OPRAH GIVES THE GASFACE TO U.S. SCHOOLKIDS

ofrah

Let’s be clear about my feelings on OPRAH WINFREY from the gate. I don’t like her. Even though her track record for philanthropy is light years in front of the majority of megarich entertainers I’m still not impressed with her.

My problem with OPRAH is that her good works like rebuilding homes for families that lost theirs due to Hurricane Starrkeysha or the scholarships that she has issued or even when she gives her audience vehicles generate maximum publicity for her brand while actually only helping very few people. When OPRAH says that Black women are contracting AIDS disproportionately because they are sleeping with clandestinely gay men she is affecting millions of people. Negatively.

So now OPRAH tells people that she has essentially given up on the attempting to effectuate better education to America’s disenfranchised. She is a bellwether for not just American philanthropy, but the general concensus American public as well. Educating Americans requires a long term committment. The investment in the poor has lately only been for building new prisons. Philanthropists don’t just want a bigger bang for their bucks and subsequently a more colorful feather in their cap, they would love to avoid the complexities of class and race that are right upfront here in America. OPRAH has become the proverbial new ghetto pass that excuses people for ‘getting the fuck outta Dodge’.

My biggest problem with OPRAH’s remarks about the rampant materialism of inner city youth is that she is the captialist cultures’ premier cheerleader. She uses her program to basically tells us what to consume even though she receives these items free of charge. We are constantly surrounded by messages that put the only value in education as the ability to buy more stuff. Learning is not endorsed as a conduit to greater integrity, ethics or morality. The mantra that is repeated ad nauseam is “go to school, get a better job, make more money”.

Lastly… How the fuck is OPRAH gonna shit on kids because of the failure of America’s education system as if it’s the perogative of the children to determine their values? If you thought COSBY was off base for blaming the parents’ of disenfranchised youth for not promoting better values in their children then what would you think of OPRAH for blaming those that can defend themselves the least. OPRAH can spend her and her wife GAYLE’s money wherever she wants, but attacking defenseless kids on their Christmas present choices is baseless and cowardly.

How much you wanna bet OPRAH invests in prison corporations?

44 Responses to “OPRAH GIVES THE GASFACE TO U.S. SCHOOLKIDS”

  1. Candice says:

    I disagree on some levels….but that is one whoreanus picture of the Big O.

  2. the_dallas says:

    Disagreement is whats good C. Don’t let that eff the effed up picture silence your voice.

  3. RD says:

    D, I feel you on one level, but I think you also have to address the absolute ignorance of some of these rappers for attacking oprah. Speak on that homie….

  4. the_dallas says:

    RD,
    When you talk about rappers getting at Oprah, I think about Fisty Scent. But the truth of the matter is that Oprah and Fisty are consumed en toto by the same households.

    Oprah satiates the soccer mom that needs her for her mammy/Aunt Jemima prescience. Oprah doesn’t make her feel uncomfortable or incomplete in her privilege.

    Fisty brings the ‘urban safari’ to the soccer moms kids. Put the headphones on and fire up the PlayStation to experience the unreality.

    Oprah and Fisty are essentially the same people. Neither man nor woman, they are both caricatures propped up by corporate America. These corporations only want people to remain in their homes and buy shit from the Home Shopping Network and for poor people to continue to feed the prison industrial complex where that HSN shit is made.

  5. Fuck Oprah.
    I’m with you 10000% on this DP.

    Why shouldn’t the rappers attack Oprah?

    She can promote frauds like James Frey who faked his entire book and whores like Superhead and other leeches to her white soccer mom audience but can’t have a rapper on there.

    I’m not standing up for today’s rappers, most are idiots, but Oprah reminds me of that ghetto chick who moves to the suburbs and acts like she forgot.

    Don’t blame the kids you ignorant bitch.
    And her roots are busted.

