Political Implications of the Golden Grope Awards ceremony: Oprah?
This is the #metoo era. I am excluded from that because, well, I am not a female. However, I am cognizant that the majority of the population needs to feel safe in their own bodies. So, does this automatically require that women get first shot at the Presidential Lottery? Let's look back on history, which, by the way, is the only way we can study history. Unless you are Obama, who thinks history should be obliterated, because, as he said "Let us look forward and not back". Yes, Mr. Prez, that way we could forget all the non-scandals in your pristine 8 years of pillaging the poors in favor of your elitist buddies. We could forget whistleblowers, Fast and Furious, etc. etc.
However, while looking forward, we must also be aware of where we are now and how we got there. What better way to learn about our nation's past than by viewing it through the unblinking eye of the camera, i.e. Hollywood.
Birth of a Nation unflinchingly told the story of American greatness by subtly exposing predation, which was disguised as magnificent nation-building. This trend has continued up to the present day in which fearless fighters for Truth, Justice, and the American Way are presented in film and on stage. Movies like "A Few Good Men" and "And Justice for All" scratched the surface of exposing the sordid basis for our society.
Now we can once again turn our attention to really important things like how many people are starving daily, er, one of those "must-see" award shows. They don't have awards shows for the things I am most interested in, such as the largest animal ever eaten by an alligator. No, but we have the Emmys, the Tonys, the Oscars, Sportspersons of the Year, and other coveted prizes which we, as proud societal units MUST watch, else we be considered un-Amurican.
Thus it was with great disinterest I learned about the Golden Grope Awards from my sister Alice, who was there with her press credential. I will skip the munchinations by which she obtained said press pass, as well as her skillful dis-arming of a security guard who foolishly tried to bar her way into the festivities.
Scoop: you read it here second: the ceremony was to have been presided over by Kevin Spacey, but he had a previous engagement at the Bohemian Grove.
No surprise here: the Lifetime Achievement Award for Groping went to Harvey Weinstein. The lifetime award for Obliviousness went to his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Of course the one thing about the night's festivities, other than honoring Harvey, was the rags to riches story of Oprah Taxfree. Oprah was introduced by the ever-devolving Feral Screech, dressed in black.
It was truly great acting when she portrayed Rosa Parks (oops, she really didn't do that) and other civil rights figures, a fitting thing to do.
But then she started talking about "Your Truth" as if there is no "True Truth", rendering that whole portion into a subjective mish-mash of what is truth.
From Alice's press release
The big event of the evening, introduced by Feral Screech, was the introduction and semi-deification of Soaprah Taxfree, who gave an impassioned speech about "your truth", which by inference may not be The Truth, but an alternate Truth. Without actually begging for money (as she has oodles), the Taxfree economic program was subtly unveiled.
The Soaprah Plan (alternatively known as the Soak You Plan) would give every US Citizen (and certified Jihadis) a free car. (Jihadis only get white Hilux Toyotas). But each recipient of Soaprah largesse must buy insurance through the Oprah Insurance Network Kooperative (OINK).
When asked for comments during the GGA ceremony, Soaprah said she hadn't really considered running in 2020, then referred all questions to her non-campaign chairman.
For those wishing more information, Alice says the best source is DNC2020.com. Note; Killary did not win a prize because her drama "What Happened" had been impossible to present on Broadway or film, due to the large number of people purportedly killing the protagonist in the Library with a candelabrum
For those who insist upon open sourcing of this information, besides my sister (did I tell you, she is beautiful?), I have some learned opinions to cite.
First the view of one Sonnie Johnson, a black tea-partier, on how Oprah is a sure thing for 2020
Next comes Mr. Styxhexenhammer666 (not to be confused by his younger brother 667) who said Oprah won't run because it's not in her personality. . Evidently he's been taking psychoanalysis online courses from Laureate University allowing him to make such deeply personal insights (9:45).
Finally, comes a rational analysis from, where else The Rational National. His reasoning is sound: Oprah has no political platform. But neither did Hillary. Oprah is a warm-hearted neoliberal (oxymoron alert). As my sister points out, Oprah's OINK venture will surely deplete the lower 99's pockets with overpriced auto insurance. For those with short memories, her buddy Hussain set the precedent:
I leave discussion of Oprah's possible rivals for another day.
Comments
Late breaking news: Oprah supports Harvey
Yes, as this essay was in press, or whatever the electrons do, I came across the hidden romance of Oprah and Harvey.
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/08/oprahs-has-a-history-with-harvey-weinstein-photos/
@Alligator Ed She does?
