I can't tell which was a bigger story in America, this past week. George Bush looking like a total buffoon during his press conference or George Bush still being our President as if the end of this week. Or, the fact that there was another chapter written in the saga involving Oprah Winfrey and the novel, posing as memoir, "A Million little pieces."
This story can finally be put to rest. I thought so in the first place when it was revealed that James Frey, author of "A Million Little Pieces," would fade into obscurity after the "Smoking Gun" exposed his Memoir for what it really is. A work of imagination. Though, I don't fault Mr. Frey for what he did.
I'm a Graduate Student at Columbia College. Working on a M.F.A. in Creative Writing. And, from what I'm told, getting into the business of Writing, or being as big as Stephen King, isn't as easy as it sounds. So, I could understand why, Mr. Frey, after 17 attempts in selling his book, would finally, say, "Hey, it's a memoir." After all, from what I hear, Non-Fiction is the biggest seller in today's literature.
But, the anger that surrounded this mess, from my point of view, wasn't that James Frey lied about the experiences in his book. It was the fact that talk show Queen Oprah Winfrey became his partner in crime and absorbed herself in the lie. Case in point, her performance on the "Larry King Show," in which she defended the book and James Frey.
America, for whatever reasons, trust Oprah's judgment and good taste. Whatever she says, is true in the eyes of her acolytes. So, when James Frey, whom she praised for his courage in writing the book of his "life," turned out to be not what he seemed, America, had a hissy-fit. Enraged, that Oprah Winfrey, America's most trustworthy Queen Bee, lied, and protecting the lie like a newborn child.
Had, Jerry Springer promoting the book in the first place, I don't think America would've cared about James Frey and "A Million little Pieces." But, since it had Oprah's seal of approval, America, in no doubt, felt cheated.
The performance on her show this week in which she threw Mr. Frey under the bus in order to protect her reputation in the eyes of "Oprah Nation," was one of the greatest performances ever. James Frey looked uncomfortable in the most confortable of settings. Sitting next to the talk show Goddess. Trying to tell America that he indeed lied about some of the instances in his book. While Oprah sat across from him seeting at the notion that she has to spend a full hour trying to convince America that she has integrity. By Which, we're not sure of, except the fact that she did help those in need during Hurricane Katrina, but as for the rest, I don't know. I'm not sure talk show hosts have integrity. Just fodder for jokes and more jokes.
There was a lot of talk in cyberspace about, since Oprah apologized for putting her legions of fans in danger for selling them a novel posed as memoir, that maybe, President Bush will do the same, or should do the same.
Let's face it, President Bush and Oprah are not the same, but yet, no that different. One, Oprah apologized to her fans, not for their sake, but for the sake of her brand, her name, and well, anything that has to do with Ms. Winfrey. She doesn't care about those in the sudience or at home. As long as she has them under their thumb, it doesn't really matter.
President Syphillis is another story. In the Conservative world there's a disease called, "Machoism." And, Conservative white males feel that they could do know wrong, and don't need to admit their faults, because it would show their weaknesses. After all, most Conservative white males are weak. And, it doesn't hurt to be a born-again Christian like President Syphillis. Most born-Again's use not having God in their lives as an excuse, rather than not owning up to their mistakes themselves.
President Syphillis will never apologize for lying and cheating his way to killing many American soldiers. He wouldn't want to danger the Conservative male's 1st Amendment in their Constitution. And that is never show contrition or weakness when the situation is at it's final rope.
The Oprah affair is a telltale sign in our society. Will be horrendously devastated at a talk show host for letting a lie stretch out, but let the President of the United States off the hook of leading us to war on a lie.
Sounds like A Million little lies is all you need in this day in age.