I'm a sucker for the quizzes. Today, Dr. Oz and Oprah lead a health related test. She told us all that we, at home, should "play along" with her live audience. I was in the midst of my Best Life Challenge exercise (I was riding my stationary bike while watching the show) and was able to reach and grab a pen and an old receipt to write on (from O Magazine, oddly enough).
First, before I talk about the quiz and how I did, I want to again mention that Oprah has anointed Dr. Oz "America's Doctor." This really bothers me. I even LIKE Dr. Oz, but I'm not thrilled that Oprah has lifted him onto a pedestal. Sure, we're a democracy in this country, but there's a definite parallel to the aristocracy in Oprah's behavior. She's like a queen who grants knighthoods...creating heroes for us all to admire. When do you think Oprah's seal of approval become so powerful?
Also, we've learned that during the original show date, Oprah's blood pressure was 120/70. She was very proud. The audience applauded for her.
Ok - onto the quiz (click here if you want to take it)...out of 16 questions, I got 12 correct. Not so bad. I did learn that urine should NOT be put on a jellyfish sting, so it's safe to go to the beach with me now. I won't pee on you like I might have before I saw the show.
Finally, a last "America's Doctor" assignment from Oprah before the show ended: "Be sure to check him out on XM156, Oprah and Friends, and also on our section of Oprah.com. Keep those questions coming." Ok. I will, I will.
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31 comments:
I like Dr. Oz Too, but I can only be told I'm fat, out of shape, make poor diet choices, my waistline is indicative of early heart disease, my poops is all wrong and my insides look like the pilsbury dough boy's ass cheeks. Please let America's doc go on Safari.
This project reminds me of a quote from Mad Men: "People are so desperate to be told what to do that they'll listen to anybody." What if you spent a year reading philosophy or social theory and then applied the lessons learned to your community? This project kinda feels like another cog in the Oprah machine. Even her rep's quote in the NYT article referenced 'brand' participation! But I guess you do get to have it both ways: you get to artfully distance yourself from the marketing of the program while at the same time profiting from it. The levels of irony are juicy, I have to say. I would rather take that $2,000 already spent on maintaining the Oprah way and donate it to a needy family, but I guess you'll recoup that cost with the book advance anyway.
LO - loved the article in the NYT. I do agree there are folks who want to be told what to do and if Oprah wasn't around they'd find someone else to tell them. I beleive that although you follow her advice - you also think about it first and that is a good thing and sort of the point of your year - correct? Also - don't know if you saw the show were Dr. Oz was talking about the symptoms of colan cancer - a woman watching the show freaked out because she had some of them - went to her MD & she indeed had colan had cancer. Listening to Dr. Oz saved her life - so not a bad thing either.
Good luck with the kitty - both of ours are adopted from the pound and we love love love them!
Congrats on the NYT article! I wasn't convinced they really got the subtlety of what you're doing as cultural critique and performance art, but as they say about publicity--"at least they spelled your name right."
Your mention of the Best Life Challenge made me remember a speculation I had watching reruns earlier this summer--I think Oprah let the BLC fall by the wayside when she herself fell off the wagon, around about the time of the abuse scandal at her school. She looked really awful for a while after that, and I'm sure she didn't need Bob Green chastising her for her stress-related eating during that time.
I got the jellyfish question wrong, too. :)
"has the deliberate movements of someone who uses her body for a living..."
That was rather unfortunate wording imo, even though I know what they were trying to say.
I am glad word is getting out there... and, egads, now you know that Harpo has some idea that you're doing this. Is big brother--or sista--watching?
I took the quiz... I got a nine. I would have peed on the jellyfish sting, too.
I just read the NYT's article which was reprinted in our local paper here in Halifax. As an avid Oprah Show fan I couldn't wait to check you out.
You asked if we took Oprah's advice. I try to. I want to. But somehow I always fall short of the unattainable "authentic" life.
For instance, after her last show on the Secret I bought a Vision Board to put above a dresser in my bedroom. I have just the spot for it. But, wait..I have to put nails in the walls. Shouldn't I paint the wall? It hasn't been painted since my husband left several years ago. Doesn't Oprah and her decorating guru admonish us that our bedroom should be a sanctuary? Shouldn't I turn it into an oasis of calm before I put the board up?
Hmm, first I need to get rid of the extra pieces of furniture my two daughters moved into my room as they updated there's. Where am I going to put them? I have so much old stuff maybe I'm turning into one of those hoarders I saw on the Oprah show. Isn't the guy's name Peter? that they call in to fix them?
I should call one of those junk haulers to cart all the junk from the house, garage and basement before my relatives have to stage an intervention.
