The 4 p.m. Dilemma

Okay...full disclosure...I actually watched the last three shows.  There, I feel so much better.  Oh, what last three shows?  That would be "The Oprah Winfrey Show."  Yup, since I'm pretty much on vacation now that I'm no longer in school (yippee and hello 3.6 final GPA!), I have free time, and I figured, what the heck.

I really had no serious intention of doing so, and nothing against Oprah at all, but things just worked out.  Once I saw the first of the last three days, I was invested.  And, I have to tell you, those two "surprise" shows with all the real people that Oprah had touched over the last 25 years and all the stars and such was really, well, touching.  I actually had tears in my eyes for those two shows.  The last show, meh.  That one was the one where Oprah just kind of hung out with her audience in her studio -- as opposed to the Chicago CitiCenter -- and kind of talked about stuff.  It was okay, and when that woman tears up, I cannot help responding in like, but nothing flashy.  And that was just right, I'm thinking.

How many times have you accused someone of being "so Oprah" or using "Oprah-Babble" where they've turned into an instant therapist or wise sage when discussing this or that.  Yeh...I've done it too.  Reinvent, authentic you, and so many other terms that are probably connected to Oprah, are tossed around.  If you have reinvented yourself, are you really your authentic you?  Just wondering.

No matter how cynical you are, you have to acknowledge that Oprah has used her so-called power for good and never for evil.  She has brought a lot of whispered evil doings out into the open and has given voice to the victims of those evil doers.  Empowerment is a very important talisman against such evil, and if one person's life was truly and positively affected, it's got to be a good thing, right?

Well, I wish her well.  Her young life was not easy, but she has triumphed and brought along a lot of people with her, and that has to count for something, right?  Besides, having news at 4 p.m. is so way better than another soap opera or friggin' reality show where the pampered are wailing about their vacuous lives.  Have a sweet new future, Oprah.