Oprah Winfrey upset some people when she said that she decided to build her new $40 million leadership academy in South Africa instead of the United States because the students there show a greater need and appreciation for education. But Clarence Page agrees with her in a column on our Opinion pages. “Having reported from South Africa at various times since the 1970s and as the parent of a black American teenager, I agree with Winfrey,” he wrote. “She’s not blaming the victims. Our kids don’t know anything except that which they are taught by parents, peers, teachers and other role models.”
Page also defended Oprah against the criticism that she could have educated more students if she hadn’t made her academy so lavish. “Why shouldn’t bright and promising future African leaders have a learning environment at least as nice as that enjoyed by the Ivy League elites who populate America’s leadership class?” he wrote.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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40 Comments
The bottom line is it is Oprah Winfrey’s money and she can do whatever she wants with it.
She has been more than generous in our own country and why shouldn’t she be able to do with her money what she wants and in the way she wants to do it? After all, isn’t this theory the main mantra of the Conservative Republican – to keep one’s money and to decide themselves how to spend it?
So what’s the beef here?
cs,
Steve Gilliard identifies the issue as the widespread tendency to single out and scapegoat ghetto kids.
***********************************
http://www.stevegilliard.blogspot.com
“My mother has been defending this fiasco for a week or so. I thought it was more about Oprah’s need for being worshiped than reality.
People are so desperate for an education, they join the military. Kids want iPods and sneakers as a way to keep their dignity and not be constantly reminded that they’re poor. When poor kids are motivated, as they were in LA last year, they can do damn near anything, including shut down the LA school system via facebook.
If Oprah think’s an iPod is a toy, she’s a fool. Only a person familiar with computers can use an iPod. These are computer literate kids. And they get younger every year. The use of an iPod teaches technology, as do cell phones and video games. These kids are comfortable in a computerized world and use that information to learn.
Wouldn’t you ask a billionaire for an iPod.
Mr. Soros, can I have an iPod.
The South African government backed out of the project because it was too lavish. Oprah is completely unaware of the political consequences of creating an elite in another country. I would bet that most of these girls spend their lives as expats in the US or UK.
But what angers me is yet another attack, by a black person, on black and latino kids. She isn’t an educator, she doesn’t know what a drive to learn is.
When Jesse James had Monster Garage on Discovery, he would go to a poor school, white, latino, black, shitty neighborhoods. Like he grew up in. And he would teach them how to build a car. These kids wanted to learn. Even if James had to hunt down one kid at home. They were excited to learn this skill, which took little imagination to see what career it led to.
Every time some people want to make a point, they just whip out the canards and then attack black kids. Most of who graduate high school and then go to college. Oprah wanted people to be grateful, even if she slanders a few people in the process.”
People need to get over the notion that ALL children are equally capable of achieving academic greatness, they are not.
Viva la Raza Blanco!!
Apparently, Oprah has seen the wisdom of what Dr. Bill Cosby was saying about ’some’ of America’s Black Youth. That is, it’s time to stop blaming everyone else for your problems and time to stop using excuses. If you want to get ahead, it is entirely in your power to do so.
And I think the children of South America better appreciate the opportunity than our own children in America. They are just one generation out of Apartheid and know the importance of getting ahead in their society if they want to grow in the direction of their own choosing.
That should be South Africa not South America. :|
I don’t know what Oprah was building in South Africa, but if Oprah was saying that there’s a strong anti-intellectual climate in this country, she’s right on the money.
Who do most kids like and want to be like–the varsity football quarterback or the science nerd who built his own Van De Graaf generator out of bailing wire and chewing gum?
Hell, who do most TEACHERS like better?
Depends on the teacher, Capn. :D Seriously, it’s not just the students; it’s becoming parental, too. The allure of the “full ride” athletic scholarship affects many families, both affluent and otherwise. Not to mention the reliving of the parent’s life through the student, etc.
Look who we elected as President and tell me there isn’t a virulent anti-intellectualism in this country.
If kids wanted to be more like the jocks, so be it. At least they are working hard for some future benefit. Or striving for one at any rate. What kills me are the kids who dress like thugs and want to be rap stars. YUCK !!!!
