Hi y'all! So, I thought I'd throw out the "big three" I heard everyone talking about as a result of this week's shows. Actually - two of them were bigger with you...one issue was a stand-out in my mind.
1. KFC. Hasn't Oprah told us to only eat free range chicken that's been cuddled and loved and given a college education? Does KFC do this? I have mixed feelings about one component of the free coupon controversy. On one hand, people need food! Who am I to judge where it comes from? On the other hand, EW! KFC! I used to live near one and the smell that eminated from the dumpsters of that building in the morning made me ill. I always held my breath as I passed. Yes, they're now making grilled chicken...but they're also mainly serving unheathy food that goes against everything Bob Greene, Dr. Oz and others have been teaching us to eat on Oprah's show. Does this matter to you?
2. Bullying. I received a couple missives that address another component of the bullying issue. That is the use of the word "fag" to insult another child. As if the worst thing a person could be called is gay. It's slung as an insult and it's received as a blow to a child's self-esteem. Some folks were disturbed that Oprah didn't address this issue specifically. What do you think?
3. Elizabeth Edwards. Ok, this one was my issue. The 600-pound gorilla in the room for me was the fact that Oprah has had an affair with a married man. When Edwards railed against women who would hone in on another woman's husband, I really wished I could read Winfrey's mind. Also, on today's live episode, Oprah called the woman John Edwards has a affair with his "mistress." I remember Oprah insisting that she was NOT a mistress when she had an affair. As if mistress was a dirty word. Why would she use it to describe another woman?
Today's show made me want meat. If you saw the episode, you know what I mean. MEAT. Just when I was considering going back to vegetarianism...
And - where is Dr. Oz going? I saw at the end of the show, a promotion for a future episode where we'll be bidding adieu to the Ozster. What's the 411?
That's it. Sorry for the quick and dirty note today. I didn't have a ton of time, but REALLY wanted to hear your thoughts on these topics...
I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
xo
LO
PS. THANK YOU for your heartfelt thoughts and personal stories about bullying. Some of you posted here, some on my Facebook page, and some dropped me an email. I got all teary as I read your experiences. Thank you for your candor. I feel really honored that you were as open as you were with me and with the other readers here.
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17 comments:
He's getting his own show, so maybe they are saying good-bye to promote his new project?
LO, so glad to see you blogging.
O had an affair with a married man? Who, when? Was Steadman married when she was (is she still?) with him? O fans, please fill me in!
Hi LO,
On the KFC thing: As a mostly-vegetarian, I was pretty offended by this one. No, not because of the meat. I'm cool with people eating meat (food chain, right?) but my big issue is with the tortured animals that most fast food places serve. Cage-free, free-range, humanely slaughtered meat is the way to go. KFC is particularly cruel to its chickens...I don't want to describe what they do here, but suffice it to say that most people would be horrified if they knew (check out PETA if you want the details, they've been campaigning for better rights for these chickens for years). Anyway, as Oprah claims to love animals (puppy mill shows, anyone?) it's pretty hypocritical for her to essentially endorse treatment of chickens that's much worse than what goes on in puppy mills. I would really like to see her address this issue, and I can say that I lost some respect for her over this one.
-Rachel
Yay LO! I love the conversations on your blog about Oprah!
KFC- I make a point of never getting grilled chicken at chain restaurants because the chicken always has a preserved taste to me. My favorite chicken outlet is Popeyes so if she gave out free coupons there I would be first in line for beans and rice and the spicy dark meat. I'll skip the KFC
Bullying- I talked about this show with my husband who was bullied as a child for his hearing impairment. He was highly offended by the suggestion that calling kids "fag" or "gay" is any more hurtful than "deaf boy". Bullying is bullying and has the same effect on the victim regardless of the language. My husband stood up for himself forcefully and had friends who rallied around him so he was able to get the bullies to leave him alone.
I noticed that my son who is at that awkward age when this stuff begins was starting to use the word "gay" as a criticism. I got all over him about it explaining what that means and that when you use words in that way, you make anyone who really is gay inside feel like they are less valued. It is tricky because I think kids his age do really notice levels of traditional masculinity and feminity. This awareness is a part of adolescence. I hope I can continue to find the right words to keep my son on a positive, accepting path as he navigates this part of growing up.
Elizabeth Edwards- Ugh.. what a messy situation. Oprah's makeup really was bad.
