2020: turning the White House into an Oprah House.

[Alexis]

Could Oprah Winfrey knock off Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 07441.html

If she does would she make a better president than Trump?

Some Americans are strongly opposed to Trump, which they denounce, among other things, as an arrogant billionnaire.

My two cents: if they want to have a chance at replacing him in 2020, they better not choose another arrogant billionnaire.

Just sayin'.


And yes, that's exactly what Ms Winfrey is. She is still remembered here in Paris as the American who thought a luxury shop had to remain open just for her, outside of normal opening hours... because she is who she is, or more precisely because of her money. And the one who threatened to use her media savvy to launch a global boycott against French maker Hermès, because she had been refused special above-the-others treatment. Because her arrogance had not been accomodated. Link in French here.

On another occasion, she tried to have an employee of a luxury shop in Switzerland fired, accusing her of "racism" on a preposterous pretext. She failed: the shop "regretted" misunderstanding but defended their employee who they said had made no error.

[Milo]

Could Oprah Winfrey knock off Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 07441.html

If she does would she make a better president than Trump?

Some Americans are strongly opposed to Trump, which they denounce, among other things, as an arrogant billionnaire.

My two cents: if they want to have a chance at replacing him in 2020, they better not choose another arrogant billionnaire.

Just sayin'.


And yes, that's exactly what Ms Winfrey is. She is still remembered here in Paris as the American who thought a luxury shop had to remain open just for her, outside of normal opening hours... because she is who she is, or more precisely because of her money. And the one who threatened to use her media savvy to launch a global boycott against French maker Hermès, because she had been refused special above-the-others treatment. Because her arrogance had not been accomodated. Link in French here.

On another occasion, she tried to have an employee of a luxury shop in Switzerland fired, accusing her of "racism" on a preposterous pretext. She failed: the shop "regretted" misunderstanding but defended their employee who they said had made no error.

Actually I think they should.

Ms Winfrey has a similar background to Trump, except that she is actually successful.

She is richer, more famous and far more respected. She also did it on her own.

And whatever blame for her association with Weinstein, Trump is on the record as a serial misogynistic abuser.

All of Trump's narcissistic delusions would be shown up.

[neverfail]

Could Oprah Winfrey knock off Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 07441.html

If she does would she make a better president than Trump?

Some Americans are strongly opposed to Trump, which they denounce, among other things, as an arrogant billionnaire.

My two cents: if they want to have a chance at replacing him in 2020, they better not choose another arrogant billionnaire.

Just sayin'.


And yes, that's exactly what Ms Winfrey is. She is still remembered here in Paris as the American who thought a luxury shop had to remain open just for her, outside of normal opening hours... because she is who she is, or more precisely because of her money. And the one who threatened to use her media savvy to launch a global boycott against French maker Hermès, because she had been refused special above-the-others treatment. Because her arrogance had not been accomodated. Link in French here.

On another occasion, she tried to have an employee of a luxury shop in Switzerland fired, accusing her of "racism" on a preposterous pretext. She failed: the shop "regretted" misunderstanding but defended their employee who they said had made no error.

G'day Alexis.

(That's bon jour in Aussie English.)

I usually enjoy reading your posts and this one is no exception.

I am beyond any shadow of doubt that Ms Winfrey has an ego. You do not thrive in public life the way she has without one. Especially in the uber competitive world of American corporate business and especially with the disadvantages in life she started out with.

But to shine some light on what Oprah is really like from a different angle; may I share the following insight with you and other readers?
............................................................................................................................

Not too many years ago she did a series of four successive programmes from out here in Australia. No sign of those flashes of arrogance were reported from her here. Instead, she was unerringly respectful towards everyone she met and interviewed.

To illustrate: there was a scene where she led a group of people drawn from her last audience in Chicago ("you are all going to Australia") where she led them on the celebrated walk to the top of the Sydney harbour bridge. Admittedly, the view over our harbour and surrounds from up there is rather awe inspiring. Yet her words of acclamation from up there still impress me. 'To think that the little girl from Mississippi is now able to be in such a splendid city". That seems to have been typical of her stay here. The experience seems with hindsight to have been a humbling one for her.
.......................................................................................................................

Alexis, I cannot say why the nasty side of Oprah emerged in Paris and Switzerland in the form of unwonted rudeness; a sense of entitlement from her fame and money. However, I suspect that she reacted the way that, unfortunately, many Anglo visitors who do not speak the local language have reacted over the years - with impatient frustration. It is an unfortunate fact that many, especially Americans and Brits, lose their confidence when in this situation and become pushy in striving to get what they want.

Australia is by contrast, another English language country with (as you would expect from the shared mother tongue) certain endemic cultural characteristics in common with the USA: but still, from an American viewpoint, exotic enough to remind an American visitor that he/she is in a foreign country (and therefore it pays him to mind his manners).

[Doc]

oprah.jpg (124.73 KiB) Viewed 437 times

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/se ... 00f9065f61

Singer Seal Accuses Oprah Of Knowing About Weinstein Rumors 'For Decades'
He claimed the media mogul is “part of the problem,” not the solution.

[cassowary]

Alexis, I cannot say why the nasty side of Oprah emerged in Paris and Switzerland in the form of unwonted rudeness; a sense of entitlement from her fame and money. However, I suspect that she reacted the way that, unfortunately, many Anglo visitors who do not speak the local language have reacted over the years - with impatient frustration. It is an unfortunate fact that many, especially Americans and Brits, lose their confidence when in this situation and become pushy in striving to get what they want.

