So, in the true form of a millennial without access to cable, I heard about it on Twitter first. I heard friends and famous actors praising Oprah, taking the internet by storm with the hashtag #TimesUp . I heard people rolling their eyes at the audacity of giving that speech to a room full of privileged Hollywood names, and still calling it ‘brave’. I heard the praise and the criticism, and all within about twelve hours. By the time I had awoken the next morning, the internet was ablaze with emotions and opinions. So, I pulled up a video of the speech over lunch and dove right in.
Initially, I was impressed. Oprah’s always been an amazing public speaker, I must give her that. The speech was emotionally charged and at the end, I wanted to clap, too. Her stories were full of imagery, putting me right there with her on the linoleum floor, watching Sidney Poitier accept that speech. I was there with Recy Taylor, standing alongside Rosa Parks, fighting for justice. Oprah’s speech made me feel, first and foremost, but it also made me think.
So, I watched the speech four more times. I’m not coming for you, Oprah, this is just the kind of person I am. I was left with mixed feelings after the first watch, so I wanted to figure out where exactly I stood. And here it is: if Oprah runs for president in 2020, I may well vote for her. But this speech left me with a little unsatisfied.
What confused me the most was her nod to the media. Journalism is an art, and journalists are often the untold heroes of many stories. But today’s media often leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. It has, in recent years, become more about politics than people for many big stations. We’ve lost touch with our priorities in the news we seek out and the information offered to us. Bias runs amok, making it unclear where the truth really lies.
My next question for Oprah is about this rumored presidential run. Man, we all love us some Oprah. I know I’m not the only kid who grew up watching her show. And here, in this speech, she cemented some of the things I’ve always loved about her: she is a warm, compassionate, seemingly exceptional woman. But she isn’t a politician.
One of the largest problems people had with President Trump was that he is underqualified to be president. He can run a business, not a country. Well, Oprah is about the same, except that she is a more eloquent speaker. One of the things people have loved the most about Oprah for so long is that she brings people together. And she does this by being fairly apolitical.
To that, I question, is this the ‘liberal Trump’? Do we want Oprah in the Oval Office, sending out drone strikes with good intentions? I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, I mean, I’ve already established that I love the woman. She used her platform to give a voice to marginalized people in our country, as she has been doing for her entire career. She’s amazing at it. But I’m just not sold that she would make an amazing president yet. I’m not sure she’s ready to jump from television to politics.
When Oprah said that “what I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have” , I was a little apprehensive. And here I’ll wait. What is your truth, Oprah?