Oprah Winfrey is a God
Posted: Thursday, August 02, 2007 11:01 AM by Noah Oppenheim
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Noah Oppenheim
The late-breaking news of the Minnesota bridge collapse resulted in the shelving of several stories that had been scheduled to air this morning. One was an account of this missive, recently fired off by publisher Nan Talese: “I really, really am bothered by the sanctimoniousness of Oprah Winfrey.”
The background: One of the greatest television moments of the last couple years was when Oprah Winfrey publicly crucified author James Frey. Frey had fabricated parts of his memoir, which Oprah recommended for her book club. When the deception was uncovered, she invited him on her show and staged a public shaming that made the Puritans seem forgiving.
Now, Talese, Frey’s publisher at the time, is lashing out at Oprah, complaining at a recent writer’s conference that the talk show host displayed “fiercely bad manners” in her handling of the episode. This is remarkable for several reasons. One, Talese has the air of a stiff-upper-lip aristocrat. Such characters are unintentionally amusing when angry.
Second, no one ever attacks Oprah. Ever. She is probably the single most untouchable public figure in America. In comparison, Mother Theresa is fair game for ridicule. Oprah commands an unparalleled adoration among her (often shrieking) fans. She is staggeringly wealthy. And she has constructed an image of such wise benevolence that many suspect she might be the Messiah.
The consequence of her unique perch is that she commands tens of millions of dollars of consumer spending. When she endorses a product, women take out their credit cards and buy it. When she endorses an artist, that artist has instant fans. When she takes a stand on some moral or political issue, she converts hordes of followers. To put it simply, when Oprah passes judgment, that judgment is received as true.
All of which makes Nan Talese a very brave woman. It doesn’t matter if her criticism of Oprah is fair or not. What matters is that in our modern age, Oprah is a mega-star, residing in the rarefied air of Valhalla. And when you curse the Gods, they don’t really care. But, often, they do curse back.
