All Cried Out
link The Clicker – How does Oprahs farewell compare to other TV greats?.
Please, please, enough already. The long kiss goodbye is nauseating. It’s not as if Oprah is hanging them up never to be seen again. She’ s moving on to her very own TV network. The whole bandwagon is just moving down the block. With all the sobbing and crying, you’d think Kleenex is a sponsor of the show.
For reasons mysterious to me, Oprah was able to establish herself as the indisputable icon of daytime TV. As one writer coined it, she brought weepy emotionalism to the mainstream, in particular hooking white, middle aged women into her shtick of empathy TV. Her struggles with her own weight alone was enough to draw in a sympathetic audience. By virtue of her hold on this female demographic, she wound up influencing the other big demographic, the women’s husbands. Because of this derivative leverage, Oprah’s influence on America was undeniably immense. In American homes every night, husbands were exposed to “Oprah said this about …” whatever the issue was.
In some ways, Oprah became Mr. Rogers for adults. Years ago, Mr. Rogers hosted a relatively banal children’s show which had at its core, one consistent theme. That was, you are special and no one is like you. That was the underlying appeal of the show, children were subtly coerced to have a high sense of self worth. Certainly a good message for impressionable children. Oprah carried this idea to the next level. Her theme was consistently, I’m OK, you’re OK as well as the notion of recovery from emotional pain. Who knew that so many people could identify with personal redemption? Emotional navel gazing became a national obsession. But it also meant that every fringe personality or lifestyle received validation and blessing from her as well. Any book authored with compelling personal stories became instant best sellers. Unfortunately, this gave rise to charlatans and con men who tried to tap into this commercial lotto ticket by being featured on her show. James Frey and Margaret B. Jones are examples of authors who fabricated heart wrenching stories to be featured on Oprah.
While embarrassing, these missteps didn’t matter to the loyal fans who are generally pre-disposed to tear jerkers. It’s a certainty she would have been acclaimed as President if she ran, but instead she anointed another. No one can deny the influence of Oprah on the election of Obama. But enough is enough. After 25 years of emotional blood letting, it’s time to move on as did the kids who grew up with Mr. Rogers. You can’t cry all the time.