Oprah: Her Lesson is Hard Learned

Oprah should be applauded for stepping up and taking full responsiblity for the mess at her girls' dream school in South Africa. I believe her response is more than verbal; she also took control of the situation fairly early. The question really is what has Oprah learned?

Her Culture; Their Culture
Everyone seemed thrilled when Oprah opened her $40 million girls boarding school earlier this year. I am among those who adore Oprah, even when she's wrong, and love her good and sincere instincts as a human being. If there is anyone walking the walk, it is Oprah Winfrey. However, Oprah's dedicated insertion into South Africa's educational system has to be fraught with cultural differences that would throw anyone.

The United Nations Child Care Act, (74 of 1983) and the Child Care Amendment Act, (86 of 1991; 13 of 1999) make sexual abuse of children a criminal offense. Re-read that.

Sexual abuse of children didn't start to become illegal
in South Africa until 1983 and then it was reasserted in 1999.

Oprah's South African roots are her badge of honor and in response has placed her money where her mouth is. In this case, her money didn't quite work. Her good intentions may have have been trumped by a profound cultural ignorance. I'd admit to feeling angry if she thought in hubris that she could change a cultural problem with $40 million, a name, 200 girls and one generation.

Or, she may be in denial. Maybe the "natural, primitive man" argument of the left isn't what she thought and has yet to accept that regardless of her standing, she is only at the start of changing what has taken decades to create via Apartheid. Things don't come easy, as poor Oprah is finding out these days.

As Oprah has grown, she's played with different outside identities. First the big girl look, then the jeans look, then the real look, then the Greene look, the perimenopausal look, now the pretty Oprah look. Inside, however, she doesn't seem to want to move on past her racial heritage. Yeah, she flirts with us non-black kids, but her heart belongs to Obama. Guess I feel hurt.

I wish Oprah well. I know that her goodness will prevail, but she's in some deep, deep legal trouble, which will take all her skill and reputation to overcome. Just wait for those thirteen families to dig into Oprah's deep pockets. Unfortunately, there are criminal sanctions, but it's too early to know those.

How could someone with so many good intentions get into so much trouble?

Thanks for the read.