  6. Vik says:

    ^^^^damn dallas. copy your reply and POST it. damn.

    i had somethin’ similar to say about 50 cents:
    http://biochemicalslang.blogspot.com/2007/01/langston-hughes-and-curtis-jackson.html

    you just make it sound better.

    britney, check. oprah, check. who’s next in line??????

  7. jen says:

    while it is fucktarded to blame children for not being raised properly, i can’t totally blame oprah for thinking it is largely hopeless to cater to the vast majority of black youth in america. no amount of money or telecasted lectures can replace absent daddies, values and drive. that takes time and effort, and oprah has to worry about paying for doggie daycare.

  8. NoMamesBuey says:

    Dallas, once again an on-point editorial. You or even a 3rd-rate fascimile of your steez is sorely NEEDED in the MSM. I like my weekly US News & World Report for the news articles but the editorialists like Mike Barone are horrible.

  9. twerkolator says:

    good shit dallas…

    i’m tired of people acting like ophrah’s a goddess just because she has a shitload of money. oprah’s philanthropic endeavors don’t really impress me because we should all help those in need in any way we can. and the amount of help we give should be directly proportional to the amount we have (i.e. those who have more should give more).

    it’s like giving a nigga props for taking care of his kids…fuck that

  10. twerkolator says:

    btw, that picture reminds me of the that ugly lady that scared the shit out of prince on Under The Cherry Moon…

  11. the_dallas says:

    Jen,
    thanks for taking the time out from trolling the supremacists propaganda sites in order to drop off your two cents with us. I never mentioned the word Black in my post when referring to Oprahs comments about inner city schoolkids values, but like the vast majority of Americans you need to go back to school and tighten up your reading comprehension.

    our greatest problem socially in America is the hypersensitivity that supremacy’s focus on race causes. race is some make believe fairytale/nightmare shit. poor does not equal Black although there are many Black people living in poverty. privilege does not equal white although hell’a white folks have shower massages.

    shower massages = privilege

    disenfranchised people refers to socio-eco-political status.

    BTW, this is NOT a Hip-Hop website.

  12. ELOHEEM STAR says:

    Me and my Old Earth have had this same debate about Oprah over the years. I think Oprah’s philanthropy is mostly sincere. I do think Oprah is influenced by the same Capitalist and Supremist mindset that poisons us all. Her response about the kids in america wanting Ipods and Sneakers was the easy way out of a complex and unfortunate problem which she also contributes to. Oprah blamed the victims for the actions of the offenders.

    50 cents wants to be Oprah. His Critique of her is out of admiration.

  13. ELOHEEM STAR says:

    “We are constantly surrounded by messages that put the only value in education as the ability to buy more stuff. Learning is not endorsed as a conduit to greater integrity, ethics or morality”

    Thats on some W.E.B. Du Bois level. Salute.

  14. Amadeo says:

    “Did she ever think about when she’s outta here!” Oprah has her crowd and she plays to them. Houswives in middle America don’t care about inner city schools, they just want to keep their kids away from them and send letters to their “for-the-price-of-a-cup-of-coffee-kids-in-the-third-world”. I have to check the facts but, I think Bill Gates has actually done more for inner city kids. Meanwhile we’re telling NBA and NFL players to stop going to the places they grew up and disassociate with the people they knew – cause those niggers are trouble. People wanna talk some change the world garbage…start with your house, your back yard and your block. Yeah kids in other countries need help but, how the hell do I pass the kids here and not help them first especially when I can make any writer a millionaire by bringing him on my show. I got a long list of authors she should have on that might actually teach people something.

  15. Lion XL says:

    DP, Good ISH!!!

    My thing is, why is it that when the poor aspire to want what the wealthy have it’s called materialism, and any other time it’s called capitalism? In my opinion they equate to the same thing……money over values, greed over consciousness. Im not sure if mentioned it here, but I view capitalism( or class ism(sp?)) as the new dividing line replacing race in this country.

