Do you read or avoid books recommended by Oprah Winfrey?

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

DG .... that's my point. It is the publisher's JOB to check the facts. The publisher is supposed to stand behind the author. Now, if the publisher is not going to do their job ... at all ... why is Oprah Winfrey supposed to do it??

Regardless of how she "felt" about the book. She is not producing a news show. It's a talk show. It is essentially entertainment. Even when she interviews someone, it's not like it's "60 Minutes" with the person on the hot seat. It's pretty much like any talk show interview ... the author is there to push the damn book. It's called a "publicity tour." I see them on the "Tonight Show" every night ... right next to the movie star touting their latest film. Am I supposed to expect Jay Leno to fact check every book or movie that the bozo in the chair next to him is pushing?? It's not his job.

Expect the publisher to do its job. In fact, demand that the idiot publishers do their jobs. They are being paid to do a job, and yes ... if they don't do it, then don't buy the books they publish. If people understand that most of what a publisher produces is complete and utter crap, maybe no one will buy it. Of course, one can never under estimate the stupidity of those people who need to carry around the latest best seller so they look like they are on the bleeding edge of something.

Ricky, she's already been burned once. Wouldn't that encourage her producers to do a little fact checking on their own?

""Now, if the publisher is not going to do their job ... at all ... why is Oprah Winfrey supposed to do it??""

I cannot state this strongly enough. Because many, many people listen to what she says. Her influence is legendary. That puts a moral responsibility on her to make sure what she touts as non -fiction is indeed non-fiction.

Big hug.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

What about putting the blame for believing in that crap where it belongs ... on the people who believe that crap. Right on those 100,000,000 people "many of whom uncritically accept every word the world's wealthiest woman says ..." Well, what can I say except ... MORONS!!

Anyone who blindly accepts something some other person says, merely because that person is rich, or well known, or powerful, or by dogma "infallible" is minus several billion brain cells in the "think for yourself, dammit" area of their brain.

Ricky, I couldn't have said it better myself.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Ricky, she's already been burned once. Wouldn't that encourage her producers to do a little fact checking on their own?

""Now, if the publisher is not going to do their job ... at all ... why is Oprah Winfrey supposed to do it??""

I cannot state this strongly enough. Because many, many people listen to what she says. Her influence is legendary. That puts a moral responsibility on her to make sure what she touts as non -fiction is indeed non-fiction.

Big hug.

Love you too, DG, but I do not agree with the fact that a whole lot of people are amazingly stupid puts a moral responsibility on an entertainer. Yeah, I suppose that if she told them all to drink the Kool-Aid with that cyanide chaser, and they did it ... then I would have to say she would have some moral responsibility for their deaths.

But, in the long run ... it's just a freaking book. Most so-called "non-fiction" is probably mostly fiction. I don't care if it's someone's auto-biography, and they actually wrote the silly thing ... it's probably still mostly fiction. Cripes, even the history books they made me read in school contained huge hunks of fiction. And .... you would think those publishers would have done a little fact checking. But ..... nooooooooo.

If Oprah starts her own religion and everyone who thinks she walks on water runs to live their entire lives the "Oprah Way" ... then we'll talk moral responsibility. But, simply because a couple of complete jerk-wads decide to fool a lot of people by inventing a lie, and one of the people they fool is Oprah? No, I wouldn't even begin to rant about moral responsibility at that point.

And .... I can only assume (because there are people in this thread who are on my ignore list), that the second time being burned thingie is all about the fiction about the girl at the concentration camp fence? Good grief, I heard that whopper months ago (long before there was any talk about having it made into a book), I didn't believe it then, so I didn't pay anymore attention to it. Anyone who knows anything about the death camps in Poland would give you a WTF if they heard that story. I mean .... really .... she got through 30 feet of razor wire, patrolling guards, and machine gun manned guard towers to toss apples at some guy that she didn't know? Must have had one hell of a pitching arm.

Oh well .... sadly, very few people are taught anything about either critical thinking or taking responsibility for their own actions, for their own beliefs, much less taking charge of their own moral compass.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Love you too, DG, but I do not agree with the fact that a whole lot of people are amazingly stupid puts a moral responsibility on an entertainer. Yeah, I suppose that if she told them all to drink the Kool-Aid with that cyanide chaser, and they did it ... then I would have to say she would have some moral responsibility for their deaths.

But, in the long run ... it's just a freaking book. Most so-called "non-fiction" is probably mostly fiction. I don't care if it's someone's auto-biography, and they actually wrote the silly thing ... it's probably still mostly fiction. Cripes, even the history books they made me read in school contained huge hunks of fiction. And .... you would think those publishers would have done a little fact checking. But ..... nooooooooo.

If Oprah starts her own religion and everyone who thinks she walks on water runs to live their entire lives the "Oprah Way" ... then we'll talk moral responsibility. But, simply because a couple of complete jerk-wads decide to fool a lot of people by inventing a lie, and one of the people they fool is Oprah? No, I wouldn't even begin to rant about moral responsibility at that point.