People in third world countries value education more than we do here, I say she’s right to put her money where it would do the most good.I agree, CS, she has the right to do with her money what she wants, the stupid insinuation that she’s only doing it because she want’s to be admired is just someone’s sour grapes. What have they done lately to improve education for kids?
Oprah, just by being herself, is admired. Her money should be spent any way she sees fit. Imagine any of us picking up a newspaper where someone else is telling you how to spend you money.Give me a break. As for African vs. African-American children…well, just look at American kids in whole. We suck at raising disciplined kids.
I do agree that nice places are nice, but personally I could care less what the place looks like as long as it functions and provides. So that point is ridiculous to me. She doesn’t think like a poor person anymore. But if the worst she can do is spend too much on design for a school in South Africa that helps kids, well, she’s still doing fabulously more for kids than anyone on this damn board.
She’s also wrong about kids appreciating education. Some kids do, and are willing to go the extra mile here in America, you just have to find them.
I won’t pretend to understand the mentality of those in the ghetto growing up poor and black- even though poor, we always lived like poor country folk. I didn’t have to grow up with violence all around me. I absolutely believe that there is a reason why poor kids grow into poor adults. There are truly fewer opportunities.
Op rah rah rah is not a role model. She’s rich and fat and ugly, all the qualities people hate about Americans.
political_mom is a fat pig. Her husband left her because he couldn’t stand to look at the flab any longer. She sets around eating ice cream and fingering herself while pretending to be some sort of wit on these so called blogs.
Is there anyway that this blog can be limited to those that qualify as functioning adults? That would exclude Uma, Snugglebelly, Jugge, Golf Nutz, Orel and assorted friends of the same.
The blog is going to be shutdown soon if this nonsense does not stop. The Administrators are not going to waste time chasing down to morons and trollers, so they’ll just shut it all down to safe time and money.
Thank’s to all of you lurkers, trollers, stalkers and assorted other morons, you have ruined the blog for the rest of us.
The trollers have been doing this to the forums forever, and the Wichita Eagle still never does anything about it.
Ahh WSClark,
Maybe you and Captain America will have to become fully employed now instead of blogging.
Are the bad trolls picking on wittle Clarky.
ahhh :(
I think this time, P Mom, they are not going to have much choice but to shut it all down. Even in the six months that I have been blogging, the problem has gone from a annoyance to a real, first class pain in the ass.
They troll – lurk – stalk group has gone from just a few posts to repeated entries from multiple sources stating the same garbage.
From e-mails from WE today, many of these posts come from the same series of IP addresses.
Personally, I think that there is one man behind all of this.
And when the blog is shutdown, we can all give him a big Bronx Cheer.
ahhh bad trolls picking on wittle clarky :(
Kind of like popup! the troll
Well, JM, for starters, I don’t need a job, I am retired, you stupid SOB.
Second, it is obvious that trollers – lurkers – stalkers – etc – have screwed this up for all of us.
From your comments, I would say that you are okay with trolling, etc. Perhaps, JM, you are one of the trollers?
I would not expect more from you, JM.
JM<—–once posted “George Bush’s face should be on Mt. Rushmore. : ?~
Hey, Clarkie, don’t sweat it. I have been posting here for 2 years and there have been regular infestations of trolls and they always get bored and leave so just ingnore ‘em.
P.S.: It is possible to disguise one’e true IP addy. :)
viva La Raza Blanco!!
You can look to popup! and see he is one of the liberal bloggers and a troll.
Why?
Because he only posts against a few people on the blog and none sarcastic lame remarks are against anyone on the left.
I think you’re a troll and a stupid one at that.
A week ago, JM, I took the time and effort to do some research to DEFEND YOU when a liberal blogger make a false accusation against you. I posted the facts to support your position. I did that because it was right, not because I have any great allegiance to you.
But, as usual, now you attack me because I feel that trolls and stalkers you be removed from the blog.
That says a lot about your character, JM. That says a lot.
You don’t give a good god damn that a “liberal” supported your position because it was correct. All you care about is getting a “free shot” at someone that you have no respect for, simply because they are on the opposite side of the political spectrum from you.
I am sure, as time goes on, that you will suffer many pains in your life, JM.
And you will deserve all of them.
