Oprah Under Fire for ‘Ignorant’ India Special; Do Critics Have a Point?
Back in April, Oprah’s network OWN aired a special two-part episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” During the show, cameras followed as the media mogul traveled to India for the first time.
The show covered massive ground — from India’s famed tourist sites to a local Mumbai slum where a family of five shared a tiny 10 x 10 room and seemed to be happy in spite of living in cramped quarters. Oprah then switched gears, visiting some of India’s wealthier residents. During the show, she attempted to do the impossible: squeeze in the vastness of India into two short one-hour programs.
As I watched “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” it was difficult to ignore the stark contrasts she presented. The hard-working family from the Mumbai slum pushed up against the upper-middle class family with kitchen staff and a beautifully furnished high-rise home seemed hard to comprehend. Although we have income inequality in this country, what was shown felt so much worse. And when we saw the majesty and all of the pomp and circumstance (and utter wealth) of the Bollywood-style event thrown in Oprah’s honor, it was also hard for me fathom.
At the end of the special I didn’t feel bad for Indians or think their country was some sort of backward nation; I wanted to see more. I knew that whatever Oprah showed was just the highly stylized tip of the iceberg, and only a visit to the country could really teach me about India’s diverse culture.
While I was memorized by the special, when it aired over the weekend in India, many felt Oprah’s portrayal of their nation was unfair and ignorant.
One particularly harsh criticism came from The Daily Bhaskar, which found Oprah’s special to be “snobbish” and a mockery of India.
In a typical American snooty style the talk show queen tried to portray superficial ‘sob story’. Oprah was anything but a good guest when she went around the small 10 by 10 feet house interrogating the family members about their ‘poor’ living style and ‘miserly’ living.
The small family of five, stunned by the arrival of an unexpected guest were the most gracious host. On the contrary, the American guest left no stone unturned in mocking the family.
She asked the otherwise happy children how they could live in such a “tiny” room and actually wanted to know, “Don’t you feel it’s too cramped?” She also asked the six-year-olds whether they were happy.
She then interrogated the father about whether he was happy and satisfied. He got teary-eyed and said that he wished he could earn more and provide for a more comfortable life for his children. After making him weep in front of his family, Oprah said that she knows how awful it is for children to see their father weep.
She did look for a shower head in the toilet and seem amazed to hear they bathed with a bucket. And she marveled at how all their clothes fit onto a small shelf.
Another critic took Oprah to task for asking one upper middle-class family, “I heard some Indian people eat with their hands still?” writing:
Oprah, your comment about eating with the hand is really not that big a deal to us; we are used to gross Western ignorance regarding our ancient country. But as a responsible public figure about to air a show that will be beamed across the world, you should have done your homework. Using our hands to eat is a well established tradition and a fact none of us are ashamed of. Our economic distinction has nothing to do with it. A millionaire here eats the same way a pauper does. You have been to Asian nations. You should know that.
While the critics seem to feel Oprah’s special was a piece of well-crafted propaganda to show how backward India is, I saw it differently.
As an American who loves to travel, I know I have a lot to learn about other countries and their cultures. And while Oprah is certainly more traveled, I felt as though her questions were similar to what many of us might ask (or want to) in order to gain a better understanding of the culture.
Does this make Oprah wrong for asking the questions or highlighting the vast differences in India given her platform? I’m not sure. But I didn’t find her portrayal especially “snobbish” or snooty.
But maybe that’s just my Americaness showing.
What do you think? Do Oprah’s critics have a point?
*Image via Oprah.com
I remember when this aired, I could not wait to see it but with my school schedule, I missed it. I could barely stand this little bit. Clearly O forgot what it was like growing up poor and did not do any homework to learn about Indian culture. One thing that is clear when you are in India, is the culture is far deeper than we can possibly fathom. As a journalist I am sure she recognizes how people will see things, but I am sure it is also according to the way it is reported. If the reporter is experienced and well traveled, the piece will be balanced and you can see a glimpse into the beauty of the culture. When the reporter has non of that, you reflect India with American eyes, prejudices and comparison to our standard of living.
Oprah will always be special to me, but the critics got it right with this one.
Yeah, but even this article is biased against Oprah because she didn’t only ask ignorant questions, she also visited women who had been abandoned and abused and spoke with ladies about their lives and marriages. Although I did not see the entirety of both shows, i did see 1 full show and about half of the other. Overall she did a good job, but could have been a little more sensitive. The critics are wrong, except about asking the child.
So what, poor people/children who are interviewed here are asked if they feel cramped with 10 people in a 1 bedroom apartment. Why is everybody acting like they never heard this line of questioning before? I think the Indian people just don’t appreciate you showing how dirt poor millions of their people are. And if she’s showing their culture what’s the big deal asking oh you eat with your hands, obviously it’s true and her audience may not know that. If it wasn’t true then I could see them being upset. But if it’s sooo common that even the rich people do it why take offense? Please India still has a caste system and call their dark people the untouchables, you are not allowed to touch them & they live in their own community because of the color of their skin. These people are not allowed to enter schools or Temples and are only given jobs such as cleaning up waste and dead animal carcasses. Pathetic & backwards YES! The only disservice she did was not show light on their oh so modern practices.
The part about caste and colorism problems is so true! Although your skin color does not determine your caste. Also, Oprah oohed and aaahed and gushed about how wealthy and opulent the Taj Hotel was, and her comments were “amazing” and never having seen this before, yaddah yaddah..She said the same stuff to the rich as to the poor, actually as I thin about it.
I’ve seen Oprah do interviews where she asks questions like that to get emotional responses and stuff. I don’t think she probably meant to be snooty. She just took her questions too far with the kids to make Westerners feel sorry for the family.
They always try to get that sob story with poor or abused people. Oprah’s demeanor can make her seem snobbish though. Sometimes when she asks questions ,she has a very blank stare and shows no compassion.
India is a very large country with a lot of haves and a lot of have nots who have much less support than the average poor American. I think the haves are embarrassed sometimes that even as their country develops Westerners love to focus on the slums and the have nots, but these people are a part of their country as well.
Remember when Oprah interviewed the woman who was attacked by her friend’s chimp? The woman said, “I don’t remember anything that happened after the chimp ran toward me. I don’t remember the attack at all and I’m glad I don’t remember.In fact, the dr.’s have said there’s medicine they can give me if I start to remember.” After the woman said that, Oprah, unbelievably, grilled her for another 5 minutes trying to get her to remember something about the attack. And who could forget her holding the woman’s hand and saying, “all you have left is this one thumb” or something else intensive.
I think Oprah should try to find and nurture the next Oprah. Maybe she’s had too much money for too long to relate to people anymore.
No. I enjoyed this episode. Oprah introduced somethings about Indian culture to me which in turn made me do more research about India and has added India to my list of places to travel.