Am I Really Going to Post About This?

Yes, I guess I am.

Now, I've not been a huge watcher of Oprah in my mothering life, but I do have stretches of time where I'll catch it fairly regularly (thank you, TiVo). And then I don't watch it at all for months - who has the time?? Anyhow, I got to thinking the other day, I'm not really a fan of her particular philosophies or her life message, and she can really get preachy about it sometimes, but I do think her show has focused on issues that really need to be dealt with, acknowledged, discussed, etc. So, here's my list of the Good and Bad about Oprah.

Good:
1. Her segments that focus on needed humanitarian efforts AND the needed financial resources she personally, and her Angel Network, provide for those causes. (Hurricane Katrina relief, the aftermath of the Tsunami in Indonesia, women's medical and health issues in African nations, AIDS education and relief, and SO many others I'm forgetting at this moment.)

2. Her vigilance in speaking out about child molestation/child predators (especially via the internet), AND posting the photos of WANTED child molesters - who ended up being aprehended once they were identified.

3. Bringing to light societal 'secret' issues such as, the child trafficking/prostitution rings in America, Crystal Meth use among stay-at-home Suburban moms, and the whole "On the Down Low" issue - gay african american men - something I knew absolutely nothing about before I watched her show.

4. The fashion shows for REAL women's bodies, and helping to identify what clothing work best. I love that she included the Dove Real Beauty campaign and the women they feature in their advertising.

5. Her message to mothers, that they are doing 'the hardest job in the world'.

Bad:
1. The Tom Cruise show (I caught that one the day it aired - oh my)

2. The flip side of any celebrity show - meaning - when she has celebrities on, she's very gracious and chummy with them all - which I understand. Here's the 'flip side' of that: She has 'real' folks on, and REALLY takes them to task over stuff. On the "When I Knew" show ( as in 'when I knew I was gay') she had a mother and teenage daughter on (the teenage daughter was gay) and the mom was being very honest about her feelings about it and Oprah just raked her over the coals about it. I mean, quite a few parents out there would struggle with having a child tell them they're gay, and Oprah seemed to want to make an example out of this lady. If that's how she feels, ok, but my issue is that she would NEVER talk to a celebrity that way.

3. The Concerts. Sometimes I do like the musical artists she has on, but I just don't think it works on a daytime TV show format. (Although, the Faith Hill one was pretty good - and I don't even listen to Country).

4. The whole James Frey "A Million Little Pieces" - book thing. Wow, that was crazy. I didn't like that she pushed that book so hard from the beginning, and for the longest time prior to that said that there wasn't much out there in the literary world worth putting on her book club. (What?! Why does she decide what is 'good' or 'worthy' writing?)

Well, I guess that's all I've got so far. I don't even know if I'll catch any of the episodes in the fall season since my son no longer naps *sigh*. (I'm still in mouring over the loss of naps). The whole Oprah thing is just funny in a way. I have some friends who are borderline-snobby about it - in that they do NOT watch Oprah, thank you very much. And then there are others who watch it - every. single. day. (My little sis Tivo's it and watches it at night.) Ok, and here's my last Oprah comment - a question really: Why are guys so opposed to watching it? (Let us all hear the men say in unison "Chick Show") Like it somehow calls into question their masculinity if they even admit to watching an episode. Here's a show idea for her! Men Who Watch Oprah ( . . . And the Women Who Make Them - jk). I think I'll send her an email now.