Don't Be a Picklebump

One of the advantages (or disadvantage depending on your outlook) of being home in the afternoon instead of at work is that I get to catch the Oprah Show. The New Year’s Eve show focused on interviews of international stars. I don’t know who did the prep work for this article, but I walked away from the TV several times asking myself ”Did Oprah just really say that on national TV?” And the answer was sadly yes.   

I pretty much ignored the interview with the Chinese Oprah, Chen Luya, since that seemed to be more of piece about the glorification of Oprah and her influence.  I started paying attention when the Bollywood couple  Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan came on stage. The interview was “fine” in Oprah standards up until she asked about the fact that the couple, after they married, continue to live with his family. She said “How does that work?” After he asked her a series of questions about moving into her own house, he turned her own question back on her. Oprah looked a little flabbergasted when he finished. She had the deer in the headlight look. I’ll admit I giggled when he did that.

But the part of the show that was the most off base is when Oprah interviewed Nacho Figueras. It seemed like all Oprah did was fawn all over him about how handsome he was and focus on the fluffier stuff. Nevermind that the man worked his way up to the top of polo, has earned contracts because of his ability to play, and that the game and horses are his passion. Nacho was so earnest in what he said that at one point Aishwayra said to him, “I love it how your eyes light up when you talk about horses and polo. You are passionate about what you do.” She got the point of what he was talking about more than Oprah. Nacho wants people to know that polo is not the elitist game that it is percieved to be in the United States. It’s something that the whole family can enjoy together. And he succeeded because now I want to at least go see a polo game. So I’ve put that on my to do list and will be checking the Houston Polo Club calendar to see when I can attend a match.

The worst part of the piece was yet to come. Oprah sent her correspondent, Ali Wentworth to learn how to play polo. Instead of acting like a professional journalist and being serious about her interviewee’s passion, she disrespected him and his mission by fawning all over him like a love sick teenager and making really bad innuendos.

I was embarrassed for Oprah and for Ms. Wentworth. How can they think that this is acceptable behavior? If man would have interviewed either one of these ladies in such a manner, they would have been upset. So why is it okay for women to treat guys like sex objects? I thought Oprah was better than this kind of interview. And I thought she’d be more aware of customs outside of the United States than she apparently is.