Thursday, March 28, 2024

Oprah For President, Really?

January 14, 2018 by  
Filed under Ent., News, Opinion, Politics, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) The ancient Greeks referred to the dramatic moment in some of their plays as “deus ex machina,” the god from the machine. The term, introduced by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus, has, according to definition, “evolved to mean a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the inspired and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object.”

This concept of an outside deliverer has reappeared in American culture from time to time, most notably through superheroes like “Superman,” “Batman,” “Wonder Woman” and “The Force” in the “Star Wars” saga.

It has also invaded politics, most notably with Barack Obama, on whom his devoted disciples, and the media, conveyed messianic status. Now comes a bigger star than President Trump, the Queen of Talk herself, Oprah Winfrey.

At the Golden Globes last Sunday night, Winfrey was given the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award for her contributions “to the world of entertainment,” which, if the reaction to her rousing speech about sexual harassment and a new day for girls and women in America can be judged, may have been premature. Bigger achievements may be yet to come.

According to some Hollywood liberals and Democrats across the country, Oprah is a superhero, a god, the answer to their prayers of deliverance. To fans, it appears she is even more powerful than the Obama locomotive, and far more compelling than The One who parted the Red Sea or resurrected the dead.

This notion that a cultural or political figure can do more for us than we can do for ourselves would have been foreign to the Puritans who settled the colonies and to our Founding Fathers who created our nation. Self-reliance, not reliance on others, especially government, was their creed.

Hard work, a good education, thrift and living within one’s means, not envying others, were among the beliefs lived and promoted by the Puritans. Modernists have discarded that list and replaced it with envy, greed and entitlement, along with a reliance on government to make their lives better. That day never seems to arrive, but their faith in outside forces to deliver them remains strong.

A blogger named Col Gurnam Singh writes: “Self-reliance is the parent of many virtues. The self-reliant man is patient and persevering. He does not envy others, nor does he think of begging favours of others. He faces his misfortune with a quiet courage. Therefore (Ralph Waldo) Emerson calls self-reliance ‘the essence of heroism,’ ‘the first secret of success’ — the self-reliant man feels neither fear nor shame to labor with his own hands, if necessary. He is always learning new lessons, gathering valuable experience. His example is an inspiration and his achievement is an example to others. This confidence in himself wins him the confidence of others.”

Are Democrats so desperate for power that they would nominate Oprah Winfrey for president in 2020? Wouldn’t that negate all of their criticism of the current “celebrity president”? Would Oprah do better with the economy? As a woman of the left, it is unlikely she would reduce the size and cost of government through employee attrition and cutting unnecessary regulations, allow the military to actually fight and defeat enemies, grow the stock market and nominate judges who adhere to the Constitution.

Politicians, and even some celebrities, promote dependence on government, not self-reliance, because it increases their power. Unfortunately, in too many cases, while their power increases, yours decreases by way of higher taxes, greater debt and more regulations on business and individuals. No politician or celebrity can make anyone’s life better. If they could, they would have done so by now.

People who look to Washington and Hollywood for deliverance are always disappointed in the end. It is the ultimate tragedy of misplaced faith and there is no “god from the machine” capable of making such a tragedy end well.

Written by Cal Thomas

Official website; http://CalThomas.com/


Comments

3 Responses to “Oprah For President, Really?”
  1. Pelvo White, Jr. says:

    It is indeed gratifying to discuss suggestions toward continued citizen cohesion progress for all of America that is rooted in scholasticism. The battle for equality in the twenty first- century is for the African American intellectual to win. We must apply our education and technological skills to utterly defeat white supremacy globally. Dr. King was a well-educated effective philosopher who practiced Socratic method mingled with his theological orientations in an attempt at changing some of the thoughts of many American citizens when it came to the acceptance of the descendants of African chattel slaves as first class American citizens. Dr. King exhibited an extraordinary understanding of how to learn through the usage of western European conceptual pedagogy and he focused that learning on the racist factions of American citizenry. Dr. King was an expert orator using a form of the English language together with effective time honored meters and scansion once used by ancient Greek and roman orators to persuade the audience to see things his way. Overall, Dr, King was able to harness the energies of education, and world theologies to bring the citizens of America closer together as a nation despite the continued resistance of many.

  2. M Anthony says:

    WEED SMOKERS BEWARE:

    Click the link below then scroll down to read the memo issued by the United States Attorney General recently. Note: Even if weed is legal in your State, the federal government can still prosecute you.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-issues-memo-marijuana-enforcement

  3. M Anthony says:

    It is sad that we as African Americans have not learned we must pick a qualified person instead of simply someone we like or someone with a good heart and good deeds. We have much more qualified men and women to be President than a freakin talk show hostess who is a philanthropist.

    Only in the African American community do we lift up athletes, rap artists, comedians (Cosby) and talk show hosts beyond what they are.

    Finally yes Oprah is her own person but Washington is about playing games, immoral give and take and backroom deals while you smile in front of the public and lie. I do not think she would be willing to play that game. As proof I offer how she bumped heads with the network that had her show. She parted ways and started her OWN. But even with her billions, she is a small fish.

    would she be better than Trump? Yes but so would a whole lot of other people who are not qualified. Trump proves we have to stop picking unqualified people and though a better choice, Oprah is just as unqualified.

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