    In the past 20 to 30 years or so, despite what some may see, the race lines have actually started to blur, at least in the middle. The extremists still exist and will always exist. But, in the middle the line have blurred..we have Caucasians in the hood and we have black folk on park ave( or rodeo drive or whatever). So now its customary to separate the masses based on some contrived census standard that puts people into economic cubby holes that are near impossible to break out of.

    Consider the credit system in America, once you jack up your credit you will never be able to afford a house (legally!). They make it near impossible to correct that shit in any reasonable lifetime, for at least 60% of those in need(opinion, not factual). Take a look at the real estate market (in NYC anyway), my neighborhood has quadrupled in size in about 5 years. Why?, because they allowed developers to tear down one house and put at least 6 in its place. Thus, we now have low-rise projects (with ownership!) on the rise in NYC. And of course this all being done in those fringe neighborhoods collectively known as the ghetto (so-called). And this involves both white and non-white people, because economically there is no difference.

    So although it nice to put a face to the hate, we can’t totally pin Harpo for the way she feels, she like us, is product of capitalism in America. and until capitalism learns to defer itself to humanism, this will always be a problem in America.

  16. Candice says:

    I feel that Oprah has the right to spend her money wherever she wants.
    If African young women get a school then I am all for that. No one else is knocking down the door to help them out so I can’t complain.

    I also feel that Oprah’s statement about American youth is not far from the mark. I personally adopt a family every year around the Holidays and buy them gifts. I do it as a personal way of giving back and involve my children in it. Out of the five years I have done it….only one year did the family we were given choose items like coats, shoes, food, diapers, etc…necessities.

    Most years, kids wanted X-box’s, I=Pod’s, Game Boys, Nintendo Wii and Jordan’s.

    So yes, I can see why she would remark that our priorities are misplaced and our kids tend to be unappreciative but these children are a product of America’s capitalist culture.

    This the same woman that will host a show complete with her favorite things and have cashmere robes for $2,000, chocolate bon bons with rare truffles to die for at $200 a box, etc….

    She contributes to the very ideals that she will then criticize the youth for having.

    I say donate the school to Africa and keep your personal opinions to yourself. However, the larger problem at hand is the fact that our schools suck. It is not up to societies millionaires to fix it. Props to Bill Gates for the fabulous school he has built in West Philly but he can’t save the school system. Let’s talk about the real issue.

  17. Congo Man says:

    What are the real issues?

    Capitalism?
    Elitism?
    Racism?
    Sexism?
    Poor schools?
    Poverty?
    Lack of pride?
    Illegitimate parents?
    Fatherless children?
    Undereducated mothers?
    Lack of a community?
    Et cetera…
    Et cetera…
    Et cetera…

    At the end of the day, the poor and undereducated are screwed and any help they received is of use regardless of where they are.

  18. ruimixx says:

    “Fisty brings the ‘urban safari’ to the soccer moms kids.”

    “btw, that picture reminds me of the that ugly lady that scared the shit out of prince on Under The Cherry Moon…”

    LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!

  19. Candice says:

    Congo Man….all of those and the fact that we care more about the fake azz war than educating our children.

  20. LM says:

    This is the best discussion of Oprah’s contradictions I’ve ever seen.

  21. Vee says:

    ^^ Candice . . . cosign.

    First, I’m not the biggest Oprah fan.

    I wouldn’t attack, quantify or measure the good she has done. If building an all-girl school in South Africa makes her spirit feel good then good for her. She’s trying to effect a positive change, keyword: trying.
    (Side note: Deke Mutombo built a hospital in the Congo and David Robinson built a school in Texas.)

    Yeah, when Oprah says something publicly there is a possibly that her statement might have a negative affect. So if she’s talking about black women contracting AIDS via whatever . . . it might have a negative impact or a positive impact. It is what it is.
    I check out a couple of bloggers while I’m at work and there are slew of negative thoughts committed to words that more than likely have a negative impact on some celebrities and public figures alike.
    Dallas, I’ll give you a quick pass because you’re blog actually has balance . . . you do celebrate some people and their achievements but there’s a whole lot of negative hate going down in blogs. Quick observation — If people are so annoyed with Beyonce (and her hair, wigs) why do people still tune in? Why continue to comment? Because the major media continues to do so? why?