But, I can't get the garage door up. Or if I get it up I might not be able to get it down, then I'll have to call the ex to help me. And we're having some tense times right now and I hate to ask him for a favour. Oprah had a guest on that says we shouldn't argue in front of our kids (hmm, that might've been Dr. Phil) because it changes who they are. So now I have to take the phone out to the car so my kids can't overhear our conversations.
I know if i just had that vision board up all of life's road bumps would disappear. Where did I put it...?
Found you via a Salon article about the NYT article.
Interesting experiment. I will put you on my bloglines and follow a bit, if you don't mind.
When did Oprah become so powerful? When we let her. That said, I like Oprah though I don't think she is in touch with the everywoman as she was a decade ago. Still, she is a contradiction (like we all are) and she is constantly striving for "perfection" of self (like we all do) because she is as much a victim of society's expectations of women - aging women especially - as any one of us. Fame and money don't exempt her.
Good luck with your project!
LO,
I was excited to see the NYT article, and read it with great interest. I've been following your experiment since March and I have a lot of respect for you and what you are trying to do.
I feel a bit torn for you on all the publicity you are getting right now. On one hand, it's great that so many people are aware of your experiment and are able to take a look at their own life as it relates to all this stuff. Plus I would imagine that you are getting more hits and more support for your project. On the other hand, it seems to have attracted some folks who feel like they need to educate you in the error of your ways, or judge you for taking on this challenge. I'm not sure if they don't get what you're doing, or just see the word "Oprah" and react negatively. Whatever the case, I hope you know how many of us check in with you daily not only to get your take on that day's show, but also to be enlightened and entertained by your intelligence and wit. Thank you for having the guts to do this, do it publicly, and invite us all along for the ride!
I got the "how often should you have sex" question wrong, but I found the explanation troubling. Dr. Oz says that having 200+ orgasms a year will positively affect your real age. Okay, but equating having sex 200 times with having 200 orgasms seems way too male centric. A woman could have sex 200 times and have 400 orgasms, or, and perhaps more likely, none. And if the orgasm is the key then why didn't he say women should buy a vibrator or make their pleasure a central part of partner sex? I know it was just a three-sentence explanation, but he shouldn't have ignored that intercourse doesn't automatically mean orgasm for most women.
I got a 13 on the quiz which isn't bad considering I've never watched a Doctor Oz episode of Oprah. I don't say that to be haughty or anything, I just don't like the Oprah shows that are all about what I should be doing. They bring up all the questions I'm now seeing you address in this blog, so that's fascinating.
tif got 13 correct! woo hoo! it's vinegar, silly--not pee.
Dr. Oz is wrong about the tick - the dr. at the er where a tick was removed from my daughter's ear said the best way is to suffocate it in oil and then pluck it out. If you just pluck it, it leaves its head behind to cause infection. Burning also works to cause the tick to extract its head trying to escape.
If I remember correctly, Dr. Phil was the first of Oprah's anointings.
Hi Robyn--It's Julie from your Sunday morning class....I just found out about this via the Red Eye--what a project! I'll have to chk out the NYT article--how cool :) I don't know all that much about Oprah, (I don't watch TV), but I do read "O" once in a while....
I find your project intriguing. In fact, I would like to honor your commitment by sharing my own. Please visit http://www.livingnoprah.com to see the other side of the story.
I know this isn't a competition, so let me say this: May the best of us win!
jurl, you always make me laugh. i am always thrilled to see your name pop up.
oh nick. thanks for the critique. please do come back as the project progresses and feel free to leave your thoughts.
hb, thank you so much for dropping a line. yes, i definitely look at all her advice critically. i'm definitely not following blindly. i'm following through without question, but i think of it as "product testing." great point about the woman with colon cancer - good things can absolutely come from O's show. yea! adopted kitties!
sphinxie - hey! so good to hear from you. yeah, i was concerned about that. i hope it's clear once people read more on my site, but i can do a better job of making it more obvious too. thanks for that feedback. that's helpful. too true about the BLC stuff. nice point.
judes! HAHAHA! my dad was totally freaked by that line. too funny. and i'm glad i'm in good company in urineland.
anne m. something you said realllly stands out to me. and it's the idea of the "unattainable authentic life" - wow. that is so deep. do you think we all know it's unattainable and yet think we SHOULD be able to meet those expectations? your comment is terrific. i hope you come back and keep adding your thoughts to the discussion.
anniegirl1138. first- is your name a nod to THX? great to know about salon.com - i wasn't aware there was a mention there. and your comment about our responsibility in giving her her power is exactly my feeling these days. i don't think Oprah (the brand) can exist without us feeding the machine.
jamie, i can't express how much your words mean to me. (also, my mom wanted to let you know how happy she was to read this as well!) thank you so much for your support - both for the project and the boost you've given me personally! xo
jenn, how terrific is your point?! it was incredibly male-centric advice for a mainly-female audience. brill.
ioio, but what if i recently ate salad heavily laden with vinegar? THEN could i pee on the jellyfish sting?
paula, i was told the same thing as you were. although - i did hear the reason they stopped telling people to burn the ticks was that some folks were burning themselves and NOT the insect.
julie! my worlds collide! welcome to the project and thanks for writing. i'll see you soon at the studio.
xoLO
living noprah - we'll have to compare notes at the end of our grueling years. best of luck.