Australia is by contrast, another English language country with (as you would expect from the shared mother tongue) certain endemic cultural characteristics in common with the USA: but still, from an American viewpoint, exotic enough to remind an American visitor that he/she is in a foreign country (and therefore it pays him to mind his manners).

Maybe English speaking people don't like or look down on French speaking people? Or maybe Oprah simply was in a bad mood that day?

[neverfail]

Maybe English speaking people don't like or look down on French speaking people? Or maybe Oprah simply was in a bad mood that day?

I have experienced it myself Cass. I first went to France in 1975 and with the exception of a small number of notable Anglophile exceptions, the French had a strict rule in those days - 'have the good manners to speak French to us whilst you are visiting our country or else you can bugger off'.

French people seemed to carry around the attitude that "unless you are French then you must be a barbarian". In that the French remind me of the Chinese: 'if you are not Chinese then you are a foreign devil'. You know how it is with the crowd back in your ancestral homeland?

Luckily, I had been forewarned about this apparent French vanity about their language, culture and national identity and made a point of learning some very basic French beforehand. MY French vocabulary is still quite limited but I seem to have a talent for "tuning in" to their type of pronunciation and using it to my benefit. More than one native French speaker has complemented me on that ability.

I found that in France on two widely spaced apart separate visits I did not need to be fluent in French anyway. The important thing is to try and put yourself in their shoes and show that "you are with them in spirit".

Too many Anglo travelers visit foreign countries with the naive opinion that they can always rely on the locals to speak to them in English and then find out the hard way that it is not always true. That's when the trouble starts.

[Jim the Moron]

As it happens, well-educated native speakers of French are quite likely more comfortable in English conversation than the converse.

[neverfail]

As it happens, well-educated native speakers of French are quite likely more comfortable in English conversation than the converse.

They strive for excellence: we are content with the acceptable average?

[cassowary]

Maybe English speaking people don't like or look down on French speaking people? Or maybe Oprah simply was in a bad mood that day?

I have experienced it myself Cass. I first went to France in 1975 and with the exception of a small number of notable Anglophile exceptions, the French had a strict rule in those days - 'have the good manners to speak French to us whilst you are visiting our country or else you can bugger off'.

French people seemed to carry around the attitude that "unless you are French then you must be a barbarian". In that the French remind me of the Chinese: 'if you are not Chinese then you are a foreign devil'. You know how it is with the crowd back in your ancestral homeland?

Luckily, I had been forewarned about this apparent French vanity about their language, culture and national identity and made a point of learning some very basic French beforehand. MY French vocabulary is still quite limited but I seem to have a talent for "tuning in" to their type of pronunciation and using it to my benefit. More than one native French speaker has complemented me on that ability.

I found that in France on two widely spaced apart separate visits I did not need to be fluent in French anyway. The important thing is to try and put yourself in their shoes and show that "you are with them in spirit".

Too many Anglo travelers visit foreign countries with the naive opinion that they can always rely on the locals to speak to them in English and then find out the hard way that it is not always true. That's when the trouble starts.

Yes, the French are like that. The result is mutual dislike.

[neverfail]

Maybe English speaking people don't like or look down on French speaking people? Or maybe Oprah simply was in a bad mood that day?

I have experienced it myself Cass. I first went to France in 1975 and with the exception of a small number of notable Anglophile exceptions, the French had a strict rule in those days - 'have the good manners to speak French to us whilst you are visiting our country or else you can bugger off'.

French people seemed to carry around the attitude that "unless you are French then you must be a barbarian". In that the French remind me of the Chinese: 'if you are not Chinese then you are a foreign devil'. You know how it is with the crowd back in your ancestral homeland?

Luckily, I had been forewarned about this apparent French vanity about their language, culture and national identity and made a point of learning some very basic French beforehand. MY French vocabulary is still quite limited but I seem to have a talent for "tuning in" to their type of pronunciation and using it to my benefit. More than one native French speaker has complemented me on that ability.

I found that in France on two widely spaced apart separate visits I did not need to be fluent in French anyway. The important thing is to try and put yourself in their shoes and show that "you are with them in spirit".

Too many Anglo travelers visit foreign countries with the naive opinion that they can always rely on the locals to speak to them in English and then find out the hard way that it is not always true. That's when the trouble starts.

Yes, the French are like that. The result is mutual dislike.

Not entirely true Cass. French people can be surprisingly Anglophone (as I believe polls have shown). Yet the way they go on at times makes this hard to believe.

It is not just us. They do not like to speak ANY foreign language in their own country - not just english.

As a lady from one of the provincial regions of France once pointed out to me: even when they go to Paris the Parisians get on their back berating them for speaking in their provincial patios. Only pure Parisian French is acceptable.

France, we must recall, is a country that revolves entirely around its primate city capital. Historically, I get the impression that the city of Paris existed before the nation of France was over centuries built up around it to serve the capital city. That dynamic is still in operation holding France together even now. So lacking the clear topographic bounds of containment and demarcation that goes with being an island nation, language along with the sense of belonging to an important country with a global mission to perform counts for a lot.

There is not a single metropolis in the english speaking lands that comes anywhere close to Paris in the Francophone lands as the unifying trend setter for their/our civilisation.