    The correlation between Oprah and Cosby is dead on. Every once in a while you’ll hear open disdain for the poor and disenfrachised. BUT even after her comments concerning poor American schools . . . I’m still not mad. Cool, some sisters in South Africa is getting some love.

    I’m feel this post.
    Capitalist premier cheerleader, yup.
    Does she have female sexual predators on her show? yup.

    ^^Start Snitching
    Does she act like she forgot where she came from? No. I don’t even watch her show, but I wouldn’t go there. She’s a billionaire, how is she supposed to act or better yet, how would you have her act.

    . . . rappers attacking Oprah?!? Really?!? Can we check their catalogs?!? I really don’t think they understood her when she stated that she does not want to be marginalized as a woman.

    50’s critique for Oprah is out of admiration, that’s why he cares so much for his auntie Oprah . . . coSIGN!!

  22. the_dallas says:

    ^My crit of OPRAH was never about her opening her school, even though it is a cop out to leave American soil with money made (primarily, and obstensibly) in America, but even that action is reflective of the so called Negro post-integration.

    My problem with OPRAH is the attitude towards America’s disenfranchised that she engenders via her media platform. To say “it is what it is” gives credence to her cowardice. She DO NOT have the right to brazenly attack people that are defenseless and moreso they remain mentally impoverished because of her and people like her. On one hand she hands a little bird some bread while she sprays pesticides with the other.

    OPRAH is part of the problem.

  23. Vee says:

    Cool yeah. She doesn’t have the right but she did. It truly is what it is, that is how she feels. If she doesn’t have the patience, the time or energy.
    Eff it. Leave it be. That’s her attitude, her reality. Oprah also supports schools in Chicago, affluent schools.

    Her cowardice? In what way? Yeah, she did take an easy way out with her quick statement, maybe she was disillusioned, or maybe she has a real strong connection with South Africa’s plight.

    They don’t remain mentally impoverished because of her and people like her — that’s a serious complex issue in itself. Yeah, Oprah generalized inner-city children with her statement but in the same breath I can’t subscribe to them being deprived because of people of her ilk. Kids are not totally defenseless either, that’s a broad stroke painting a picture of complete victims in the low-economic inner-cities and counties. Is she now also responsible for holding people back and making them want/desire iPods and Air-Force Ones? Or simply promoting materialistic values in public and in her private life.

    Just curious, who has the right to criticize the disenfranchised for the current plight? On that note, although Bill Cosby has issues himself and Michael Eric Dyson exposed Bill’s contradictions in so many ways, I will still say that there is some serious sincerity in Cosby’s words. I don’t agree with his methods and his unwillingness to contend with criticism himself or his apparent righteous indignation . . . but he still has a right to speak about education, Brown vs. Board of Ed, etc.

    Ok, I’m playing the devil’s advocate a little bit here, but I’m not going to dismiss Oprah completely and say she ain’t sh*t, f*ck Oprah or slam her because she’s doesn’t have love for poor urban American kids. She ain’t gonna love everybody.

    Oprah is part of the problem just like BET, Fisty, etc. are also part of the problem. What shall we do next? Suggestions: turn off the television, check out PBS or better yet, there’s always the internets.

  24. Lion XL says:

    Vee…Remote control or a Mouse, if you have little else to do in life it becomes akin to crack pipe. Neither is wholly beneficial nor above becoming an addiction. Its up to the individual how far down the bunny hole one goes.

    And when people say ‘it is what it is’, it’s really a cop out. Especially when in regard to a subject such as this one. It offers no credence, no insight, nothing. As if to say ‘they’re disenfranchised, so what!’. And that’s the type of attitude that we are really discussing here.

