The Opera “Oprah”, of course. Surely someone will be inspired to turn “A new day is on the horizon” into the hit number of a turgid paean of praise to Lefty values. (Or is that an oxymoron?)
I too, don’t ever set out to watch any of the award shows, with their shallow effusions of forced bonhomie and occasional essays into hypocrisy, but one couldn’t help hearing Oprah’s tirade, as the adoring lefty TV media forced it upon us in every bulletin.
“Essays into hypocrisy”? Sure, try this from Townhall's Brent Bozell Oprah's Distracting Golden Globes Lecture:The rapturous reception of Winfrey's remarks was followed on social media by old pictures of her kissing Weinstein ... just as Golden Globes moralist Meryl Streep won the DeMille Award last year and lovingly described Weinstein as "God" before everyone knew what she could not help but know.
But why has Oprah, with one speech, suddenly become a contender for the office of President? I think it is because she has pandered to the media, stung by President Trump’s accurate allegations of fake news, but now lauded by a celebrity. Again Bozell offers some insight:Winfrey drew rave reviews in the press for lauding the press. She said: "we all know that the press is under siege these days. But we also know that it is the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and injustice, to tyrants and victims and secrets and lies."
It's definitely true that The New York Times report on Harvey Weinstein began a great wave of uncovering sexual harassment in Hollywood. But the so-called "insatiable" press has been remarkably passive on this sexual-harassment front for decades. Sexual harassment in Hollywood is so prevalent it has its own name: the "casting couch." The press knew this; it has known this for decades. Why did it wait until 2017 to say something?
As an aside, it does still take two to tango, doesn’t it? How could the casting couch have gained so much influence if it had only ever supported one person? While justifiably calling out the men who have exerted casting couch power, why is it that the women who achieved their ends by submitting to their advances be let off scot-free? The tactic would not have worked if actresses had not put their careers before their morality.
But back to the media, which is also the initial subject of Fr Thomas Euteneur’s Catholic Exchange article: Oprah and All Her Works and All Her Empty Promises, which commences:Of late I am increasingly frightened by something I see happening in our culture: it is the seeming superficial-ization of everything in American life to the point of absurdity and deception. The prime culprit of course is the ubiquitous mass media (especially 24-hour cable programming and the Internet) and its constant dumbing down of the American consciousness to the lowest common denominator of the most tantalizing sound bites and images. The other bad boy is the interminable chatter/commentary by clever cultural sharpshooters: it’s so bad sometimes that it makes me wonder if we can actually pull ourselves out of our co-dependence upon charlatans. What makes my priest’s heart so heavy is that I think our society is going down the path of deep spiritual degradation, and it doesn’t look like this trend will be ending any time soon. Certainly not in an election season.
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