Oprah Winfrey has had a profound impact upon my life. Why? Because I grew up in America in the last two decades, that's why. I couldn't have avoided her influence if I'd wanted to.
She has influenced my entire generation on everything from self-esteem to self-defense to self-selfness. She informs the books we read (or re-read), she influences how much we know about our colons, and in numerous ways she has given us permission to like ourselves. That is something for which we all owe her a great deal.
I must also disclose that I admire her. She sets a good example in many aspects of her life. Her charitable example is something that I appreciate. She puts bounties on the heads of child abusers and rapists, what's not to like about that? She has had the same best friend since forever. She seems like a good egg.
So why do I feel a little betrayed that she is endorsing a candidate for president? Is it wrong for me to wish that she kept that to herself? Her endorsement gives Barak Obama something that no other candidate can hope to have: the backing of someone who has been such an influence on American women's world view, who has defined many rights and wrongs for a lot of people. Having Oprah endorse someone is like having a favorite aunt endorse a candidate. How can you ignore Aunt Oprah who has always seemed to have our best interest at heart? And while, as adults we all make our own decisions it still seems a little unfair.
Time wrote a piece about the Oprah endorsement and had this to say about the landscape of Oprah's influence.
From the demographics of visitors to her site oprah.com, we can get an idea of the typical Oprah follower. For the four weeks ending May 5, 2007, 72.8% of Oprah's visitors were female, 66.4% of her visitors were 35 or older. Internet users in Obama and Oprah's home state of Illinois are more than twice as likely to visit the Oprah website than the average American Internet user. Over 35% of Oprah U.S. visitors hail from key voting states; California, Illinois, New York, Texas and Florida.
Do any of those statistics sound familiar? You. Me. All of our best buddies. What's the answer here? Should I just get over it? Should I let it fester until my colon starts reacting?
I just don't know. Please let me know what you think.
I'm sorry to say that I am not of the devoted Oprah following - and this is exactly the reason why. If anyone DOES have that much influence over us, it is our own fault. The fact that everyone is running for cover because Oprah has voiced an opinion makes me really mad. I will give you that the woman does a lot of good, but I see the problem here with a society that puts that much stock into what ANYONE thinks. Are people really that afraid to think for themselves?
Sorry. Didn't mean to spout off there. :-)
Posted by: Christie | September 11, 2007 at 11:27 AM
I agree with Christie and I wish we were a country that could think for themselves a little more. Unfortunately, many are followers of those in the public eye and it is a shame that Oprah has taken her "fame and influence" and used it to endorse a particular candidate. I will still vote for who I want, but I know she will influence many. My only hope is that she may encourage those people to vote who would not normally, but also that they first look at all the candidates before choosing the right one for them. That is what she should be endorsing, the right to vote, not who to vote for.
Posted by: Lady by the Creek | September 11, 2007 at 12:24 PM
I wish entertainers would resist the temptation to use their popularity to influence the opinions of their fans.
Amen, Christie.
Posted by: Hoosier Mama | September 11, 2007 at 12:52 PM
Ditto to all above.
Also, did you know that Oprah has not voted in a Presidential primary in over 20 years? Nice example.
I wish that celebs would keep their opinions to themselves for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which being that I normally disagree with them and then I have a hard time enjoying their work. Also, my concern with Oprah, as already stated, is that she is so trusted by so many who will probably TRUST that she has done all the research for them and will accept her opinion as fact.
Sorry for the doctoral thesis length comment, but as you know I have STRONG opinions about these issues!
Posted by: New Diva on the Blog | September 11, 2007 at 01:02 PM
Great post today! I am a watcher of Oprah when the topic interests me, (i.e. Nate's decorating!) and I've even run out a time or two to buy a product that she declared wonderful. But I have to agree, public figures like her should keep their politicial opinions to themselves. What is going to happen is that Obama will get a large number of votes from Oprah followers, simply because Oprah says that is who she is voting for. And, actually, I think that Oprah knows the influence she has on people and put her endorsement out there because she knew it would get her following to vote for the candidate of her choice. I just don't think it's right, either.
Posted by: Lisa@Take90West | September 11, 2007 at 04:33 PM
Ugh. Don't even get me STARTED about celebrities getting all involved in politics. Makes me soooooo annoyed. Especially when they try to speak and be all profound. (The celebrities, I mean. Well, actually some politicians too....)
Posted by: girlymama | September 11, 2007 at 04:39 PM
I don't know what I think - I don't think it's appropriate, certainly, and I wish that celebrities would realize that the amount of butt-kissing they get does not actually make them experts on world affairs.
Posted by: Beck | September 11, 2007 at 08:35 PM
I don't watch Oprah, my wife loves to watch her show. I prefer Ellen. I just want to laugh. I have no brain and therefore cannot process anything of substance.
Posted by: Daddy Forever | September 11, 2007 at 10:58 PM
I appreciate a good Oprah episode and everything you wrote about regarding Oprah - I feel the same way.
But I do not appreciate her publicly backing a presidential candidate. I think it's a very personal thing and she should have kept it private.
Posted by: Beth F. | September 12, 2007 at 10:36 PM