People love to hate Oprah. It seems like such a waste of precious energy that could be spent on actually doing something about it.

Relevant crack whore…

I don’t think Oprah is being criticized in this thread because she is “imperfect.” I think she is being criticized because her language and plans for the educational facility put an unnecessary focus on beauty when the focus should be on learning. I think we can all agree that when a powerful person’s “imperfection” is their tendency to support patriarchy-authored-and-enforced beauty ideals, we must criticize that person, whether she or he is Oprah or Donald Trump (who very name causes me to throw up a little in the back of my mouth).

I really enjoyed your quote: “Marie Wilson, founder of The White House Project said recently in a speech: ‘We have this desire and expectation that the first woman president be perfect.’ That is simply not possible. ‘I’m Tired of it!’ She exclaimed.” I agree that women are scrutinized to the nth degree when they try to break through that marble ceiling (which is, of course, why Oprah is so obsessed with beauty).

I think this is also the reason Hillary Clinton’s Wellesley college thesis is under seal.

I agree with KTal that we shouldn’t automatically assume benefactors know what they’re doing or that their hearts or in the right places. However, we shouldn’t assume the reverse either, or conflate Oprah with the ohters. Do we know that the charities to which her network has donated over $50M are corrupt or even inefficient (especially since she covers all admin costs)? Do we think $10M to Hurricane Katrina relief was misdirected? While she certainly shouldn’t be immune to criticism, we do sound like harpies if our criticism is not substantiated a la the LA Times article.

Cypress — I am not suggesting that microcredit doesn’t work in places like Bangladesh, and I give to the Grameen bank for that reason. My point is that whether in Bangladesh or LA, anytime potential entrepreneurs have access to education, they can benefit even more from loans, as their resulting businesses have more chance of success. Moreover, in any country, women with stronger business plans as a result of education will qualify for more and larger loans, through microcredit or other mechanisms. So, while I am not arguing that microcredit requires education, it doesn’t replace it either.

And criticism would be met with, Well its their money and they give you some don’t they? What are you bitchin’ about?

No its not. Its the African’s money, earned from their land and their labor and their sacrifice. Everytime some ass tells me that Africans are too stupid to run their own governments, I seethe. You try standing up with an elephant sitting on your back.

By the way, it was 70 here in the northeast, it still feels like late spring. Its creepy. Keep them fires burnin’ for us Billy and Melinda.

What they should really be called is Get The F*ck Off My Back Loans…or nicely put when requesting financial assistance from the Gates Foundation…GTFOMB Loan, please.

Or Carry Your Own F*cking Water On Your Head Loan…that would translate nicely as CYOFWOYH Loan, please.

Anyone read the LATimes article on the Gates Foundation? grrrr.