She does?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Harvey's Paradise Resort
@Alligator Ed LMAO!
LMAO!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Oprah's car give-away
Those cars Oprah so magnanimously bestowed on members of her audience?
Turns out she didn't pay for them. The cars were donated by General Motors as a promotional stunt. It caused a problem for the lucky recipients, who had to come up with several thousand bucks each to pay the income tax on the value of the cars.
A Look Back at Oprah's Ultimate Car Giveaway
I haven't had a TV in my house since 2003, so I don't watch these shows -- Oprah, Ellen, etc.
But every now and then I'll be in a waiting room, such as the doctor's office or the auto repair shop. The TV will be on, because apparently Americans can't go for five minutes in silence without being fed by the entertainment media.
(Good grief. I pulled into a local self-service gas station the other day, and lo and behold, each of the pumps had a small screen blasting out some TV talk show. The whole time I was pumping the gas, I had to listen to the talking heads yammering away.)
Anyway, these shows set my teeth on edge. They're so raucous and melodramatic and materialistic, and yet people seem to love them. They love Oprah! They love Ellen! They seem to think that what they see on these shows represents reality. (Maybe it does, in which case we're in even worse shape than I thought.)
As far as I'm concerned, the mindset that entertainment celebrities should be running our government is pathological. Didn't we learn anything from Ronald "Bedtime for Bonzo" Reagan?
By the way, for the past couple of days, social media has been full of photos showing Oprah with Harvey Weinstein.
I'm also seeing some suggestions that this POTUS thing with Oprah is a set-up for her to introduce Kamala Harris to the American populace.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
I've watched very little boob tube bowel movement
most my life. The rare times I would land on a game show, I'd start snickering. The simpletons who 'won' seemed clueless about the fact they would be paying some hefty taxes to Uncle Sam. Sure that amount has increased enormously under the latest GOPukes' just passed tax 'cut.' Rec'd!!
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
@Centaurea Perhaps they're afraid
Perhaps they're afraid Kamala hasn't got what it takes. Oprah/Kamala, then Kamala later, perhaps. Or perhaps our overlords have decided to cut the crap and show us plainly that the function of politicians is the same as the function of media celebrities--no more, no less.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I saw a FB poll (yes, I know) after Oprah
And the humans or bots were mostly for Biden. A sure Millennial pick!
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Speaking of polls, here's one by a Hillary fan
It didn't go as she thought it would
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
Kamala
I suspect that most of the American public does not know who Kamala Harris is. Some may have heard her name, but unless they follow politics, that's probably about it.
If the Dems and their donors want to put Kamala in the White House, at some point they're going to have to make Americans aware of her, and get them to feel comfortable with her.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
Feeling comfortable with Kamala!
I think you omitted the snark label, perhaps.
Let's try this one:
Feelings
What I was thinking was, Oprah is all about the feelings. Americans are very sentimental and easily manipulated via their emotions.
So from the Dems' standpoint, seems like Oprah'd be the ideal person to introduce Kamala Harris to the American public.
Here's a possible scenario, to illustrate where I was going with my comment.
Oprah, speaking to audience:
"Thank you all for your support. It means so much to me. I love you all!!!"
*blows kisses to audience*
*audience applauds and cheers*
"But after a lot of meditating, soul-searching, and consultation with Dr. Phil, I've decided that the best way I can serve America is to keep doing what I've been doing. Therefore, I won't be running for president."
*audience expresses dismay, shouts "No!" and "We love you, Oprah!", then applauds*
"I firmly believe that it's time for a woman of color in the White House. Don't you all agree?"
*audience cheers and applauds*
"I'm not the right woman of color for the job. But I know a woman who is, and I'd like to introduce you to her now. Kamala Harris, come on out!"
Edited to add: I'm being funny here, but also serious. I can easily see the Dems doing something like this. It's classic bait-and-switch, and the Dems are masters at running cons. (Or at least they have been in the past. They seem to be losing their touch. Their marks (that's us) are catching on. Time for the con artists to fold up shop and hit the road.)
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
@Centaurea Correct, so it might
Correct, so it might be good to start off with an Oprah/Kamala ticket.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
.
And once the Kamala gets her neoliberal nose under the tent, it's within reach so that people can swat it with a rolled-up propaganda sheet?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
A masterpiece of wit and snark.
Thanks for the laugh (grim as the picture may be).
Thank you. I try my best.
Other people say I'm simply trying.
@ Alligator Ed I wanted to point to Sane Progressive's video
I think it's worth it to consider for a doctor, especially the ones from Alligator University.
