Reasons to Hate Oprah

Some of us remember the days when Oprah was simply another morning host for WJZ-TV in Baltimore doing Dialing for Dollars promos. If you saw her work then (very brief example here), you'd have seen an enthusiastic and perky woman who seems almost human. There was little indication that Oprah Winfrey would become OPRAH!

With each passing year, my distaste for Oprah grows by leaps and bounds. While she once was a common girl who made good, these days Oprah is now indistinguishable from her brand. There are now numerous reasons to hate Oprah.

I'M FAT! I'M SKINNY! I'M FAT! I'M SKINNY! I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION!

As a yo-yo who has dieted, I understand yo-yo dieting. It's hard to lose weight and keep it off. Oprah's famous stunt of hauling a chunk of fat in a wagon behind her new skinny body was brilliant. But her subsequent gain, loss, gain, loss cycle makes me wonder if the problem was less about Oprah's will power and more about her desire to have a show topic. With her millions of dollars, she certainly can afford the dietician, fitness coach, chef, nutritionist, and exercise equipment necessary to keep her weight down.

THE OPRAH SCHOOL

Oprah made her millions in the states. But when Oprah decided to open her private academy for girls, she opened it in South Africa. While charity is to be commended, I don't understand why Oprah didn't do something about the issues that make it difficult for kids to get a decent education in THIS country. Surely there are some schools that need assistance in her own Chicago.

OPRAH MAGAZINE

I've always wondered how anyone tells one issue of Oprah's magazine from another. Each issue is filled with the same new age, find your spirit crap that Oprah's been pushing for years, and each one has her face smiling back at you. While I can understand wanting to build the brand, shouldn't a magazine by OPRAH! be able to stand by itself without her picture on the front reassuring you that you bought the right magazine?

OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB

Oprah has encouraged adults to read, and for that, she should be commended. But as it blossomed from show topic to yet another extension of the OPRAH brand, it became clear that Oprah's ego was more important than discussing important books. Two cases in point, Jonathan Franzen and James Frey.

Jonathan Franzen wrote a highly praised book called The Corrections. Oprah selected his book for the Oprah Book Club. Between the time he was selected and the time he was to appear on Oprah, he was quoted in the Oregonian, saying he originally considered turning the offer down. In response to the branding of his book with the Oprah Book Club logo, he said "I see this as my book, my creation, and I didn't want that logo of corporate ownership on it." This seems like an honest response from any author who has spent his life trying to create great fiction. Nobody wants to see their own name on the work as less important than the logo on the book jacket it comes in. Oprah's mature response to this artist she claimed to love? She cancelled his appearance.

Next up was James Frey, whose memoir A Million Little Pieces was praised to the heavens on Oprah and then later revealed to be a fraud. Oprah's response to this was also telling. When she first heard of the deception, she tried to save face by phoning Larry King in his defense and saying that it was "Much ado about nothing." Two weeks later, after being savaged by critics for these statements, Oprah decided to save her integrity by doing the only thing she could do. She blamed everyone else for the slip up, then had Frey on her show to criticize him for daring to deceive Queen Oprah. Oprah's message in these incidents is clear. The book club is not about books, it's about Oprah.

OPRAH'S DOG

Oprah's dog died choking on a toy. This sad event would upset most of us. Of course, Oprah showed how much the incident affected her by turning it into an article for her magazine. She's not so much overcome by grief at a beloved pet, but gratitude that it pointed out that Oprah wasn't paying enough attention to Oprah.

DR. PHIL

It is hard to believe that Oprah could be friends with a guy whose ego is at least as large as hers, but somehow she is. If Oprah is to be disliked for nothing else, she deserves our unending hatred for putting Dr. Phil on the air. This man is not licensed to practice psychology, yet somehow is qualified enough to try and solve a lifetime of problems in a single one hour show. His attempt to advise Britney Spears was only his latest egomaniacal move, capped by the stunning show of good sense on Britney's part to reject him.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE O!

In the end, the biggest complaint about Oprah is that her ego now knows no bounds. The magazine, book club, show, and even her charitable "giving" are less about trying to help others or inform, and more about the brand/person that is OPRAH! She no longer seems capable of reacting or acting like the normal person she was when she started gaining fame. Her reactions and actions are shaped by the fact that she is now a famous person and famous brand, and not any true understanding of the human condition.

That said, Oprah, if I ever get around to finishing the novel that I've started, I'm more than willing to plaster your logo all over my book. Heck, you can name even retitle it Oprah Book Club if you want.