Oprah's African School - Too Much Coverage & Self Promotion?

[pianoman215]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 11:47am

I am all for charity and I admire Oprah for what she does for the world with her millions, however I find the "look at me" and "watch my special" theatrics that are tied to her charity work to be rather self serving. Doesn't the highest form of charity involve a situation where the donor is anonymous and gets no recognition for the donation? So much of this seems to be done for ratings, not only on her own show, but in prime time. I am all for drawing attention to a cause and a problem, but there are ways to do it that doesn't smack of self-promotion.

Updated On: 2/26/07 at 11:47 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 11:59am

Oprah has a messiah complex, that's been evident for years. HOWEVER! If its used for good, I got no problem with it.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:00pm

Oprah has accomplished some wonderful things, but let's face it, she is a master of self-promotion. I seem to recall several places in the Bible (old and new testaments) where it suggests that charity be done in secret, so that you do it for the right unselfish reasons. I would admire her more if she let her money do the talking, and did not have television cameras and full page magazine spreads. But whatever.

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:02pm

I'm just curious as to what you think Oprah needs to promote anymore? Do you think she's doing this to keep in the public eye? She doesn't NEED to create a TV special about how she spends "her millions" on charity efforts to keep her ratings up, TV is her medium. That's what she does. And if she did we'd be seeing an Oprah special about every other week. She's doing this special because it's an amazing story about her journey and opportunity in helping these girls in South Africa, which is something she promised to do to Nelson Mandela on her show years ago. Oprah does not need to self-promote anymore. Yes, she is that big.

[RadiGal2]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:04pm

My opinion seems to reflect that of the consensus-- that it goes to good use great, but the self-aggrandizing is just a bit painful to humanitarians-- you know those unknown folks that fight the good fight simply because it's just do the right thing to do.

[pianoman215]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:04pm

Glad to know I am not being a Scrooge in feeling the way I do. I see the commercial for her school special and it just makes me feel uncomfortable having these girls paraded around so that Oprah can show the world how wonderful she is for doing what she did, changing the lives of these young women. There are ways to give and to get others to give without the blatant self-promotion that seem to rise out of everything she does for others.

[pianoman215]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:07pm

Sid, then the special should be about the school and the kids, not about Oprah and what building the school did for Oprah. The focus on the commecial at least focuses on Oprah and not the school or the kids. Perhaps the special itself will be different, but what I take away from the promotions for the special make it all about Oprah and I find that wrong.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:11pm

First my disclaimer. I don't watch her show. I don't care for her, but that doesn't rise to dislike.

She is first anf foremost a self promoter. The problem is most of the time her self promotion is both egoistic and altruistic.

So I say, knock yourself out Oprah. I'll just watch something else.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:15pm

Sid, if Oprah doesn't need to self-promote, why does she? I agree, she hardly needs to, being one of the richaest and most powerful people in the United States. That's what makes the original question so intriguing.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:16pm

Broadcast News forever made it difficult for me not to question the "magic" of a cameraman and the subject's tear ducts working in synch.

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:21pm

seem to recall several places in the Bible (old and new testaments) where it suggests that charity be done in secret, so that you do it for the right unselfish reasons

Does Oprah normally going around spouting scripture or telling people to follow their lives according to it? No. Then what the Bible says really has zero relevance here.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:24pm

I'm sorry, but at least her "self-promotion" is going towards helping others as opposed to the self promotion of Paris Hilton and the like.

[DG]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:30pm

If part of the validity of publicizing this project is to show what helping others can bring into your own life experience, then there is every reason to have her be a part of what is shown.

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:33pm

And say what you want, but people do listen to Oprah and follow her example. Blame people for being lemmings if you want, but at least the woman is trying to make an example of taking her good fortune and paying it forward.


Edited to add a missing word.

Updated On: 2/26/07 at 12:33 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:07pm

Doesn't the highest form of charity involve a situation where the donor is anonymous and gets no recognition for the donation?

I am a lukewarmish fan of the woman (I love her involvement in The Color Purple, but can not stand the 'gimmie gimmie'ness of her studio audience, viewers, guests, etc on her actual show) but there's no way for Oprah to do that, could you imagine the "OMG can you believe that Oprah has all of this money and she isn't like donating it or anything?" that she'd get from the press, from the public, etc. It would be cool if her donations were her business, like my donations are mine, but there's just no way for that to happen for Oprah.

And plus even if she wasn't being all Oprah about her school and such and had managed to build it without telling us all about it via a tv special, the press would have just ended up telling me all about it anyway. I can be an anonymous donor, I just don't see how Oprah could.
Updated On: 2/26/07 at 01:07 PM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:08pm

Why WOULDN'T one want to bring attention to important issues? Why do people have to assume it's about self promotion? Why do you think you could possibly know her motivations?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:20pm

I think that Oprah is also media-savvy enough to understand the power of her influence. If she makes a big deal about her reading club, suddenly non-readers are actually reading a book that just may broaden their horizons.

If it suddenly becomes fashionable to care about schools and charities in Africa, is that such a bad thing?

Yeah, I'm sure that there is ego involved. And it probably feels pretty damn good to watch your dreams take shape and be praised for it. But it is so refreshing to watch someone spend her fortune on others and improving their lot in life, I have no problem if there is a prime time special about it. I won't be watching it, but I do wish Oprah and the school well. An if you take it a step further, this school is really creating potential female leaders of tomorrow. I think this IS a pretty big deal.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:26pm

^
What she said!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:26pm

what, oprah? the kids in chicago get no love? ya gotta go to africa to build a school? more proof (along with that god-awful monstrosity on 53rd street) that oprah hates america.

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:27pm

That girl from American Idol hates America more.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:29pm

who? kelly clarkson? she just hates america because george bush won't declare war on kfc and as a result her ass continues to expand at a geometric rate.

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:34pm

No, the one who had sex on a WWII memorial or something.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:40pm

kringas, that was you, hun, not the american idol person.

[pianoman215]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:50pm

Of course, no one ever speculates on these boards Jerby, do they, huh?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:52pm

i have an almost transparent knowledge of her soul and this is about her, not them starving little bloated colored chilluns.