Hee hee...Omentum Song!
yogajen - i think it's gonna hit Top 10 on the Billboard charts anyday now. xoLO
I noticed that Red Eye syndicated the NYT piece yesterday, so everybody on the train was reading about you (again.)
sphinxie, i had the weirdest experience with that. i had no idea they were picking up the story! at around noon, some yoga students told me i was in the paper. on my way home from teaching that class, i was on a bus with a bunch of people reading the Red Eye - a few with their papers open to the story about me. it was really surreal and kind of uncomfortable. i slumped way down in my seat and alternated between supressing giggles and being very embarrassed. i am very outgoing with the people i know, but tend to get shy around strangers, especially if i'm unprepared. it was BIZARRE to say the least! still, of course, i was really grateful for the interest. i just wish i had know it was coming! xoLO
I got the jellyfish answer wrong too. I answered "Fresh water." But when they gave me the correct answer they said "water," then "vinegar." So how is "Fresh water" wrong?
anon - you were robbed! actually - on the show, dr. oz said salt water was ok but fresh would make the sting feel worse. he didn't really elaborate, but he was saying the more acidic the liquid, the better. still, i think the online quiz suckered you! :) xoLO
I got 11 out of 16. And, apparently, I'm not having sex often enough.
Hi! I LOVE Living Oprah. I think it's important to note to those assuming you just really love Oprah- that this is a performance project - it is art. Art is meant to provoke and challenge. And that is exactly what you are doing. I think it's very important to create a forum where we wrestle with the mixed bag message that Oprah dishes - spiritual consumerism.
It's funny, I used to watch Dr. Phil way back when. I stopped watching in protest after a disgusting episode where he had three women on who wanted to get boob jobs. He set up the show like he was aiming to get them to accept and love themselves for who they were - but at the last minute he surprised them by, not only sanctioning their implants, but PAYING for them! That episode left a bad taste in my mouth for Oprah because she anointed him as America's therapist. I remember thinking, "man, women don't have shot in this world..."
I think your blog is genius.
The NYT article piqued my curiosity, so I logged on and wasn't disappointed. I love what you're doing and plan to check in for the rest of your year.
Re Dr. Oz, I agree that it's a bit "regal" for Oprah to be anointing anyone America's anything. But, the reality is that once she does, the recipient really does gain instant credibility and desirability. I actually think Dr. Oz is a little creepy. Why does he always wear his scrubs? Does he want to be ready in case someone in the audience needs emergency surgery?
Keep writing and keep Oprah-actualizing. You've got me hooked
Expect some new visitors to your blog. There's mention of your LO project and website/blog on pg.7 of the newest issue of TV Guide for the week of Aug. 25-31!
michelle, you and me both, sister.
cathy, thank you so much. it's so nice to hear that my purpose is understood. sometimes i worry. and OMG - i didn't know that story about Dr. Phil. that makes me SICK. (although, i wish i had seen it so i could be even MORE incensed!
gemini girl, aw shucks. thanks for letting me know!
calnah, hey thanks! you know, i used to like Dr. Oz A LOT more before i started this project. i'm a little creeped out about how much he needs to have his hands all over Oprah. it's odd how much he touches her.
jackie, WHAT?!?! omg. this whole thing gets stranger and stranger. thanks for the heads up! :)
xo
LO
I think the anointing started with Dr. Phil. It just exploded from there - Dr. Oz, Rachel Ray, Suze Orman ... Remember when it was just Gayle?
Good thing you aren't doing a "Living Friends" project because then you would have to pee on or be peed on in case of a jelly fish sting.
Jackie's news is awesome, LO! I took the quiz. The lady's excuse for missing the poop question was ridic. I got the jellyfish question wrong too. Besides, who takes vinegar with them to the beach? We need immediate relief! LOL. BTW, Dr. Oz must have some fantastic wife, or secretary....
I don't think that Oprah actually grants Knighthoods, I think we are fairly good at that ourselves. She offers us and Americans what we don't often have access to. I like Dr. Oz and I think he has done a good job of educating people in the process of being so publicized on the Oprah show. There are millions of Americans who are without health care. Not as fortunate as we canadians.
I like your blog and glad you watch Oprah because I think little by little she may plow down some of the unhealth structures we have built in both out thinking and actions.
Keep blogging.
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