And .... I can only assume (because there are people in this thread who are on my ignore list), that the second time being burned thingie is all about the fiction about the girl at the concentration camp fence? Good grief, I heard that whopper months ago (long before there was any talk about having it made into a book), I didn't believe it then, so I didn't pay anymore attention to it. Anyone who knows anything about the death camps in Poland would give you a WTF if they heard that story. I mean .... really .... she got through 30 feet of razor wire, patrolling guards, and machine gun manned guard towers to toss apples at some guy that she didn't know? Must have had one hell of a pitching arm.

Oh well .... sadly, very few people are taught anything about either critical thinking or taking responsibility for their own actions, for their own beliefs, much less taking charge of their own moral compass.

Okay, we will politely agree to disagree.

I can't get over the fact that this book is touted as 'non-fiction' That means it has to be the truth.

If you, as a person with terrific influence, are going to recommend it, then you had better be frackin' sure it is indeed the truth.

Otherwise, your credibility is in question. Leaving the responsibilities to the publisher is a cop out.

[basschick]

i wouldn't absolutely avoid a book oprah recommends, but i admit i do tend to feel a twinge of negativity if i hear that about a book. on the other hand, if a book really interested me, i wouldn't avoid it just because oprah recommended it.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Okay, we will politely agree to disagree.

I can't get over the fact that this book is touted as 'non-fiction' That means it has to be the truth.

If you, as a person with terrific influence, are going to recommend it, then you had better be frackin' sure it is indeed the truth.

Otherwise, your credibility is in question. Leaving the responsibilities to the publisher is a cop out.

DG .... even the Bible is only somebody's version of what they think the truth is.

Non-fiction doesn't mean a book is the truth. It only means that the person the story is based on actually lived and that the author has made an attempt to stick to the facts as closely as possible based on the resources at hand.

I'll grant you that the people who write (heh ... first I wrote "right" ... then I wrote "wright" ... I'm hopeless) first person accounts of something and then lie their freaking heads off should be publicly shamed and banned from writing anything that is not labeled fiction for the rest of their days.

However, expecting the publishers -- who are making buckets of money from a best selling book -- to do their job is not a "cop out." It is the publisher who sends the author out on that book tour, and if they are going to do that without checking the facts in the book they published, then they should take the hit.

It's a bit like blaming the teacher when a kid is uncontrollable in class. It's the parents who are raising the little angel, that's their job. It's the teacher's job to put some knowledge into it's little head ... not to teach it to act like a human being.

Oprah's job, Conan's job, Jay's job .... is to entertain their audience. They do it primarily by light interviews of people who are there specifically to promote a product. That's it.

Those people really have more than enough on their plate without expecting them or their staff to take on an huge background check on each and every detail of a book, or movie beforehand. Keep in mind, they do five shows every week, usually with more than one guest (forgive me if I do not know whether Oprah limits herself to one guest or not). How much time do you think they have to vet (sp??) each guest?

The publishing house, on the other hand, has ample time before they publish a book, sometimes even while the book is being written, to fact check. They even have people on staff who's job it is to do nothing else. It's their name going on the product ... not Oprah's.

I know when I recommend something (book, movie, product, web-site), it's based on my experience with the thing. I don't fact check ... I either enjoyed the site, the book, the movie .... or I didn't. I place no guarantees on my recommendations. If I did, then I would expect someone to be paying me big bucks to do that job.

Oprah makes big bucks ... but as an entertainer, not as a book critic. And, speaking of which, there were a whole lot of professional book critics who were fooled by these twits. Then again ... they are employed as book critics ... not fact checkers.

And, I suppose we could do the dead horse number for several more posts, but, we are friends (and good ones), so we probably will just have to agree to disagree. But .... I am right, you know.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

DG ....
And, I suppose we could do the dead horse number for several more posts, but, we are friends (and good ones), so we probably will just have to agree to disagree. But .... I am right, you know.

No more beating the dead horse. I"m done. We will stay friends........but your are NOT right.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

No more beating the dead horse. I"m done. We will stay friends........but your are NOT right.

Am too ... am too .... AM TOO!!

(Ouch .... Mooooooooom!!! DG's HITTING me again!!! Make her STOP!)

[lilac_jive]

You are BOTH wrong.




Just felt like saying it

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

You are BOTH wrong.




Just felt like saying it

NO!!!! YOU are wrong!!!!

Good morning.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Am too ... am too .... AM TOO!!

(Ouch .... Mooooooooom!!! DG's HITTING me again!!! Make her STOP!)

Say UNCLE!! Say UNCLE!!!!

(scene from Christmas Story)

[pshrynk]

Oh, let's not argue about who killed who! This is supposed to be a happy occasion!

[desertgrandma]

Everyone pile on Pshrynk!!

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Everyone pile on Pshrynk!!

Dog pile on the pshrynk! Dog pile on the pshrynk! Dog pile on the pshrynk! (Scene from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.)

[pshrynk]

Funny, I don't recall ever being in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Fairly sure I would have remembered that...