[video:https://youtu.be/IYYc3-9GNDU]
So, how do you organize outside of the intertubes?
BTW, and I boycott Oprah too. Not because what she has done in her life, but because of what she has become, a rich elitist oligarch that has done nothing for poor people in Hawaii or elsewhere. Her charity stuff in the past was good PR for her, but not for the ones who were supposed to be helped by her giving heart and money. I remember that quite some people are not happy about her on Maui. I only remember her project of a boarding school for girls in South Africa. Well, a little comedy about that one. Otherwise we get suicital depressives and as Sane Progressive proves that ain't good for us, right?
[video:https://youtu.be/YcyuIKzpYJQ]
Have a good day.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Need to bookmark this video
For the time when, after Oprah "wins" the nomination, Trevor Dear becomes her biggest fan.
Dissent = mental illness
. On Sane Progressive video. There is a very rich history of classifying dissent and political ideologies as a mental illness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry_in_the_Sovie...
Many right wingers seriously believe that "liberalism" is a mental illness.
Many liberals believe that racism is a mental illness
So what do you do when you discover these mental illnesses? The Soviet Union put dissidents in psychiatric hospitals.
So Facebook gets to sniff around our private lives and decides who displays signs of potential mental problems? With potential real world consequences like the cops showing up at your door.
Quite correct. Passive resistance, if consistent, is effective
I've been of FB 4 times, all more than 5 years ago. For years I got "friend" requests from people I never heard of. Why? Perhaps so those requestors can feel better about themselves or impress others of similar social circles.
Get off FB according to Debbie. I think she's correct, at least according to the excellent video posted by mimi. The Sane Progressive's video was one of her best. Insightful and well-explained. It provides considerable material for further discussion.
Discussion is best when conflicting views are presented civilly and logically. Unfortunately, the societal brainwashing and ideologic segregation mitigates against such an occurrence the majority of the time.
@MrWebster
I didn't shoot her because she was a dissident, I shot her because she had her cane in one hand & leaned on it as she reached to hitch up her Depends by a potentially deadly waistband! I was in fear of my life!
Edited because I missed the &...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@mimi Wow, Trevor actually
Wow, Trevor actually has some depth I had not seen back when I last watched the Daily Show...
'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member
mimi, a better video I couldn't imagine--very fitting.
We're in a hall of mirrors maze in which we see too much, yet not enough. Thanks for your comment.
I'm excluded too, but not because of my body,
nor because of my history, both of which should put me smack in the middle of #MeToo.
But the mind rebels.
As for Oprah, it would accurately measure the gravity of American elections if we ran a reality-TV-show host against a talk show host.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
Perhaps based on an audience vote during a special edition of The Apprentice? Imagine the ratings while people wait to see whether Trump gets fired as President on his own show!
Also saves people lining up for hours at distant polling locations to discover that they've been knocked off the rolls, lack the proper ID or have been re-registered to vote in Timbuktu for a Party they can't pronounce, when their votes are unlikely to be accurately counted - or counted at all - anyway... Homeland Security already knows who you think you're voting for, and you may be a Russian bot, depending.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@Ellen North I totally agree with
I totally agree with this idea. We could have a phone-in or text-in response from the TV audience as well, to give a more "democratic" feel to the whole event.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
Brilliant! And then the people running the show could have some kind of a super-vote, so that for each one of them, each one of their votes would count for the exactly the same numbers as the audience/call-in voters total to, just to keep it all fair and equal. Seeing as it's their show and if they felt like it, they could rig it exactly the way they wanted it anyway. (Not that they would, of course.)
Edit to add - or maybe not, just saw this linked at the top of another page I was looking at while waiting for this page to load:
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-10/court-order-confirms-dnc-fraud...
Maybe some further interesting revelations will also come out as a result of this case yet, in advance of the next election - and encourage people to vote out the corrupt Dems (if not impeded by rotting in prison) to replace them with Berniecrats. Might at least discourage some of the more blatant cheating, you never know.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Not that I like Oprah, exactly,
(though I admire her intelligent assessment of what it would take to make her a powerful figure in her industry rather than a product--smart smart smart!)
but has she really engaged in tax evasion, or something?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Why not?
Why not elect another narcissistic, self-loathing, self-obsessed, greedy millionaire who has some weird personal life where you suspect their partner might be on the payroll?
"There’s nothing revolutionary about a movement that retreats into an endorsement of the lesser of two evils." Scott McLarty @ CounterPunch
Yup indeed. Dems nominated somebody very much like Oprah.
