Has Oprah lost her mind?

Question

News: Oprah said "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools, (in the US) that I just stopped going. The sence that you need to learn just isnt there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an ipod or some sneakers. In South Africa they don't ask for money or toys they ask for uniforms so they can go to school. Children there are hungry to learn.

Answer 1

she is detached from society because of her billions

Answer 2

When you get older you will start to sound like Oprah. If you are young you won't see the problem because you are too close to it. I don't have to watch Oprah to see the effect of poverty and ignorance has on inner city schools. When parents would rather make sure kids have to latest fashions rather than an appropriate education that will enrich their future. Alot of parents never had it so they don't really know how important it is. Some parents never had an opportunity and see it as a way to a better life. Oprah is right I will not agree with you. I am tired of reading endless stories about inner city schools and all the problems they create because the kids are just overbearing and mean. At my sons school he if afraid of the black kids because they tease they are mean and they like to intimidate people. If you disagree with my assesment too bad it is time african americans start to realize the problems with our people and start a new generation on a more socially acceptable attitude otherwise we will continue to have stereotypes and hatred follow us another 100 years.

Answer 3

I am sure you are not going to choose this as best answer - even though it likely will be.

Oprah is absolutely right and if you don't think so you haven't been to school in a long time. The culture of American classrooms has moved away from learning and into socializing and making friends. Of course there are some teachers that still manage to teach and some kids that still manage to learn, but you'd be a fool to think that Oprah would show up and they told her they wanted new school books or something educational for the school. That's just not the environment anymore.

Now on the other hand, between her and Ellen doing give-a-aways all the time they might be bringing that on themselves.

Answer 4

Clearly, you have forgotten Rule #1, which is: Queen Oprah Can Do No Wrong. Ever.

Seriously, though, there does seem to be a rather disheartening "anti-learning" value among inner-city children, as though getting good grades and trying to better oneself intellectually were somehow "acting White" and not being true to one's roots.

(Says the intellectual White boy who got good grades.)

Personally, I think the kids' obsession with material goods like sneakers and iPods - not to mention the crass opulence featured in so many hip hop videos and songs - is pretty damned White. Not to mention, empty and bereft of any real value or meaning.

The object of the game is not to have more toys than Whitey. The object of the game is to be smarter than Whitey.

Ready? Go.

Answer 5

She is right but not 100%. There are plenty of American kids who can't afford a decent meal or clothing but yet, they still manage go to school every day to get their education so they won't continue to suffer throughout life.These are the kids that she should not give up on. Most of the kids will ask for toys but they are the ones that are use to getting what they want. Parents these days are stuck on trying to give their kids everything they didn't have growing up or trying to compete with what others are doing for their kids instead of saying no every once in a while to teach their kids to identify their wants from their needs. That's why a lot of young adults who try to make it on their own end up failing. They splurge before paying bills and before you know it, they come crawling right back home. I bet if she ask a poor kid what they need, they will say clothes, shoes, or whatever it is that they really need to go to school without being picked on because American kids are famous for bullying those who are less fortunate than they are. They tend to think they are better because they have more and don't think of how they would feel if they were in that situation. Kids need to learn that material things are not every thing and need to know what values really are.

Answer 6

If you leave the statement in context it makes more sense . How on earth can we always seem to make something out of nothing ?
Oprah was talking about the way the system here isn't interested in teaching our kids to hunger for learning . Or giving them a break to do so . Did you see the condition of those schools / I couldn't learn there either .

Answer 7

She made a statement about her observations of two different cultures. Period.

The fact is that in the "first world", education is available for free for every child. And far too many of them take that gift for granted. But that's just in the "first world". In many other parts of the world, there simply is no such thing as universal eduction or an education system, period.

Every child is eager to learn. That's why infants explore their world and why children dream of things that might not YET be possible. But no one can make those things possible without an education, and when it's not readily available or not available at all, then yes, they will eager to learn anything when the possibility is offered to them.


Please keep this in mnd - cynicism becomes no one.

Answer 8

You ask any kid in America what they want and they're going to say ipod or sneakers. It's not a problem with inner-city schools. It's been that way for a long time, and probably still will be far off into the future.

Answer 9

Well, for one thing, in South Africa, if you're alive it's amazing.

Second of all in America kids have been overinstitutionalized since they were four years old. They have no freedom, and no choice about going to school.

So Americans have the opportunity and prosperity but none of the other options.

South Africans have the other options but no opportunity or prosperity.

Answer 10

Oprah lost her ideas a protracted time in the past. I nonetheless like most of the content on her teach, yet now that she is prevalent she has thoroughly pushed Jesus Christ out of her life and is attempting to lead her visitors removed from Jesus, too. What a shame.

Answer 11

I appluad Oprah for her school in South Africa, but she should also do something like that here in the USA if she doesn't like the inner-city schools. She has the money, name and power to where she can do it.