Provide a link to your support I didn’t see it.
And I’m sorry I didn’t see your “defense.”
Your wishing me ill shows that you are a vindictive person over something as inane as a blog.
The issue was, JM, the Baader Meinhof Gang, which a blogger accused you of making up. I researched the issue (which I was aware of) and documented that you could have been detained by said group and posted my findings to support your position.
If you don’t remember said issue, well FYTD.
And you are goddamned right that I am a vindictive person.
After you posted comments that belittled me, why would you expect me to have anything other than animosity towards you?
I remember what I wrote about the Baader Meinhog. Don’t think I said I was ever detained by them, but under their threat. Actually, the Polizei (German Police) did detain me by force of sub-machine gun when they were doing security checks. I was obviously released.
I was mocking you because you were offended by the trolls. I don’t know who the trolls are, but they certainly aren’t me.
Being vindicative in a blog and not responding to someone is one thing, wishing someone bad luck, ill health in real life is quite another.
Or don’t you draw a line on what is real and what is merely intellectual entertainment?
WSClark,
Care to share the email you describe above? My email is live.
Not defending JM necessarily, he can be a testy old guy, but I think he has had plenty of hurts in his life, already. I derive this from some posts he’s made in the recent past.
He has some blind spots, but they are consistent. I don’t see him as malignant as other posters we know.
You said, JM, that they detained you, searched your luggage, demanded your papers at the point of a gun because you were in the uniform of an American serviceman. If that was more of your bullshit, well, I am sorry that I bother to defend your position.
Sorry, my bad. I thought defending someone from “intellectual dishonestly” that was manifested by accusing them of making it all up was the right thing to do.
Apparently I was wrong.
On both counts.
Mr. Davis,
This is JM’s post:
Ahh WSClark,
Maybe you and Captain America will have to become fully employed now instead of blogging.
Are the bad trolls picking on wittle Clarky
For the record, I am retired, as most on the blog know.
After my defense of JM, he slaps me like this, so he can deal with the return fire.
Without seeing the whole text that I wrote, I don’t know exactly what you are referring.
But it sounds like you need a nice hot shower and some nice green tea.
Sorry, my short term memory isn’t as good as it once was, I need to read what I wrote before I can answer specifically.
Well, JM, it really doesn’t matter now does it? If you want to find the post, do your own research. I spent the time once for you, I’ll be damned if I’ll do it again.
After your unnecessary attacks, JM, you have moved down the list of conservative/right-wing bloggers.
Whereas before I felt you deserved respect due to your military service, your education, your life experiences and your age, but now I have to demote you.
Christ, it was just a week ago that I felt that I respected you, JM!
JM, you have been demoted to a position just above KSGolfnut but below Ian Santiago, Fleetwood and Joe Williams.
It will be extremely difficult to lower yourself below KSGolfnut, but you are headed in the right (wrong)direction.
Okay, WSC, I would still like to see a copy of the email about the trolling traffic here, which has gotten exponentially worse recently. I hope the WE staff have a meeting soon; there has to be some way to deal more productively with such nonsense.
WSClark,
You have me confused now.
That is confused with someone who cares what you think about me.
Well, JM, I can honestly say, after today, that I really could not give a good god damn what you think about anything.
Well WSClark, I can honestly say that your choice of expletives says a lot about you and your intolerance.
Just because I was kidding about some troll picking on you, you go off the deep end.
Glad it wasn’t anything major, you might have been searching for me with a shotgun.
After a fight I had one time during a baseball game, the guy who was punching me said, “See you tomorrow.” I laughed and replied with the same words.
See you tomorrow.
JM,It’s abundantly clear from his responses on here…ol’ WS has a temper.
And when he smokes dope, it gets worse.
I’m sorry, JM, if a couple of damns and hells offended you.
What offends me is your hypocrisy.
So much for extended respect to someone. I will be sure not to do that again, at least for you.
WSC–
The editors should post the IP addresses and all the bogus names a troll uses.
I too would be very surprised if it were more than just one or two people.
But they’ve invited this kind of disruption by the type of wholly anonymous blog they’ve set up and the really lax oversight.
They don’t even have user guidelines . . . so we can’t even police ourselves.