Isnt' Dr. Oz getting his own show on the Discovery Network? I can't wait until he goes and I can easily not watch him anymore. I do thank Dr. Oz for telling us about the neti pot. My sinuses are grateful for that.
My son had to remove our 12 year old grandson from a large city middle school after months of his being bullied. The administration never took it serious. Only happens if a staff person sees it.
He totally changed this year, sad, poor grades. After being transfered to a private Catholic school it has completely turned around. We will be helping by paying the 4.000. per year. I feel that the bullies have affected all of our lives. We should have been able to stay in the public schools that we pay taxes for.
Just found this about Dr. Oz and his new show:
http://daytimetalk.com/2009/01/23/new-dr-oz-show-to-be-based-in-manhattan/
I didn't see any of these shows... but I was kind of appalled by the KFC offer. Especially since she was lamenting her weight at the beginning of the year.
Bullying - been there but school admins didn't take it seriously. I was never so glad to leave anywhere as I was to leave my hometown. I could be me without worrying about being harrassed.
I can't really say anything about the Edwards situation. I don't think that airing your dirty laundry does anyone any good especially when there are kids involved.
Re: Elizabeth Edwards railing against women who go after married men---As I stated on Facebook, that interview was severely edited. Oprah could have easily had it deleted from the segment. From observation Oprah appears to be "above it all." Lesser mortals are called mistresses and lesser mortals have adulterous affairs. It's different when Oprah does it. Surely you understand that!
Re: Dr. Oz---I'm so happy to wave good-bye to him. There are possibly millions of doctors in this world. Why is he the village expert? He had some good things to say so I'll leave it at that.
Oh how I love this blog. Thanks LO for taking time to open the forum again.
I worked at KFC over a summer, one of my very first jobs. All of your reservations about eating there are well founded - just from the health perspective alone, GROSS!
Look, I'm vegetarian and so I wouldn't take the KFC offer even if you paid me...
BUT, the "thank you's" mentioned on Friday's show illustrate how out of touch you and your readers are - and how much a "hook up" like the KFC offer means to people right now. People are in need in this economic climate and KFC is one of the affordable options out there for them.
Above, Rachel says, "Cage-free, free-range, humanely slaughtered meat is the way to go." How much do you think that type of meat costs? How many Oprah viewers can afford it in this economy?
Didn't you feel just a little happy when the mom wrote in to say that she could give her laid-off son and his wife an anniversary dinner from KFC?
it seems odd that Oprah would promote eating at KFC when their greasy food is so contrary to all her other dieting advice
Wait, you have facebook? Omgosh, I'm so out of the LO loop!
Bullying...I think we're all too sensitive nowadays, although I do remember 8th grade coming home every afternoon because the Colonel's son up the street from us picked on me relentlessly; and then when I reconnected with a mutual friend, said friend suggested I add the Colonel's son to my Facebook friends. I was immediately thrown back to 8th grade and wanting to just sit in my house and not leave. It's been over a decade (almost 2?) since 8th grade and yet that was such a huge impact on my life.
LO, I often wonder about the things you wrote about in this post. It's one thing to be balanced and objective, it's another to say contradictory things.
And on the subject of E. Edwards, when she was saying what she was saying I was saying "I wonder what Oprah is thinking now", Was she even thinking anything?
All kids have been or are bullied at some point. The importance is the feedback they are getting from their parents bout how to deal with it. I have been a bully and i have been bullied. Words have become stronger and sadly children and teens are often ignorant to how their words affect others. If more schools taught kids how to treat each other and how to work out differences no matter what then things would be easier. I used to go to a school where there was mediation sessions but they were never mandatory. Heck if they were i would be there on a daily basis.
I thought about Oprah's affair during that show too...but according to her the man didn't even live with his wife anymore, they were married on paper only...don't you think that is different? With Elizabeth Edwards...she was cheated on when they were a married couple legally and in their lifestyle...so I think its different
"Cage-free, free-range, humanely slaughtered meat is the way to go."
"Humanely slaughtered?"
You know this is impossible, right?
There is nothing humane about needlessly killing another sentient being.
For someone of Oprah's generation, "mistress" has the connotation of someone being 'kept'. A woman who receives gifts - 'perks' if you will. That is likely why O did not lump herself into that category.
And yes, O's makeup was horrible on that interview with Elizabeth Edwards. I felt embarrassed for O.
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