“I’m telling you, Liz is a grade A... Runt!”

I hate Oprah. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone as I am prone to random, baseless hatreds against people I’ve never met. But I have long hated Oprah. I don’t really know when it started, but it gets worse each time I’m exposed to her.

My latest run-in with her has helped to somewhat crystallize my disdain. A few weeks ago, Mrs. Daniel took control of the remote and insisted on watching a special about Oprah’s school for girls in South Africa. Apparently, Oprah has spent something around $50 million to open a school in Africa where disadvantaged but ambitious, capable girls can learn how to be leaders and hopefully use their skills to improve the lives of their fellow citizens.

The school and the special about it bothered me in so very many ways. First, the whole thing centered on how Oprah has helped these girls rather than on how these girls are advancing and how they’ll benefit their communities. This type of narcissistic focus is typical of this self-important demagogue. (For instance, when “she” gave away cars to her audience, I doubt that she or her show actually paid for them but the media focus has been on how she gave them away.)

Second, there was a sequence in the special where Oprah interviewed several of the girls individually. The girls would walk up to the door of a room where Oprah was waiting. Then, with magnificent flair, Oprah would open the door and the girls would scream with delight as they met their “hero”. Oprah would then interview the girls while the camera spent most of its time focused on Oprah’s reactions to what they were saying. I guess we can see who is important in her life.

Third, the school cost something like $43 million. I have an acquaintance who is starting a foundation that will give micro loans to starting companies in Africa and south east Asia. These loans will allow entrepreneurs to provide jobs and stability to areas that are in great need. He is currently looking for donations so that they can provide loans to thousands of people. Oprah’s school serves something like 100 girls. Not only that, but as Mrs. Daniel pointed out during this conversation, she’s (actually, the teachers hired by her underlings) training these girls to be Americans. The expectation is that many of them, if not all, will attend college in America. What guarantee do we have that they’ll go back to their home countries to make a difference? Not only that, but will little Americans be able to wield influence in a culture vastly different from our own?

To support my claims that she is an egotistical narcissistic megalomaniac, check out this quote from the website for the "Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy":

"When Oprah's chef cooked the girls Christmas dinner, one traditional sweet treat became an instant hit! Invite friends and family over to watch the special and serve them a taste of South African culture."

I just hate her self-important elitism. I also think that it’s funny that so many people, including many from the religious right just love her so much despite the fact that she’s been with her boyfriend for 20 years but refuses to marry him because she thinks that marriage is a silly societal construct.

I really hate Oprah. I just can’t say this enough.