    It may not be Oprah’s fault, she may not have created the problem. But I believe that mindset of hers and others like her that perpetuate the problem. If the people with the ability and means to help make a change fore go it for some other cause, then how can the people without the ability or means hope to raise themselves out of poverty? If we look past those that need help here, then who will help them?

    IF NOT US, THEN WHO?
    IF NOT THOSE THAT CAN HELP, THEN WHO WILL HELP?
    IF THE HELP DOESN’T BEGIN AT HOME, THEN WHERE DOES IT BEGIN?

    ‘It is what it is’ answers none of those questions……

  25. yeahisaidit says:

    ….blah, blah, fucking blah…Poprah’s certainly not above criticism, (as evidencenced by many of the posts here), and while many i can’t stand the holier than thou from wealthy Black conservatives concerning poorer Black’s, (they’re worse than massa…), she’s like such an easy target, yeah, she spoke greasy on inner city kids and built her school outside the u.s (to fullfill a promise she made to mandela or some shit) ….but hasn’t the bitch done an arm an a leg here in the states as well?….and to point that out don’t mean i’m setting her up as some goddess, (that shit is sooo grade school), i’m not even tryin’ to be up in her ass like that…besides, if a mutherfucker seriously feels slighted that the O ain’t doing for certain people what she should be doing, then look in the mirror for the person who should then take up the slack…stop wasting time sitting around painting O as some trifling ass ho….yeah, she might be irritating as hell, but, that shit’s too easy and unproductive as far as those who might need your help is concerned…

  26. apple halsey says:

    ^WTF are you talking about?

  27. jen says:

    off top: i don’t care if race is a social construct. most any american of color with eyes and a semblance of intelligence will be quick to tell you that race and its effects are REAL, REAL, REAL. i have a huge problem when people make statements like yours on disenfranchisement as though the country’s race problems are, in reality, merely “socio-eco-political” ones. spare me.

    anyway, you lineated the hypersensitivity caused by america’s focus on race as its greatest social problem. and you have a point. your response to my post only demonstrates that.

    you mentioned race and class in your post. common sense says that when one discusses CLASS in america, one is discussing pretty racially homogeneous groups. you yourself recognized that in your response to me. you don’t have to mention “black” when you are discussing oprah’s comments. oprah doesn’t have to mention “black” when she is making her comments. when she said “inner city”, “school”, “sneakers” and then started comparing americans to africans, it became obvious the subject was little black children.

    you were discussing black people when you responded to oprah’s comments. period. HOWEVER, if, for the sake of political correctness, you want to ignore the fact that, were a school similar to the one oprah opened in south america opened in any metropolitan area of the u.s. (save portland), it would be at least 85% black, fine. do that.

    but, i’d thank you if you would refrain from acting like i’m uneducated for choosing to recognize it.

    p.s. thanks for the head’s up on this not being a hip hop site. i am a pretty regular reader. i’ve noticed.

  28. omegaSB says:

    Being an 18 yr old who has just entered his first year of art school , is black , and came from a ” fucked the fuck up ” home ,( both parents DED and living in one of the more crime infested cities of New Jersey, plus fucked up property tax) it should be noted that a more personal standpoint should be gazed upon. Myself for instance , shure im young and disenfranchised but nothing stopped me from getting off of my ass and doing something about it . When u put the focus of a major social problem on the sagging shoulders of an entertainer I think thats when the media as a whole has fucked itself in its own ass. I think the whole moral compass of the American psyche has been fornicated by the TV set , not every black kid only likes sneakers and phat asses , we are baited by our stereotypes.

