is necessary; they really take off from quite different points in Wicked. And there's a timeline at the beginning of Lion, to fill you in on relevant details.

Re: off topic

[suegypt.livejournal.com]

I'm also reading Lion Among Men, and agree with vovat that you don't necessarily have to read the 2nd before the 3rd. I really liked Son, almost as much as Wicked, so i hope Lion will be just as good.

Re: off topic

[zimbra1006.livejournal.com]

Cool, thank you both for the input! I'm gonna go ahead and start on the library book then. :)

[bec-87rb.livejournal.com]

My guess is that people see her as them, only better. One Of Us Reg'lar Folks What Made Good.

I know, I know, but she started out reg'lar, and some people need a hero.

[suegypt.livejournal.com]

I used to like her a lot, mostly because she's from my home state (yawn), but i do, at times, find her irritating, especially with her messianic following and her dispensation of holiness on people like John Travolta.

That said, this year she's a bit more interesting in that her annual whorefest, "My Favorite Things," wherein she was noted for giving away scads of crap to advertise for her sponsors, was this year toned down to practical things, make-it-yourself, and gifts of consideration/time/affection. Much nicer.

And, she did fall of the weight-control wagon bigtime, because of a health scare, and i can certainly feel for that.

[kevenn.livejournal.com]

You would love Kathy Griffin. She rips on Oprah all the time.

"Oprah gets a papercut and she thinks it's stigmata." LOL

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

You've got me. She's good at what she does, but what she does is simply entertainment. (Frankly, I feel the same way about the way Prez. Obama's almost been deified by some people, although at least he's got a chance of accomplishing something in the future.)

Wait, what -- there's somebody who doesn't love Weird Al?

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Well, I know chrisstangl doesn't like Weird Al, although I think he used to.

[revme.livejournal.com]

I remember that back in the day he used to drive me NUTS. Actually one of the reasons I stopped posting/reading a.m.tmbg. Then, shortly after, I kinda stopped reading usenet all together. THE END

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I liked him pretty well, but I can see why someone wouldn't. He had kind of a pretentious manner, as I recall.

[revme.livejournal.com]

Yeah -- and I haven't really kept up with him. And, seriously, that was like, 10 years ago, and, um, if I judged everyone on who they were when they were sixteen...8)

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Well, that's just shameful -- he's a cultural icon.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I'm sure a lot of people would say that about Oprah as well.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Very true! And I don't *dislike* Oprah -- I just don't care about her, one way or the other.