Commentary
When someone says something that just makes sense, I'll more than likely agree with him or her. That includes Oprah Winfrey.
An interview with Ms. Winfrey appears in the January edition of her own “O” magazine (I don’t have time to explain how I know about the happenings at O magazine, so just go with it, please). In the interview, Oprah discusses her latest project, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
The interviewer, Editor-in-Chief Susan Casey, said that Oprah’s network—which Ms. Winfrey describes as being about “living your best life”—will be a welcome addition, as much of modern television is “unwatchable.”
Unwatchable? Ms. Winfrey agreed. “It feels like Halloween candy. Gobble it down and at the end you don’t feel better—you’re like, ‘Why did I do that to myself?’” she said. “In recent years I started to feel that ‘Gee, television has lost its mind.’ There’s no mindfulness there anymore.”
It’s not only Halloween candy, but also the worst kind—those orange and black taffy candies.
Hmm, let me just flip through a few channels here. There’s a reality show about a biker bar, starring an old lady with a potty-mouth; there’s another reality one showcasing a “club” of “bad girls,” and on this channel, there’s a movie with no “good guys” to root for, and everyone dies violently in the end.
Some of you may be thinking, “I happen to like the biker bar one. And that movie won an Oscar.”
Well, to each his own, of course. But to me, well, most of it’s garbage.
Now if I had the JimFo Network, more likely you'd see a reality show called “The Good Girls Club,” where young, smart women with self-respect develop loyal, trustworthy friendships, and with dignity refuse to be sexual objects. My movie stars a definitive good guy who won’t be turned, who risks his life and well-being to uphold what is right, like Gary Cooper in “High Noon.”
What we accept as entertainment directly reflects on us. What we choose to emphasize reveals what we value as a society.
When I think of the effect of modern television—especially on teens and children—I feel like the last of a dying breed. Seriously.
I worry more about the young ones, and how difficult it is for them to find good, moral themes and lessons in modern culture’s arts and entertainment.
“Television doesn’t make me feel good. There’s nothing about it that makes me feel good,” Ms. Winfrey said in the interview. “If you wanted to drive me insane, that’s what you would do. You would put me in a room where the television was never turned off.”
You said it, ma'am. Kudos, from a new fan.
An interview with Ms. Winfrey appears in the January edition of her own “O” magazine (I don’t have time to explain how I know about the happenings at O magazine, so just go with it, please). In the interview, Oprah discusses her latest project, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
The interviewer, Editor-in-Chief Susan Casey, said that Oprah’s network—which Ms. Winfrey describes as being about “living your best life”—will be a welcome addition, as much of modern television is “unwatchable.”
Unwatchable? Ms. Winfrey agreed. “It feels like Halloween candy. Gobble it down and at the end you don’t feel better—you’re like, ‘Why did I do that to myself?’” she said. “In recent years I started to feel that ‘Gee, television has lost its mind.’ There’s no mindfulness there anymore.”
It’s not only Halloween candy, but also the worst kind—those orange and black taffy candies.
Hmm, let me just flip through a few channels here. There’s a reality show about a biker bar, starring an old lady with a potty-mouth; there’s another reality one showcasing a “club” of “bad girls,” and on this channel, there’s a movie with no “good guys” to root for, and everyone dies violently in the end.
Some of you may be thinking, “I happen to like the biker bar one. And that movie won an Oscar.”
Well, to each his own, of course. But to me, well, most of it’s garbage.
Now if I had the JimFo Network, more likely you'd see a reality show called “The Good Girls Club,” where young, smart women with self-respect develop loyal, trustworthy friendships, and with dignity refuse to be sexual objects. My movie stars a definitive good guy who won’t be turned, who risks his life and well-being to uphold what is right, like Gary Cooper in “High Noon.”
What we accept as entertainment directly reflects on us. What we choose to emphasize reveals what we value as a society.
When I think of the effect of modern television—especially on teens and children—I feel like the last of a dying breed. Seriously.
I worry more about the young ones, and how difficult it is for them to find good, moral themes and lessons in modern culture’s arts and entertainment.
“Television doesn’t make me feel good. There’s nothing about it that makes me feel good,” Ms. Winfrey said in the interview. “If you wanted to drive me insane, that’s what you would do. You would put me in a room where the television was never turned off.”
You said it, ma'am. Kudos, from a new fan.
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