Say It Ain't So, "O"

O as in Oprah - who is powerfull enough media-wise and also politically correct enough to dodge a bullet which appears to amount to unwittingly perpetuating a fraud on her viewers and book club readers.

The color ain't purple, after all - it's green via ratings numbers when it comes to big media.

Comments

[TheAlamo]

I doubt whether Oprah knew anything about the fraud. She is smart enough not to destroy herself for somebody like this guy.
Although she is "uneducated" politically (i.e....you guys call them liberals), she is one of the few of those who puts her money where her mouth is. Can't say the same for Jesse Jackson and the other left wingers, or any of the "right wingers" either.

I think all she needs is a little enlightening about why people are poor, and what the causes are, and you would see a changed person politically. Most people are "leftists" because they (the "left") sell emotion with their program. "help the poor, etc.," but they never notice that the more they help the poor by giving them something rather than teaching them something---the more poor there are, and the more they want...for doing less and less.

[Margi]

I don't give Oprah that much leeway, TA.

Anyone with THAT MANY folks on payroll should have known better.

Of course, that's just me. YMMV.

[jamesfreyrules]

Those books are actually very good books. I, for one, don't care if they are non-fiction or fiction. If he embellished a little, who cares! Good writing is good writing. Just MHO.

[Cynthia]

The book was supposed to be a work of nonfiction; if it was mostly fiction, then it is a fraud. Oprah Winfrey strikes me as not very well-informed about a lot of her guests; she takes them, it would appear, at face value. I read the first few pages of AMLP, and stopped after that. It was too much, it was trying too hard. I could just SENSE that it was inauthentic.

[Phoenix]

Oprah does more than anyone on this planet to promulgate victimhood. She gets rich off it and her lemmings wallow in the swill. I find it totally repugnant. If there is anything this oh-so politically correct country of ours needs it is less victim gorging.

[suzyqueue]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10777837/

[LFS]

The issue with Frey is not whether or not he was an addict, nor is it whether or not his book positively impacts some of its readers. There are, however, a few issues that people fail to see.

First, he sells this "non-fiction" as truth--and has, in interviews with TSG and others, offered details published in the book (which have since been called into question) as the true facts of his life. Either AMLP needs to be removed from the non-fiction category or it needs a disclaimer (like its follow-up already has) stating that much artistic license was taken.

Second, Frey's argument that TSG is so focused on such a small portion of his book (so obviously they shouldn't be believed) is asinine. TSG disproved as much of Frey's alleged criminal record as is legally possible. Juvenile records (the majority of Frey's alleged run-ins with the law) and medical records (ie: therapist, dental, medical files from Hazelden and others) are not accessible to the public and, therefore, not not able to be checked for accuracy. TSG did prove that Frey was not part of a "major" drug investigation (involving the FBI) during college--his name isn't anywhere in reports, and he likely wasn't even questioned. Also, according to the arrest records, his "week in jail" (1988ish) for a "record" breathalyzer (0.3 he claimed) was, in reality, limited to one night because he had chicken pox and they didn't want the other inmates infected and he blew a 0.2 (and set no records). As for the officer he claims to have hit with his car, well, the alleged victim just laughs.

Third, what good his story may have done to promote alternatives to the 12-step program for addictions has been seriously tainted by his obvious dishonesty. It is clear, through the work done by TSG, that he exaggerates the circumstances of his criminal activity to make himself more of a badass, or an "outlaw" to use his words. Logically, this leads one to question the veracity of his claims regarding the severity of his addictions. Clearly, he had some sort of dependency issue--but keep in mind that he comes from a middle upper class family who had the financial resources (and desire to save face socially) to send their beloved son to intensive treatment as soon as they knew a problem existed--without having to wait until he was on the brink of death. It is entirely possible, and perhaps likely, that he attributed the experiences he saw others have during his time at Hazelden to himself to make himself sound more hardcore, much like he did with his alleged criminal past. By calling into question the severity of his actual circumstances, it follows to question his "success" in rejecting the 12-steps and staying sober.

The point is that if he had admitted the embellishments up front or (better yet) willingly offered the information (ie: to publishers, or Oprah's producers) he wouldn't be having a problem today. The fact that he tried to hide it and threatened TSG with a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit (for publishing court records and interviews) are evidence that James Frey has much to hide and should not be referred to as anyone's inspiration.