    I was lucky to end up coming out of the womb in the late 80’s , when there was still some substance in out music, art , and entertainment . The future had yet hit us ( yea no flying car) and we still had our Twin Towers . Yea i had a Sega Genesis ( heres the correlation to the Xbox’s and such ) but i also picked up a sketch pad and dug in the basement for records , not only i but my friends even did things without the Tv on every hour on the hour. We made our own fun , it helped us learn even better becuase we were poorer. Even then I can remember all of the “old folks ” yapping on about some old hag named Oprah Winfrey , to make things short . i didn’t give a fuck then and i dont give a fuck now . This is the problem when we lay down all individual consciousness, resort to lazy tactics , and end up with shitty solutions because we are so bound to the elite in our society who we let run every aspect . America is now filled to the brim with fat cats , even the poor have a pompous haughtiness and try to legitimize bare minimum materialistic optimism. Capitalism is basically going suck the poor into a gloomy black hole , becuase with a capitalistic mindset everyone is a consumer whore feeding the economy . Its a march towards an ultimate doom not only economically and socially but maybe even class wise . A purely stagnant society bent on purchasing the next shiny object , other countries will then have a right to burn our flag …whatever that is

  29. the_dallas says:

    thanks to everyone that has taken a minute(or more) from their time to comment on this drop. we aren’t going to solve all of Americas’ ills from this website, but we are definitely going to identify them and subsequently make ourselves smarter for the effort.

    Jen,
    thanks for coming back for a second round, let’s talk about some of your points. I’m glad to know you are educated, but stop using your education to make baseless generalizations about race and class. the two are separate tools used by supremacy to keep people running on the wheel of capitalism. race is real, and race is surreal. when discussing Oprah’s comments about ‘inner city kids’ I refuse to accept them as code for Black kids. However, if you choose to accept Oprah’s veiled comments as code for Black kids then shame on a nigger. she definitely deserves to be censured for her bigoted views.

    ask any child in America what they would prefer to own, a school uniform or an iPod and I will guarantee that one hundred percent of those kids will choose the iPod. that speaks to our values as a society across all racial and social lines. inner city, suburbia, exurbia all together view education only for its materialistic probabilities.

    this drop was focused on how Oprah’s reckless and possibly racist comments can be a much more galvanizing negative force on far more people than her piddling good works that only benefit a few and increase her brand as Aunt Jemima anti-christ cum capitalist messiah.

    thanks again for stopping by.

  30. Vee says:

    ^Lion XL,
    Come on man, when I say ‘it is what it is’ I’m referring to what Oprah said concerning inner-city kids.
    . . . ‘how can the people without the ability or means hope to raise themselves out of poverty,’ history has shown us that they indeed do have the ability. Check out ^ OmegSB and I’ll add myself to that. Just to reiterate, ‘it is what it is’ . . . if so-and-so does not care or does not like/appreciate me, then it does nothing to or for me. But, please do not interpret my above statements as apathy.

    While some like Oprah or some one with her mindset has more resources than I do, please don’t assume that I or you do not have the ability or means to raise others out of poverty. Simply showing some one how to get a job, write a resume, use a job search engine is extremely helpful. Personally, I taught some one how to use a computer, the internet and the basics of MS Word. He now has more marketable skills and no longer works in a low-skilled security job. I did all of that without $40 million dollars. On another note, I did the same for some one else and she’s still unemployed. — it is what it is.

    Once again, Oprah’s mindset or people with her mindset does not care to lift a finger . . . it is what it is. I can’t waste time on that. I’m not going to be able to reach as many people as Oprah . . . whatever. What any of these entertainers or public figures do or don’t do, is of no consequence.
    IF NOT US, THEN WHO? Me.
    IF NOT THOSE THAT CAN HELP, THEN WHO WILL HELP?
    I can and I am.
    Research and history shows that there are many opportunities and people out there doing grass roots level work. The change is not going to happen overnight. Like OmegSB said, solutions and relief from social ills should not be placed upon the saggin shoulders of entertainers.

    ^yeahisaidit cosign.
    Take into consideration Oprah’s or even Cosby’s track record, while there mindset/attitude or outlook might be contradictory or whatever and now take a look at the other entertainers, public figures, city officials, mayors and maybe even the mirror. There’s a huge difference. Doesn’t give them a right to say things, but hey . . . they don’t influence public policy. Oprah part of the problem?!!? Outside of materialism, which is understand, biased against men . . . hmm . . . Part of the problem? Really?

