Oprah Wins-frey

There is nothing better than seeing how the American entertainment industry pats itself on the back for trying to solve a problem they started, maintained, and propagated throughout their many decades of existence. Oprah’s speech on the Golden Globes was a beacon of hope for Hollywood and women across the world. She was the first African American woman to win the Cecil B. Demille award and there couldn’t be a better recipient; she rose from the very bottom of society and endured rape, assault, racism, and sexism. There is no doubt she is an admirable personality with a great heart.

Oprah then added how little girls watching would be inspired by her winning this award due to the significance it holds. Although true that she made history, by implying that winning a Golden Globe is the epitome of inspiration (overlooking Michelle Obama being First Lady; Serena Williams one of  the best tennis players of all time; or Beyonce having won the most Grammys for a female artist in a single night, among many others), she shows how we as a society value success within a superficial and momentary time span.

She highlighted how important it is for all of us to speak our truth, to “speak your truth”. Of course there is speaking the truth, and your truth. When sexual assault accusations come about, the default setting for everyone, and rightfully so, is to support the victim. It should also be as instinctive to investigate.

However, it should not come as a surprise that Hollywood always seeks to be the center of attention, having the inherent need to only show that they are leading the fight against themselves. Now, I am sure all of us are glad that Hollywood is finally opening up to their mistakes after 80 years of constant marginalization of actresses, but it is a deeply rooted problem that has been kept as an open secret within Hollywood for decades.

Oprah’s speech is prompting flashy headlines, just in time for Oprah’s closest friends to disclose that she has indeed been thinking about running for president. I thought we were over having celebrities as politicians, I am no longer surprised by the media having a rather short attention span, especially when it comes to themselves.