Dear Oprah,
I think what I will miss most is the pensive silences that follow your piercing questions. I know I'll miss the way you interject something so incisive into what appears, on the TIVO description, to be an utterly banal and non-spiritual topic. I love how you have made this medium your own, Oprah. I love how you raise the common denominator. I love that you make people read. I think it's great that you decided, on some wing or prayer awhile ago, that you would try your hardest to make the world a better place. You inspire me.
I don't always love your pushing for plastic surgery, diets, and other superficial enhancements. But how can you help it? You are, after all, the survivor of childhood sexual abuse. And you have come so far. Just a tip, though: Stop letting people like Dr. Phil and Susie Orman sponge off of you, spinning off of guest appearances on your show into daytime and primetime slots of their own.
I love how you keep kids safe and keep people from doing stupid things. Even if the most silly thing in the world one might do is spend the afternoon watching a talk show. I love Maya Angelou. I love Ernest Gaines. Not so much Inanna, but she has her place. A divorced Mom makes good in the world. I get it.
I laugh when you announce famous people's names. Can't get your affection for Tom Cruise. Wondered what the heck when you featured Gwyneth and her strange home gym. What will I miss most? Two words: Justin Timberlake. Except the episodes where he doesn't sing. I can't forgive you for that.
Oprah, I have adored you skinny and thick. Even back when you were sensational, I liked you more than that lady with scary big glasses. I cried when you told me I was a child of God, worthy of success.
I am really looking forward to your magazine cover with Ellen DeGeneres on it. But I won't be sad to miss how you'll plug it, shamelessly, on your show.
In short, my lady, you are a goddess. But, soon, I won't be tuning in. Well maybe after the show about Columbine. I mean I would have gone there for high school if my parents hadn't moved me to a small town in the mountains about 120 miles away, so of course I have to watch!
wow amy. I haven't watched one single oprah show since sometime when we were back in high school, though I have read some of the articles in her magazine at the library. and I've read a couple of suze orman's books. I think someone gave me one of them as a gift once. and somehow I've been signed up on an oprah emailing list, so I'm not completely out of touch. :-) I still have youtube right?
ReplyDeleteI love this letter. it's a good one. I wonder if I can find the letter that I once sent to the maury povich show after stumbling in on my co-workers watching his show in the break room at work at lunch one day. I'll have a look and post it here if I can find it.
I'm reading all of your posts backwards from day 18. this is so much fun!
here, I found it... I sent this in March of 2006 with the subject line of "please, tell a better story."
ReplyDeleteDear Maury Povich show,
Today I was unfortunate enough to be subjected to the Maury Povich show during my lunch hour by my coworkers who were watching in our break room. I was appalled at the low topic on the show, which today was about people who cheat on each other, even prostituting themselves and then lying about it. I did not see the compassion your website claims as Maury's modus operandi. I saw instead, a shameful exploitation of people who were tragically lacking in conflict resolution and relationship skills and probably have few options or ideas about how to change their situations. I felt slightly dirty for remaining in the room, being "entertained" by the utter sadness of these people's inability to find peace in their lives and relationships. I was so thankful that I have never allowed television in my home for my children to watch. The vitriol portrayed on your show as common and almost normal is disturbing.
I am not writing just to criticize, however. I would like to offer an idea for improvement.
What if Maury's show were to feature a story of a young woman's rise from poverty and bad choices in men and unwed motherhood, to something amazing, like founding a company that employs other young mom's in her in community? Or how about a story about a young man's transformation from a wandering eyed, shiftless, n'er do good, to an upstanding member of his community who volunteers as a Big Brother and inspires us with his choice to support children that noone ever even claimed were his?
What if the Maury show showed how a family in turmoil, through mediation and conflict resolution counseling, learned how to stop calling each other all those names that have to be bleeped and found some peace and love in their lives and by doing so taught their young children how to have healthy relationships? What if Maury actually dedicated an hour long show once a week or once a month to a teacher of conflict resolution skills -- like a televised class -- one disadvantaged people could learn from free of charge? Maybe a televised class on how to make good decisions and stick by them, might be in order.
What if Maury's show donated a significant portion of the profits it derives from it's daily exploitation of peoples' sad stories to free conflict resolution or decision making workshops around the country. What a great marketing tool that could be for the show too. Why not raise the bar? I'm not suggesting anything drastic -- you could start with just a more uplifting show once a month or once a week. How would it feel to tell a better story? To show a better way by example?
I challenge the producers, editors and writers of the show to find some good stories, some really amazing stories, ridiculous stories of inspiration even, stories that we find almost unbelievable because they are so good, to balance the ones we find almost unbelievable because they are so bad, but true stories nonetheless. For inspiration you could look to the editors of Ode Magazine -- a magazine for "intelligent optimists" or you could feature a story on Rob Brezny, the celebrated author of "Pronoia", and no, I don't know him, I just read his column every week at freewillastrology.com
I would be so thankful to enter the break room one day during my lunch hour and see a ticker tape at the bottom of the Maury Povich show that says, "do know you a young man or woman that rose above poverty and disadvantages to make a difference in the world? call the maury povich show at .......". They could come on the show and tell how they did it, inspire hundreds or thousands more. Wow. What power you have. I challenge you to use it for good.
You wouldn't have to give up that much sensationalism. Just a little.
-Dawn Dexter