Oprah Winfrey The Opiate of Western Middle-Aged Women. She promotes USA’s wars as humanitarian missions. She lies for power

7/28/2019 Oprah Winfrey The Opiate of Western Middle-Aged Women. She promotes USAs wars as humanitarian missions. She lies for power

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Oprah Winfrey: The Opiate of Western

Middle-Aged Women. She promotes USAs

wars as humanitarian missions. She lies forpower

By Stephen Lendman

Harvard's Crimson announced it. Oprah will deliver Harvard's 362nd

Commencement address.

President Drew Faust called her "journey from her grandmother's

Mississippi farm to becoming one of the world's most admired

women one of the great American success stories."

She's best known for her nationally syndicated talk show: TheOprah Winfrey Show. In 2011, it ended its 25-year run.

It was broadcast in 145 countries. Annually it reached 40 million US

viewers. It featured guests ranging from celebrities to presidents. It

won her fame and fortune.

She owns Harpo Productions. It's Oprah spelled backwards. She hasher own cable channel: Oprah Winfrey Network. It's seen in 83

million households.

She's an African American billionaire. Forbes estimates she's worth


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$2.8 billion. It ranks her 11th on its 100 most powerful women's

list.

She bested Queen Elizabeth, heads of state, other governmentofficials, corporate CEOs, and Harvard's Faust. Michelle Obama was

7th. Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton ranked one and two.

On May 30, Oprah will address the Afternoon Exercises of

Commencement. She'll appear in Harvard Yard's Tercentenary

Theater. Last year she spoke at Atlanta's Spelman College. Duke

and Stanford invited her earlier.

She's connected to America's rich and powerful. Months before

Washington's 2003 Iraq war, she promoted it on air. She had no

business doing so.

She ran video clips featuring "experts." They included Richard Perle,

Douglas Feith and others. They lied saying America's "morally"

obligated to remove Saddam.

Oprah called doing so a humanitarian mission. She omitted salient

facts. She sold millions of viewers war. She did so with fabricated

reasons. http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=632661. It wasn't the

first time or last.

In June 2011, In These Times headlined "Oprah's Celebrity Pyramid

Scheme," saying:

"There's no there there." She's more infomercial than real. She's


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"one-dimensional."

"Winfreyism.leads ultimately (to) blind allies." She symbolizes

"celebrity divinity." She represents "a vision of universal celebrity asa pyramid scheme." Her comments are "hollow and nonsensical."

A follow-up article headlined "Oprah-iate of the People," saying:

She's criticized for promoting self-help. Her message to middle-

aged women is "You're special. You have some flaws, but it's

nothing some luxury lifestyle can't fix."

American society reflects consumption and competition. Oprah's

solutions represent it. So does her background.

An African-American woman succeeded despite long odds. She sells

false promises. Viewers believe them. Hope takes a back seat to

reality.

In December 2007, the Black Agenda Report headlined "Oprah &

Obama: Corporate Marketing for a Corporate Campaign," saying:

During Obama's presidential campaign, they "teamed up for a

three-state weekend extravaganza of vapid, substance-devoid

entertainment posing as presidential politics."

Doing so is Oprah's specialty. She appeals to America's lowest

common denominator. She's a "faux progressive." She has close

wealth and power ties. More on that below.


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She teamed with Obama. They conned Americans. Uninformed

ones were sold false promises. The "Oprah effect" helped. She lied

saying:

"Long before it was the popular thing to do, (Obama) stood with

clarity and conviction against the war in Iraq."

He supported it all along. He still wages it. It gets no headlines. It's

mostly covert. The war's 10th anniversary approaches. Oprah's lie

was her biggest applause line. What she said was false.

She either didn't know or care. She plays fast and lose with facts.

She's on the wrong side of major issues. She pretends otherwise.

Charitable giving doesn't erase support for imperial lawlessness.

"After years of dishing out celebrity gossip and advice on

relationships, decorating, cuisine, fashion and what books to read,

Oprah fits nicely into the corporate PR juggernaut behind the

Obama campaign."

She "didn't become a billionaire by speaking truth to power. She is

a master marketer whose skill is assembling and influencing vast

audiences on behalf of her corporate sponsors."

