Oprah can do whatever she wants with her money. But how can you be critical of the materialism of young people in the inner city when YOUR show often promotes materialism? She once spoke about when she was a child, all she wanted was a polaroid camera. That camera is now today's ipod.
If she wants to help the children in the inner city, she needs to start with the parents. Oprah is materialistic, and a philantropist whose decided that American children only care about money. Not how to obtain it. To lump all the inner-city children of America together and say they are beyond help doesn't equate to the truth.
Oprah showing off her material excess, giving away CARS, and people lining up around the block to get on her show because they think that they are going to get some fabulous gift. (Which consists of overpriced, frivilous luxury items) If inner city children have no appreciation for education in favor of instant gratification, then where does Oprah think this comes from? She's flossing and showing off what she's got but complaining that inner city children are "too materialistic?"
Oprah needs to sit her ass down on this issue.
Her show, MTV cribs, Pimp My Ride, Ballers online showing off their homes, vs. letting these children see and understand all of the sacrifice and hard work it takes to get these material things. They do not see the nexus between the hard work, many hours of difficult taxing problems being overcome. What they see is the final product.
That is why I like the movie 'Pursuit of Happyness' and how they ended it. People want to see Chris Gardner enjoy the spoils of his labor, but that wasn't the point of the movie. The point was to show EXACTLY the hard times, the hard work, the disclipine and the sacrifice Gardner made in order to pursue his goals in life.
The inner city kids don't understand this and we as the adult generation have failed to teach it. Oprah is a part of the problem she speaks on.
The children can only do what they see the adults around them do. If the adults around them don't value education, why should they? I have a problem with her saying "screw you" to the kids because the kids only do what they are taught. The adults are the ones who haven't taught them the value of education because they don't value education themselves. But then again, Americans in general don't value education and ridicules "nerds, brains, geeks, etc." She's dumping on the kids when she should be attacking the society as a whole.
Her approach is shitty. I'm quite sure there are more than just a handful of children in the inner-city who really want to get a substantial education but are a victim of circumstance. She could have built learning centers and have programs for those who maintain a B-A average, have good attendance, volunteer in the community, that sort of thing to reward those who at least try.
Oprah coming out saying, "Inner city children don't want to learn" will be taken as BLACK KIDS DON'T WANT TO LEARN, and since it's coming from a "credible source" (Oprah) that's going to make teachers and the community that much more resistant to putting resources into inner city or predominately black schools "Since they don't want to learn anyway."