Guest Post by Morbo
If there is justice in the universe, Oprah Winfrey will one day be held accountable for her crimes, which are legion.
Winfrey’s daily program is seen by millions, and her monthly magazine adds to her reach. She has been called the most influential woman in the world.
Winfrey has incredible power — which she often uses for evil, not good. Repeatedly she allows her program to be the launching pad for a veritable army of self-help hucksters and get-rich-quick gurus who spew a litany of mumbo-jumbo that is designed to separate the gullible from their cash.
Earlier this year, for example, Winfrey hyped a book called “The Secret” by an Australian television producer named Rhoda Byrne. As The Washington Post’s Tim Watkin pointed out, the book’s premise is laughably stupid: It posits that there exists a “Law of Attraction” and that if you want good things, all you must do is hope for them and they will arrive.
As I read Watkin’s column, I had to wonder: If the good things that happen to you were attracted by your positive attitude, it stands to reason that the bad things that happen must be the result of your negative thoughts. But, I thought, that’s dumb. Did an 8-year-old with leukemia “attract” the disease? If a woman is raped, did she “attract” the assault? Surely, I thought, the book does not say that because people would not accept it.
But the book says exactly that — and people are falling for it. So if you’re the victim of an assault, if you have a fatal disease, if you’ve lost your job due to an economic downturn — get over it! You brought it on yourself.
Here are some of Byrne’s pearls of wisdom:
* “Imperfect thoughts are the cause of all of humanity’s ills, including disease, poverty and unhappiness.”
* “The only reason any person does not have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts.”
* “Food cannot cause you to put on weight, unless you think it can.”
* “It is as easy to heal a pimple as a disease. You cannot ‘catch’ anything unless you think you can….You are also inviting illness if you are listening to people talking about their illness.”
This last one is a real doozy:
“So…got any sick friends who need a shoulder to cry on? Tell ’em to bug off! As for Elizabeth Edwards — how selfish is she? By making people think about her cancer, she’s basically giving them the disease.”
Winfrey profiled “The Secret” Feb. 8 and followed up one week later, raving about this newly discovered “Law of Attraction.” Sales skyrocketed. 190,000 copies of the book sold in one week, at $16.76 a pop. (The accompanying DVD costs $34.99.)
In face of criticism, Winfrey later backed away from some of the book’s more outrageous claims. “‘The Secret,'” she said, “is not the answer to everything. It is not the answer to atrocities or every tragedy. It is just one law. Not the only law. And certainly, certainly, certainly not a get-rich-quick scheme.”
Not a get-rich-quick scheme? Then why does the book recommend you white-out a bank statement, write in the total you want, think positively and wait for the cash to come rolling in?
No, Winfrey’s “clarification” is not good enough. What she should have said was this: “There is no such thing as the ‘Law of Attraction.’ Sitting around wishing you had money won’t bring it to you. It’s best to work to get ahead. If you get sick, it’s probably because of germs or genetics. If burglars break through the locks of your house while you are away and cart off your stuff, that’s not your fault. I’m sorry I misled you by recommending this book by an obvious peddler of snake oil. I will try to do better.”
There is a part of me that thinks people dim enough to fall for “The Secret” don’t deserve to keep their money. But then I remember that at least some of Oprah’s audience is poor, not well educated and struggling to get by. These folks look to her with admiration. Many of them trust the things she says and read the books she recommends through her reading club.
Winfrey could make a real difference in the lives of these people. She could interview guests who actually have something of value to offer these folks, perhaps debt counselors, sensible money managers or professionals who recommend education, useful job retraining and so on. Instead, she offers up her flock to be fleeced by a pack of rapacious charlatans who proffer the worst form of New Age gobblygook.
How does Winfrey sleep at night? Sadly, the answer is probably very well — on silk sheets that she did not just wish for but went out and bought with all the riches her loyal fans have given her.