Wednesday, May 28, 2008

In defense of Oprah!

A bitch can hardly believe I’m writing this shit.

I’m not a huge Oprah fan, mostly because I can’t stand to watch public displays of star fucking and I disagree with the emphasis on people giving money when the one thing we all have to give is time.

Having said that…cough…it is a wee bit of a stretch to associate the decline in Oprah’s impressive market share with her support of Obama.

Maybe…just maybe…if the economy weren’t in the toilet and almost all print publications weren't struggling to keep head above water…maybe then you could make the case that a drop in O Magazine circulation is due to her Obama support.

Personally, I think the drop has more to do with a lack of engaging content but I doubt that would make headlines.

Blink.

And maybe…just maybe…if Oprah’s television show hasn’t been dominated by guru adoration or star fucktitude celebrity-based mutual love fests despite the fact that her best years were spent tackling real issues from an emotional angle…maybe then folks could make the case that a her ratings are suffering because of her public political views.

Perhaps, if she weren’t associated with a not all that exciting reality television show (wince) and The Secret (ugh)…mayhap then one could conclude that negative perceptions are due exclusively to her endorsement of Obama.

But a bitch suspects that Oprah’s empire is safe from a massive Obama related decline (just look at the fact that her ratings decline is three years deep)…

…and more vulnerable to the non-political whims of the Head Sistah in Charge.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fewer people at home during the day because nobody can be a stay-at-home parent?

More people watching Ellen?

The further degrading of network TV (3 years - hmm. When did podcasts become mainstream?)

I am staying the hell out of the way of the previous post, by the way. Theyr be monstyrs...

Anonymous said...

Lol, thought I was the only one that wasn't a huge fan of Oprah. U are right though, show lost its appeal to me when it turned starfest. As far as the mag, I can't remember the last time I bought one when they are equal to price of milk...milk wins out!

Jeffrey Ricker said...

A decline in revenue due to a lack of engaging content? Why does that sound--oh, I don't know--somewhat familiar? (wink)

Anonymous said...

Try white backlash attempt to trash the O for her support of O and creating a false meme to convince the malleable that's the reason why. She switched to some lighter topics because she said the emotional shows were exhausting and started to feel exploitative. She switched to spiritual uplift and positive mindset speak thereafter. Actually her show about the O Ambassadors, high school students and teachers dispatched around the world to put their time into projects was great. Call me biased but I really like the participation of Black youth who go to a developing country to see what is really like to be poor and really effing oppressed but not have a victim mentality about it and to still seek joy. The featured a segment with kids in a village that didn't have fresh water and eventually when the kids came back after building a school they raised money for a well. That is better than bling and *itches any day! I have noticed Oprah has really cut back on the celeb kissy-fest. She's featured more shows on financial empowerment and all that boring stuff lately. It's tough to watch than say looking at Will Smith but will certainly be more beneficial to the quality of my life in the end. Oh and heads up - you can buy magazine subscriptions on ebay for dirt cheap and then get on the publisher's list for renewal deals. For i.e. I got 2 yrs of O for $20; 5 yrs of Elle for $13; bonus subs to Latina and Black Enterprise for free and a bunch of others. I do NOT buy them at the newsstand.

roslynholcomb said...

I too stopped watching the show when it became celebrity-dominated. I also don't enjoy all the New Agey stuff either. I do still like Dr. Oz, but not enough to follow the show.

The magazine is still good, but I don't have the time to read it like I used to.

Anonymous said...

Oprah's a phenomenon, especially when you consider where she came from and what she had to overcome. Still, I think it's time to move on. And as you say not everyone has money but everyone has time. That is so well put.

Yankee, Transferred said...

Like Hattie, I love your comment about everyone having time to give. You're brilliant, as always.

storm indigo said...

Maybe the economy is bad and people are less inclined to watch a show and/or buy a magazine full of too expensive products and not enough everyday substance.

I happen to be a fan of Oprah and or her magazine, but I find myself struggling and she's a bit of fluff I can do without.

Anonymous said...

"Call me biased but I really like the participation of Black youth who go to a developing country to see what is really like to be poor and really effing oppressed but not have a victim mentality about it and to still seek joy."

What do you mean by this, Heartsandflowers? What do you define as having a "victim mentality"? I find your generalization of poor people in the third world a bit silly and reminiscent of some problematic narratives. Are you arguing that it's only black Americans that are politicized and observant of power dynamics?

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