The Once and Future Oprah

Viewing early episodes of the Oprah Show is startling--they bear a striking resemblance to the shows of Jerry Springer or Maury Povitch, those epics of pathology and confrontation that brought us Baby Mama Drama, Who's the Daddy and every sensation short of (and possibly including) two headed babies (Oprah actually did air a show about separating conjoined twins). The more outlandish and dysfunctional, the better. Oprah could have continued along that same path and probably had a reasonably successful career, but it is obvious that somewhere along the line, she made an effort to do more. Wallowing in the muck and allowing us to gawk at the spectacle was not the point. Finding a way to let people understand their behavior and realize they had the power to change it for the better became her calling.

There are those who don't sing Oprah's praises. As novelists, we have certainly been part of the outcry about her absence in the conversation about the state of African American books and literature. Unleashing Dr. Phil upon us is at best a mixed blessing. Oprah could be over the top, giving cars and houses to audience members, wearing diamond earrings the size of pecans on daytime TV, loading 65 pounds of fat on a little red wagon to represent her weight (temporary) loss. But it is undeniable that Oprah, "A colored girl from Kosciusko, Mississippi," as she calls herself, with a made up name, and as we say of a character in one of our books, "A face she would grow into," showed us a new brand of television. People made changes for themselves--lost weight, built schools and dug wells, called out their abusers. They made changes for family members, for their community and for the world, because Oprah showed them that letting their light shine could allow others to see. People who had not read since they left school read books because Oprah said to. Advertisers from Dove and Target to United Airlines and Proctor & Gamble scrambled to support her causes, and reap the benefits of being associated with her and her audience. "Living Your Best Life," sounds as simplistic as a bumper sticker, but it does allow you to aim high.

Over the course of 25 years Oprah has shown generosity, good business sense and some questionable hair and wardrobe decisions. She let us see her insecurities, her foibles, and the way she has grown through the years. Now she has taken her, "Oprah Money" and founded OWN, following in the footsteps of women like Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore who sought to be more than just "talent." It is a bold step, and whether or not the network soars she has earned a place in the history of a medium and in the lives of millions of people. It is quite an accomplishment.

Now the Oprah set as we have come to know it will be dark, but surely she has taken her light with her. So long for now...

Show and Tell--Or why LeBron and Lilo are emblematic of what's wrong with US (U.S.)

No, I’m not just a bitter, middle-aged hater with no life. I do not begrudge them their youth, their talent (however that be measured) or their insane, outrageous (and in no reasonable way justifiable,) jillion dollar incomes. I do not envy their fame and resulting lack of privacy or their larger-than-real-life, extravagant lifestyles. And even though I’ll go on record as saying I’m not a fan of either teen angst movies or sports, this is not where the problem lies. This is America—where there’s something for everyone and unless your preferred “something” hurts somebody, I’m pretty chill about all that freedom of choice—especially in entertainment, even as that extends to slasher movies, watching curling tournaments. Go right ahead, enjoy! I’m a writer. I get the way it works and know first hand that taste and choice don’t necessarily go hand in hand—and that we can’t legislate or arbitrate either. And that’s OK.

My issue is with the amount of media attention these two young people have garnered in recent weeks and what that says about us and our priorities.

Working backward from the most recent coverage, I point to the unfortunate Ms. Lohan. Yesterday, I did not see any local (NYC) or network news broadcast--morning, noon, evening or late, that did not report Lilo’s incarceration either as the lead story or the second news item. In the days immediately preceding her inevitable an unenviable trip to the slammer her story was still in the first five minutes of news reports. Really?! Was there nothing more important happening in our cities, country or even the world than a story they’ve already reported on ad nauseam? The tale of this spoiled, sad, ungrateful, irresponsible, disrespectful, marginally talented, severely under-parented young woman and her escapades has been paraded before us for years now and we’re still watching the spectacle like it’s new, or worse yet, important??

Then two weeks ago, it seems the whole world was hanging by tenterhooks, holding its collective breath for 25 year old basketball wunderkind LeBron James to decide what team/town would be graced with his athletic prowess and money generating presence. I grant you that he is a talented ball player and seems to be an all around nice guy who still takes advice from his mother. All of which makes him refreshing (at least so far) in comparison to the over blown, foolish, ego driven, stupid antics of so many athletes in the news. But the exercise of his free agency clause was so crucial to our American well-being that it commanded an entire TV show— “The Decision”, albeit on ESPN, a network dedicated to sports worship. Seriously?! The special drew nearly 10 million viewers—and the network had hoped for more. Seriously.

Libraries are closing.

Schools are under-funded.

High school drop out rates are increasing at an alarming pace.

High school graduation rates are decreasing at an alarming pace.

Teachers are underpaid.

There are at least a dozen other countries ahead of us in education rankings.

And we’re focused on Lilo and LeBron and Real Housewives and Snooki? This is what we think is important? If the medium really is the message as McLuhan said, then the message is: “We’re idiots.”