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A Woman's Response to ‘The Oprah Effect’
“Oprah reinforces the US war on the poor and unequivocally supports white male supremacy.”
by Pat Gowens, Editor, Mother Warriors Voice
The original article, by Tim Wise, to which Ms. Gowens is responding, appeared in the October 25 edition of Black Agenda Report.
Ignoring and minimizing racism is only one reason the billionaire media enriches Oprah and allows her a voice. Oprah has risen to fame and wealth because she reinforces the US war on the poor and unequivocally supports white male supremacy. Oprah's focus on psychobabble self-help perpetuates bootstrap myths and the deadly US blame-the-victim ideology. Her routine attacks on moms who receive welfare child support are classic divide-and-conquer tactics to further empower wealthy Euro-American rulers. Her body-size obsession disempowers and distracts women from real issues, while making billions for “self'improvement businesses.”
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When
Welfare Warriors, a Milwaukee group of activist moms in poverty were
invited to appear on Oprah, we accepted the invitation despite our
anger at Oprah's betrayal of African American moms in poverty and her
frequent attacks on all moms who receive welfare. Her contempt for
impoverished mothers actually increased Welfare Warriors' membership
when African American moms joined specifically to picket Oprah. (A
typical Oprah assault on a welfare mom in her audience: “But
you sit home with your feet up collecting that monthly check.“)
“Her
body-size obsession disempowers and distracts women from real
issues.”
Unfortunately,
instead of picketing Oprah, we agreed to appear on her show to
discuss the problems associated with welfare deform. And we provided
Oprah with names of moms across the US who were willing to speak to
this issue. Oprah sent a limousine to Milwaukee to pick up four
Welfare Warriors the day before the show. They wined and dined us
until we got into the green room the next day. Then we learned that
only one Mother Warrior would be allowed to speak. The producer
assured me I would be miked in the audience in an “anchor
position.” They didn't want me on stage because I was “too
articulate” and not currently on welfare.
For
30 minutes before the show, Oprah's cheerleader worked the audience
into a frenzy of hatred against moms on welfare. When the show
started, Welfare Warriors member Linda, an Italian American mom with
3 children, was sandwiched between two women who attacked and pitied
her. The African American mom on her right claimed to have overcome
her “sick dependence on welfare” and bragged about cheating
on welfare and allegedly living like a queen. The white woman on her
left was not a mom but had once received foodstamps. Both women
aggressively condemned Linda for receiving welfare. Throughout the
show Oprah alternated between attacking Linda and allowing panel and
audience members to attack her. Poor Linda had been prepared to
discuss the economic realities of motherwork, the failures of both
the US workforce and the child support system, and the Welfare
Warriors' mission to create a Government Guaranteed Child Support
program (Family Allowance) like those in Europe. But instead Linda
was forced to defend her entire life, while Oprah repeatedly demanded
“How long have you been on welfare?”
“Oprah's
cheerleader worked the audience into a frenzy of hatred against moms
on welfare.”
Like
a fool I stood in the audience with a mike (turned off) around my
neck. Oprah only approached me after audience people insisted that
she allow me to speak. She stuck the mike in my face and I began to
describe how welfare reform was endangering children and
impoverishing families. After about 30 seconds, Oprah cut me off,
“But this woman says she wants to work” as she turned away
to another woman in the audience. (And my one sentence was edited out
of the show when it aired!)
Later
we complained to Oprah and her producer about the false promises they
had used to lure us onto the show. (We had engaged in extensive
negotiations prior to agreeing to appear. We only said yes after they
agreed that we would discuss welfare deform, not our personal
lives.) The producer shoved an Oprah cup (our pay) into our hands and
pushed us out the door, angrily denying their treachery.
The
limousine ride home was a sad and silent one. No wining and dining
this time - Oprah was done with us - just an empty limousine.
Linda was crying and in shock; she said she felt like she had been
raped. But the worst part came later.
By
the time we arrive home, we had received calls from moms on both
coasts. They called to warn us about the promos that Oprah was using
to advertise her show, during the 24 hours leading up to it: “THEY
CALL THEMSELVES WELFARE WARRIORS AND THEY REFUSE TO WORK. SEE OPRAH
AT 4.“
This
ugly slander was not only destructive to our group, it was ironic.
We had sent the producer our mission statement, flyers and
publications. This literature addresses the difficulty for single
moms to survive on either work alone or welfare alone. Thus our
mission emphasizes the need to change the system to allow combining
both sources of income or simply providing all children with
guaranteed income, which would not reduce a parent's work income.
(This is similar to Social Security Survivors Benefits.)
“Oprah
had knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly lied about Welfare
Warriors in her promos.”
We
approached lawyers to sue Oprah for slander because she had
knowingly, intentionally, and repeatedly lied about Welfare Warriors
in her promos. The attorneys would not take the case because they
believed that, as welfare moms, we were at the bottom of the barrel
and could not be any further reduced by Oprah's repeated nationwide
slander!
Did
we ever return to picket Oprah? Not yet!
Mother
Warriors Voice is a 20 year old, international quarterly news journal
reporting on world news from an activist, mothers-in-poverty,
perspective. Subscribe for $15 individuals, $25 Organizations and
overseas, $5 victims of poverty. Send to 2711 W. Michigan, Milwaukee,
WI 53208 414-342-6662. SUPPORT THE PEOPLE'S PRESS. Mother Warriors
Voice is published by Welfare Warriors. Web: welfarewarriors.org.
RELATED ARTICLES IN BLACK AGENDA REPORT
The Oprah Effect by Tim Wise -- How white Americans choose to believe that the career of Oprah Winfrey proves racism and white supremacy are dead. And how wrong they are.
The Low Down on the Down Low by Bruce Dixon -- originally published in Black Commentator, Septermber 8, 2005 --- How Oprah Winfrey did lasting and incalculable damage to the cause of HIV-AIDS prevention by launching the careers of huckster J.L. King and the racist, homophobic myth of the "down low brutha".
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