    ———————-
    “Those who devote careers to fashioning a fragile conception of black Americans as culturally determined solely by economics and racism are dehumanizing us, selling a portrait of blacks as the most passive humans in the history of our species.”
    Not my quote, but I can’t agree that blacks are completely influenced by factors mentioned throughout this post and certainly not the mindset of others . . . history-and research proves otherwise.

  31. FBombs says:

    I’ll keep this short:

    Classic post. Period.

    Linking now.

  32. Lion XL says:

    Vee..yes I do agree with you, to a point.

    First, the bold statements I placed were more of a self-check(?) one should pose to themselves when deciding on a course of action. (which you seemed to have oassed with flying colors!)

    Second, the point you also missed was that when I refer to those that can help, you obviously fall into that category. Not because of socio-economic-blah-blah, but because of your willingness to help.

    Also, while I may have had both parents in my home, we were(are) severely dysfunctional. Did that fact hinder me? No I hindered myself by being foolish and making bad choices. I went to Brooklyn Tech, and played spades all day (when I wasn’t fighting). I eventually graduated and went to college, then I started running with the ‘cons. After several attempts at getting myself incarcerated, I finally thought I would stop the foolishness and settle down. So I married a dumb bitch that ruined my already pathetic life. Did this hinder me? NO. I moved on. I then found the right woman, and I am helping her raise her(our) children. Most recently I brought my other step-son(well not really, my step-sons brother, from his fathers other marriage! whoo,) into our home because his mother is crazy and his father is a deadbeat.

    My point is, its not where your from its where your at. And that some people have the mindset and wherewithal(?) to overcome any obstacle, while others may need assistance and nurturing. Is it up to only Oprah or other celebs? definitely not. But I do think we(us, Oprah, Cosby, Fisty, etc) need to focus on our own communities before going abroad.

    Does that mean Oprah is wrong? NO. I just disagree with her. Should we wait for her to come around or try to convince her? again, NO. Just know that I(we) disagree with her position. The only people that really need to worry about public opinion are politicians. Any one else just has to agree to to disagree.

  33. Vee says:

    ^Lion XL,
    Cool . . . South Africans are part of our own communities, just as well as Haitian, Jamaicans, etc. Cuba (Fidel) and Venezuela (Hugo) has a real cool history of lending a serious helping hand and support to their community — global community.

    . . . but yeah, I get your point.

    I’m almost glad I didn’t go to BK Tech, stay fly Laguardia HS.

  34. the_dallas says:

    ^LGA + MLK HS = after school Decep meat

  35. ELOHEEM STAR says:

    Salute Lion XL

    “There is no better(teacher) than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”
    Malcolm X

  36. Jeannie says:

    Why is Gayle Oprah’s “wife?” Is it because only men should be making money/ running a business? Is it derrogatory to be called a wife? Watch the sexism.

  37. omegaSB says:

    mmmm sexism …gets my eyes all sweaty

  38. Shonquayshah says:

    Oprah Winfrey IMHO, is on some “the hand that rocks the cradle” ish with this academy for girls in South Africa.

    I have so much things to say right now, but I’ll just stick with the main points.

