Oprah is cool right? She started a school for South African girls.

[applegrove]

She's been at the forefront of promoting great, modern literature. She started a conversation in the 80s that made women strong. I heard a story of rich Hollywood types having to take a shuttle bus to a fancy industry party up a hill. Celebrities and bigwigs were bitching about not being able to be dropped off at the event and having to take a shuttle bus. They were making a stink about it. Oprah showed up. She got on the shuttle. All the big wigs shut up and got on too.

I write this because I put Oprah up as my favourite billionaire. Someone listed a few false experts She has promoted. I delete my post. Then I remembered how gullible I am. I can't think and intake information at the same time as a dyslexic with conduction aphasia. I make a fine receptionist as I am totally focused on the needs of the other party. It is a job with repetative nature. I once worked at a prison and was told not to be so kind to the inmates who called in on my switchboard. I can't help it. I don't judge at the moment. I judge the info I am getting over the medium to long term. Now I regret deleting Oprah.

[MontanaMama]

1. Oprah has done some wonderful things through the years.

She did launch crazy pants Dr. oz and Dr. Phil into the mainstream...I don't think Oz in particular would have ever been on the national stage politically speaking had she not backed him for so long. As billionaires go, Oprah is probably about as good as they come.

[applegrove]

2. Thank you.

[GPV]

4. Oprah and the Gates family might have been my picks

[Ex Lurker]

3. How about Dolly Parton?

The only reason she's not a billionaire is she's given so much of it away.

[GPV]

5. Dolly rules!

[Lifeafter70]

10. That's what I posted on that op

She is amazing.

[a kennedy]

18. Yup, absolutely love Dolly, Oprah as well, but absolutely love Dolly.

[Hekate]

6. TY for the reminder about Oprah. She's done some very good deeds.

[mercuryblues]

7. there will never be the perfect person to admire

My mother was far from perfect, but I still admire her.

[doc03]

8. I think whatever she has done good has been outweighed by her discovery of Dr.Oz,

Dr. Phil and dozens of diet scams over the years.

[Celerity]

9. I was the poster and this was my reply (that I stand by) I am sorry you feel 'gullible' as I was in

no way trying to 'fool' you with false information (my reply was not misinfo), which 'gullible' implies.

Oprah Promotes Dangerous Pseudo-Science for Her Own Gain

https://gen.medium.com/oprah-promotes-dangerous-pseudo-science-for-her-own-gain-7a44db956823

snip

But Dr. Oz is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Oprah and her dubious habit of promoting pseudoscience and supernatural healing. Her show has also featured anti-vaccine activist Jenny McCarthy, the bizzarro medicine of Dr. Christiane Northrup, a book called The Secret, the cancer pseudoscience of Suzanne Somers, and another that is particularly shocking, the spiritual healer João Teixeira de Faria also known as “John of God”.

Before “John of God” (Faria) became a convicted sex offender, which seems to be the fate of a number of similar revered “guru” types, he was one of the most “famous faith healers in the world”, and this fame was further propelled and validated by his appearance on Oprah’s show to new sets of eyes. Also having received coverage on CNN and ABC News, Faria, without any medical training (in fact Oprah boasts that he cannot even read or write), performed disturbing “psychic surgeries” on his patients. Some of these “procedures” involved cutting the breast, “scraping” the cornea, or shoving forceps up people’s noses — sometimes for no reason — but some of his patients sought his treatment for life-threatening diseases such as cancer.

Many of the people he treated and claimed he had “cured” later died of their diseases, while Faria himself sought conventional medical care for the treatment of his aggressive stomach cancer and cardiovascular disease that he did not disclose to his followers. Then, “John of God” was accused of sexual abuse from 600 women and was eventually convicted of raping four of them.

Oprah’s history of promoting famous healers, woo-friendly celebrities, and “motivational speakers” is extensive. Another New Age-y guru that Oprah favored was James Arthur Ray, a “self-help” businessman and “motivational speaker” who was convicted of negligent homicide due to three of his followers essentially “boiling” to death.

snip

[applegrove]

11. Oh I do it to myself often. Did not mean to imply your views are not

your views.

[Doc Sportello]

12. Excellent reply

Too much hero worshipping is not good for our society or government.

[yardwork]

13. I'm not a fan of the way Oprah has promoted harmful pseudoscience.

She's an entertainer. If you like her, that's great. She's done good things, and things I don't agree with, but that's true of lots of entertainers I like.

Van Morrison is a total jerk in many ways but I still love his music.

[Mr.Bill]

17. Actually if you read enough books about the great rock stars,

you will find that many of them were, or are, at different times really despicable characters.

[yardwork]

19. Oh yes, definitely.

[Tree Lady]

14. I think Oprah had good intentions

when she promoted those people. Personally I think fame and money got to the ones who went right wing or totally weird.

I still really like Eckhart Tolle, he has tried not to let his fame dishonor him.

Oprah is so popular anyone she raises up gets big time and some were totally not ready for it.

[madinmaryland]

15. Well, I do have to beg to differ....

I will admit that Oprah has done “a lot” to distribute her wealth, but the issue is with billionaires and how they were able to become part of that elite class. Most, excepting those who inherited it, have built their businesses on the labor (at minimum wages).

Oprah, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods, don’t fit that mold as they made the wealth through athletics and entertainment.

It just disgusts me that people revere these people.

[applegrove]

16. I agree they destroy unions. That has to stop. Also pay reasonable

taxes.

[betsuni]

20. I don't know why the hell anyone expects Oprah to be some kind of towering intellectual.

She got Americans to read books! Practically a miracle. Even if some of them were ridiculous, what, was it her diabolical plan, she could tell the future? She can't be gullible and get enthusiastic about someone or something? Role model and inspiration. Democrat. Human. People are so negative.

I'm reading two books about Anthony Bourdain right now and getting irritated because too negative. He was human and complicated. So what.