Oprah earns 350 million a year, can this be justified?

Question

40% of Australians earn less than $25,000 per year, therefore her salary equates to around 14 thousand people. $168,000 per hour, $2,800 per minute that ultimately comes out of your pocket one way or another. The usual argument is that she attracts revenue but this would still occur no matter how much she earned therefore is irrelevant. Would you be willing to do something to put an end to such extravagance, displayed throughout Hollywood, if it meant having to make a few sacrifices? This is not just theoretical.

Answer 1

Many people act like Oprah is God. Sure she does a lot for other people, but she's still a celebrity. I think all that money goes to their head. I'm so sick of celebrities and people thinking they should imitate them. Paris Hilton for example: what's that tramp have to offer, really? Just a bunch of spoiled, wealthy fake people who think they should be treated special. So, Oprah is probably similar. People with 'real' jobs (teachers, nurses aides, land surveyors, etc.) should be making more money than someone starring in films / music / talkshows/ tv.

Answer 2

You're just envious.

Your numbers are incorrect. Oprah's income in 2005 was $225 million, not $350 million. (J.K. Rowling BTW, earned $59 million that year, and is a billionaire.) Your calculations are also wrong because you based them on the amount of AIRTIME per show. There are countless hours spent in show prep, managing the business that IS Harpo Productions, working on her magazine, etc. You also fail to recognize the years she invested in building her reputation.

In the end though, it all boils down to supply and demand. There is a great deal of demand for commercial time on her show, because the show draws a very large audience. Oprah's TALENT draws that audience, and no one is better at it than Oprah herself. No one forces the advertisers to pay the rates she charges, they see it as a good investment! People buy the products advertised because they decide those products are worth the money. No one is forced to buy those products. Everyone is free to buy something else if they so choose.

You can have equality of opportunity or equality of outcome, but you can't have both. Given a choice, I'll take equality of opportunity every time.

Answer 3

She's a woman and she's black, if you say she doesn't deserve it, people will call you either a racist or sexist.

Warren Buffet has a few billion dollars, thats a lot more compared to Oprah's fortune. But he's a white male so maybe it's more socially accepted.

Personally, I think its a joke how much she makes, but then again she does donate a lot of money back into charities, especially in Africa.

But Oprah is a hypocrite. For example:

She tries to make us compassionate about the poverty in Africa and says we need to give more and help out.

Then three episodes later it is, "Oprah's Favourite Things." the episode where Oprah tells you what kinda materialistic luxury items every woman should have!

However, Oprah is an American success and is the so-called American Dream, so good for her.

Answer 4

The correct answer is that she generates the revenue and the fact is that she owns the production company Harpo that produces her show as well as another show you might have heard of, Dr. Phil. She has worked hard and established her place in the entertainment industry. I don't watch her show, but millions of people do, so if she has worked hard and put in many years of hard work to get to the point she is at, why shouldn't she make a load of money? Why should she give it all away to people who have not earned it? I couldn't tell you for sure, but I would say that she donates a lot of money to various charitable organizations. Let me ask you, are you willing to turn all of your money over to people who haven't earned? I work hard for my money in America, and I don't want to just sign over half my money to somebody who hasn't worked for it like I did. There is a word to describe the idea that everybody works and gets paid the same amount to avoid having a rich class and a poor class, that word is communism. Are you a communist my friend?

Answer 5

I can't help what the salary is in Australia. The citizens of that country are the only ones who can effect that situation.
Oprah deserves every penny. She was a poor girl and worked very hard to get where she is. Do you think that the highest paid pro basketball, football, golfer, movie star, or musician deserves what they get? The problem is not the amount that they make but the obsession this country has with "stars".
We think nothing of paying $80 or more a ticket to go to a concert or pro-game. But, ask someone to pay $80 for a life saving drug. I have heard someone complain about their doctor's salary. Only to answer my question about pro sports players salaries, "Hey they have worked hard to get there!" Hasn't your doctor spent lots of money at medical school, time studying, and tons of on the job training? To me, it is the screwed up morals in our society that is the problem not capitalism.

Answer 6

we stay in a capitalist society. it really is the clarification we've the most rich us of a interior the international (that is not purely the somewhat wealthy, yet center classification who make what different us of a's wealthy make, and undesirable who can live on on welfare the position in different international places, they could in basic terms die.) A capitalist society signifies that the goverment does not administration what people make moneywise. And it really is a robust project. If the cost is television stars who make extra money than medical doctors, the so be it. the purely reason that individuals ***** abotu how a lot people make is they're nto prepared to positioned the very difficult into growing to be in basic terms as wealthy (it really is plausible in us of a of america). the clarification capitalist A and B have billions of money (and that is more suitable like thousands of thousands and capitalist A and B are accomponied by skill of capitalists C-ZZZZ on an similar product) is because they labored difficult and made something sturdy people loved so a large style of people bought it. in case you would particularly have one determination and no millionaries flow to Russia.

Answer 7

There are a lot of things you need to consider.

Oprah grew up poor and abused.
She's WORKED hard for what she's got....and she gives more back to the world than you'll ever know.

Read up on her charity work..

On top of that, there are millions of people who have benefitted greatly from her TV show and magazine.

Nobody is forced to watch her show, buy her products or magazine.

What would YOU do with $350 million a year?

Answer 8

I think that all in Hollywood are overpaid, and overrated....but it's justifiable. They make what people are willing to pay them..and as long as people continue to go to movies, concerts, etc..Oprah and the like will continue to get filthy rich. Oprah is a true rags to (albeit extreme) riches story..the American dream. Everyone has an opportunity..

Answer 9

As entertaining as Oprah is, no she is certainly not worth that gigantic amount of money. Neither are any of the "stars" in Hollywood, or the sports "players" or any entertainer. I do my small part by never attending movies and giving them my money. I stopped watching TV, but some things you just can't give up, music for one. The hugely talented singers and musicans are not worth the money they make either.

Answer 10

It is a slippery slope to try to decide what anyone SHOULD make. Who decides? Based on what criteria? Based on whose values? In a free market society, celebs, athletes, entertainers can make what the market will bear. Mostly, these people have specialized skills and talents that lift their value in a free market. Unlike, say...someone to cut our lawn or serve us a hamburger. If someone is not satisfied with their income, they should or should have taken measures to ensure otherwise. Ultimately, we are a product of our decisons, as is Oprah.

Answer 11

Where, oh where did you get that figure for 40% of Australian salaries??? Please quote your source.

And what does Oprah's earnings have to do with Aussie wages?

By the way, Oprah has worked harder than most for her money and position and continues to do a heck of a lot of good along the way....a strange example to use ???