In sunnier news, Oprah has been taking a pounding over her peddling of woonackery (aka, alternative medicine), described in The Festival of Idiots #10. While I would like to take credit (and do in some circles), a cover article in Newsweek really got the ball rolling. Then Oprah tried to defend her practice of recommending unproven and implausible medical treatments:
I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning
enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for
them.
Now the Blog-O-Sphere (which will never be as cool as the American Gladiator Atlas Spheres) has taken on the One True Host*. Here is a list of individuals taking turns to publicly flog Oprah:
6 May: Say it Ain't So, O
11 May: An Open Letter to Oprah
11 May: Why Oprah (& Millions of Her Fans) Love Jenny McCarthy
19 May: The Festival of Idiots #10: Oprah Winfrey, Evil Genius?
15 May: Oprah's Bad Medicine
30 May: Live Your Best Live Ever!
31 May: The New Newsweek Takes on Oprah!
31 May: Whoa. Newsweek Tackles Oprah
2 June: Hey, Did You Hear We Took on Oprah? The Blog-o-sphere Reacts
2 June: Oprah: The Queen of Snake-Oil
7 June: Oprah Dissembles
7 June: Is Oprah Winfrey Giving Us Bad Medicine?
7 June: Oprah: Shame on You
*I read this somewhere and think it is based on the Futurama religion of Oprahism, but can't remember. The main point is that this is NOT MINE, but I wish it was, kind of like Salma Hayek and hair.
The 'credulous glop' remark by PZ Myers is my favorite (outside you) in the list above, though there's a certain irony to a guy with a base of cultish acolytes due to unscientific positions and statements criticizing someone else for doing the same thing. He's still fun to read.