Punch on: Open thread 08/09/09

Dianne says:

07:38am | 08/09/09

Apart from her tendency to give money away, which is admirable, Oprah has a dangerous side. Very dangerous. She is well know to peddle woo. For one she promotes pseudoscience and ‘examines links’ (read: perpetuates myths) between autism and vaccines. There is no link. At all. This has been thoroughly debunked. She gives Jenny McCarthy an open forum to sprout her dangerous misconceptions. BUt go here for a much better description why Oprah/Jenny McCarthy lack critical thinking and why this is dangerous.

She talks about ying and yang, believes in psychic powers, relies on emotion and ‘energy’. Truth be told, it has done her well. When she suggests ‘The Secret’ works, she is dangerous. She has tremendous influence and even though she never suggests to forego conventional medical treatment many people may choose to do this and not seek medical treatment.

How about she uses her powers for good and promotes critical thinking, science and reason skills. Oh wait… that doesn’t sell…

David Butler says:

07:39am | 08/09/09

I love Oprah, seriously I really do love her.  More power to her I say.

Love, an avowed fan.

James says:

09:21am | 08/09/09

She is most certainly a very powerful woman, and dangerously so.  There is a plethora of people who hang on her every word, the slightest product recommendation and it becomes an instant hit.

With that kind of power which is easily observable to the blindest person, it is especially important for her to weild it wisely. To make responsible, intelligent, well educated and researched decisions yet constantly we see her promoting things which have little to no evidence behind them.  Woo of the craziest sorts from “the secret” to the anti vaccination conspiracy theorist Jenny McCarthy.  Things where that the evidence, research and education clearly fly in the face of. 

On the rare occasion she has been confronted with hypocricy and faults in her recommendationser get-out is that she claims her audience are intelligent and able to research such things for themselves, yet the affect her recommendations have seem to contradict this statement.  She knows the sway she has.  She knows her affect is more than just getting information out there.  She knows her power, yet takes no responsibility for it.

I agree she is one of if not the most powerful women in the world.  With how she uses that power, she is also one of if not the most dangerous.

Liz says:

09:38am | 08/09/09

There are many powerful women in the world, many of them unknown to the world as celebs.They quietly go about their lives in an unassuming,unsung manner without need for fame, wealth or recognition on the world stage.They keep the world moving along and try to keep it going in the right direction.

Phillip says:

09:48am | 08/09/09

While there is no doubt Oprah does much good and has good intentions, she is in a position of such influence that she can also do a lot of harm as well, should she present her viewers with erroneous or harmful advice. This is the case with ‘The Secret’ and her support of Jenny McCarthy, who advises mothers not to vaccinate their children. While Oprah herself may not advise against vaccinations, the fact that she provides Jenny with a platform gives her viewers the impression that the anti-vaccination arguments are legitimate and reasonable. This is not the case.

Not vaccinating puts those who cannot be vaccinated, for various reasons, whether too young, too old, on immuno-depressants or anything else at risk.

Oprah, being in the position of influence that she is should be more careful and critical about the ideas she lends her support to.