She's orchestrated to stay on script. She worked well with Obama.

They're "accomplished manipulators."

She may end up one or two on a future Democrat ticket. Reading


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her lines well is the main qualification for either job.

In June 2008, the Black Agenda Report headlined "The Age of

Oprah, Cultural Icon For the Neoliberal Era." BAR interviewedauthor Janice Peck. She's University of Colorado Professor of

Journalism and Mass Communications.

"(U)nderstanding (her) journey is to understand neoliberalism as a

political and economic project," she said. Claiming markets solve

problems reflects "the same message (she) sells us."

She's the messenger. Adjust or else. Get used to "minimal"

"stripped down" government and "maximum personal

responsibility."

Oprah reflects the "neoliberal attitude we should have toward the

world." Her message is politicized.

She "disassociated herself from a lot of the political aspects of the

civil rights movement." She talks about MLK and other figures. It

stops there. She doesn't emulate them. She doesn't care. She's

more white than black.

Becoming popular requires not "mak(ing) too many people

uncomfortable."

Ties to wealth and power interests preclude doing so. Oprah's well

connected. In May 2009, Irish Central headlined "Secret meeting of

world's richest people held in New York," saying:


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A media blackout was imposed. Noted figures attended. They

included David Rockefeller, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, George Soros,

Ted Turner, Peter Peterson, Michael Bloomberg, and Oprah amongothers.

It was held in Rockefeller University's President's Room. Major

world issues were discussed. Each participant got 15 minutes.

Oprah was in "listening mode."

Topics included world population control. Others were ones richand powerful figures prioritize. Oprah's well connected. She's

welcome in high places.

She's a Council on Foreign Relations member. She may or may not

have Trilateralist and Bilderberg ties. The latter group's so secret it

lacks an official name. Oprah will have to disclose connections if

any.

A Final Comment

Oprah promoted James Arthur Ray. She featured him on air. She

discussed his self-help advice.

He hosted an October 2009 "Spiritual Warrior" retreat. He led a

sweat lodge ceremony.

Three participants died. Eighteen others were hospitalized. They

suffered severe burns, dehydration, breathing problems, kidney


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failure, and hyperthermia.

They paid around $10,000 each to attend. Native Americans don't

pay to pray.

They fasted 36 hours. They abstained from water for 48 hours. It

was part of a vision quest exercise. It proceeded the sweat lodge

ceremony.

A wrongful death lawsuit followed. It claimed negligence, negligent

misrepresentation, fraud, and other charges. Compensatory andpunitive damages were sought.

In February 2010, Ray was arrested. Weeks later he was released

on bond. He settled for over $3 million.

He was prosecuted and convicted of negligent homicide. In

November 2011, he got two years in prison.

Oprah bears much responsibility. She promoted what she should

have condemned. She did so more than once. It's not accidental.

She often featured disreputable guests. Some were high-profile.

In May 2009, Newsweek magazine headlined "Live Your Best Life

Ever!"

Oprah interviewed actress Suzanne Somers. She discussed her way

of staying young. She follows a risky regimen. It's over-the-top and

dangerous.


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She wants to live to 110, she said. She's doing all she can to do so.

"That was apparently good enough for Oprah," said Newsweek.Medical experts said her way risks heart attacks, strokes, blood

clots and cancer.

National Women's Health Network executive director, Cynthia

Pearson, said:

"It completely blew me away that Oprah would go to (Somers) foradvice on this topic. I have to say, it diminished my respect."

Oprah featured fraudulent advice often. She did it for 25 years.

She gained ratings, fame and fortune. Unknown numbers perhaps

suffered.

Imagine what she'll tell Harvard grads this May. Hopefully they're

smart enough to ignore her.

At issue is why she's invited in the first place. Drew Faust has lots to

explain.

Honoring Oprah shames Harvard. Its motto is "VERITAS." It's not

invited. It'll be persona non grata when she speaks.


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http://www.mathaba.net/news/?x=632661

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Oprah Winfrey The Opiate of Western Middle-Aged Women. She promotes USA’s wars as humanitarian missions. She lies for power