Female. Rich. Well known pop culture figure. Has access to the inner sanctums of power. Pro-female. Had even celebrities worshipping her. And yes, vague ideas but for good stuff.
The problem with these Hollywood celeb events is just the sheer amount of virtue signalling. I also with others don't have a TV, but saw online what the glorious women of Hollywood were wearing in black to signal solidarity with #metoo. Have to say, there was alot of very beautiful women in black showing lots of breasts and with many with dresses to give guys with an "upskirt" fetish a life time of material.
Am I just a reactionary prude and would make Mike Pence and me close friends, or was it that the starlets were objectifying themselves as personas defined by their sexuality. Were they buying into the Hollywood image of women? Something which lies at the heart of the psychological makeup of sexual harassers and worse?
edit: speld objectifying correctly.
No, you're not reactionary or prude
in my opinion. You point out the contradictions perfectly.
Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur
thanks.
Sex sells.
Sorry to say, but I had the same thought
when I saw the photos of the women in black skimpy outfits. Lots of skin was shown. But I've never understood why people dress like they do, especially when they are rich. One deep breath and ... oops.
Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?
OK, I have to ask this every time...
What makes you qualified to know the motives behind their apparel choices? How does your commentary differ from slut-shaming in any particular way? I could come up with lots of motives for that particular choice but the biggest would be "inertia" and I'd be wondering if that night in particular was the best moment to make an additional statement about the objectification of women in media.
For me, I've reduced this down to a simple rule. What a woman wears and how much of her sexuality she chooses to expose are entirely up to her. Her reasons and motives for doing so are also entirely up to her. My choice is to admire the view or not as I see fit.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Do clothes make the man?
There is what should be the case, and there is actually what is the case. You make an essentially a utilitarian argument in terms of what women, and actually what men, wear. However, clothes are very much read and taken as social messaging whether you like it or not. Humans are social animals (or herd animals), and we instinctively look for clues about ourselves and others--and our "uniformas" are absolutely critical to that function. For example, Bernie was attacked recently for wearing a $700 winter jacket and became a serious political attack on his class status as a disqualification for his advocacy of his policies.
If I wore pajamas to a wedding that would be some serious messaging. People would say, wow, that guy does not care about social norms must be some radical hippie, or what a fucking disrespectful act even though nobody would be "qualified" to know my motives (according to your argument). Nobody, but nobody at that wedding would think or say it is okay for him to wear whatever he wants to wear, and I will only admire the presentation of the pajamas. Maybe that is the way it should be, but it is not what is.
I agree we are a social species
But honestly, we tell women what to wear WAY THE HELL TOO MUCH. I mean god... it's omnipresent and unrelenting and you can't win no matter what you do. So I'm pretty much done with it and I don't support any argument about anything based on "what she was wearing". I'd rather work towards a more sane world regarding feminism than tacitly acknowledge and support that which is.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Lol, thanks, I needed that
Lol, thanks, I needed that essay!
But that last bit, where you point out that Obama set the precedent of forcing people to pay - whether they could afford it or not - private industry for services they might not be able to access, and it is indeed scary as hell... especially with debtors prisons and slave labour already so profitable/useful for keeping The Poors down and out. And not voting, but I'm not sure how much difference the latter makes anymore, apart from the optics of plausibility.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Phony Baloney....
The very large elephant in the room (no, not Oprah...) is the fact that none of the Weinstein accusers who were brave enough to start this whole thing were invited to that phony baloney, self-congratulatory farce. It's SO much more important to wear black and talk the talk, rather than walk the walk, and victims are...well, they're just so Debbie Downers, no?
Semper ubi sub ubi
I'm sure the Golden Gropers had excuses for the absences
@Fionnsboy Probably because the
Probably because the first month or two of original accusers were for real and not in it for the same reasons as the media machine.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Fionnsboy Not to be a schmuck, but
Not to be a schmuck, but there's so much to criticize Oprah for that it seems both crappy and beside the point to focus on her weight?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal Mea culpa, no lookism
Mea culpa, no lookism deliberately intended. I am inherently unable to leave puns alone. My father used to say I left no turn unstoned.....
Semper ubi sub ubi
@Fionnsboy I am so in support of
I am so in support of leaving no turn unstoned.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Like everyone else in the US,
I adored Oprah until I watched her belittle a servicewoman in fatigues who was expressing doubts about the wisdom of invading Iraq back in the early 2000's.
It was then I realized she was part of what I today recognize as an oligarchical cabal.
@gustogirl Did she really? How
Did she really? How dispiriting-- but not surprising of course. Maybe she can list that as her foreign policy experience....
Semper ubi sub ubi