    1. It’s HER skrilla/scratch/ducats/loot/cabbage…whatever!

    2. She knows what she is doing!

    3. There is a DEFINITE need there and I do feel that what she has done/is doing will be appreciated.

    4. Charity begins AT HOME!

    That is all……

  39. yeahisaidit says:

    ….oprah’s not done anything for the community here at home in the states? i just don’t get how someone can state shit like that…didn’t she pledge her own $ to aid Katrina victims, along with countless other examples to numerous to mention…i mean, i might not agree with all she does, but sometimes the harsh ass criticism she garners blows my mind, especially when i realize that instead of trying to clown on her people are genuinely stating that they think she’s the fucking anti-christ and not a flawed human being like the rest of us…as for complaints of her opening a school in africa instead of the u.s., i repeat…she was honoring a promise she made to mandela; it was not to spite those worthy of such charity here in the U.S. although it seems many feel that way…sheesh, i’m all for clowning on oprah but as for viewing her as some kind of all out monster, give the bitch a break ….(something i honestly thought she wouldn’t ever need at this stage in her career, lol)

  40. Tired of Niggas says:

    I grew up very pro-Black, even went to a HBCU to get the real AA experience, marched in the original MMM, and own too many PE/KSR-One records to name…However, for the 1st time in my 30 years on Earth, I find myself unable to relate to our less-fortunate Brothas in the “Hood” and kind of feel like that MLK Boondocks episode – The Civil Rights movement was perhaps a waste for a large part of Black America. Black folk in the “Hood” I’ve come to believe just don’t give a fuck about betterment, education, culture, or community. They live by the mantra “Live fast, Die young” (just listen to Jim Jones or Young Jeezy). No sense of struggle or culture.

    Hey, if you don’t want to better yourself, then what the f*ck can anyone, Oprah or not, do about it?

  41. Personal Responsibility says:

    ^^IA with “Tired”…I had to watch that Boondocks episode twice to get the full effect but the one thing that has always stuck with me is when MLK says “is this what I got all those ass whoopings for?”…I always think about that when I see these so-called “hip hop” videos…You can’t hate on Oprah for not listening/promoting music that degrads women, specifically Black women…and you can’t hate on Oprah for building a school for children who wouldn’t have one otherwise. The fact is that education in America is available and FREE to all children (even college, if you do what you need to do)…those little girls in Africa don’t have that luxury. It’s not Oprah’s fault that she buys nice things and people want what she has…it’s HER MONEY!!! I know I don’t have Oprah’s money so I know I can’t have everything that Oprah has…and that’s fine with me. Poor people need to get their priorities straight, stop looking for a quick-fix or someone else to come and save the day…I mean, WHEN DOES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY COME INTO PLAY? It’s not Oprah’s job to fix America’s problems…she can help, and I think she should be commended for what she has done. If I had to choose between giving a foreigner something I know s/he would appreciate versus giving an American child something that s/he won’t, I’ll pick the foreigner everytime. What’s the point of bulding a 40 million dollar school here in America, when our children won’t go to school…would rather watch the garbage on BET than read a book…the point is to make the world a better place, and yes, I do agree that you owe something special to those you relate to (race, gender, etc.) first…but are the AFRICANS not our brothers and sisters.

    Bottom line is like someone said earlier…before you judge her and what she supposedly isn’t doing for our community ask yourself what you are doing…how many kids do you read to at the local community center…do you help you kid brother with his homework…what are you doing to stimulate a child’s interest in obtaining a proper education…check yourself before you go judging somebidy else. Fix the materialistic problems in YOUR house, then your COMMUNITY, and then get back at me.

  42. the_dallas says:

    Personal Responsibility, your acronym is P.R. and I hope Oprah pays you handsomely.

    She IS the problem with America, not the only one, but a billion dollar problem none the less. Where the hell were you when this topic was… RELEVANT?!?

    Oprah accused CHILDREN of having poor values as if she isn’t part of their programming. What’s next for big bad Oprah? Is she going to accuse babies of drooling.

    Lastly, the kids in the center citry are not my brothers and sisters and neither are the kids in Africa. I believe in a global community that’s built on faith and goodwill and people that want to educate, adopt, love humans from wherever is what’s really good. I don’t publicize my love for certain children with the exclamation that other children wouldn’t appreciate the same love.

    Shame on Oprah for being a spineless pawn for supremacy. Shame on you for being too obtuse to recognize that fact.

  43. HelloWorld says:

    Peace people

    We love you

Leave a Reply