Sin City Kicks Brit's Ass

46. Oprah's criticisms are justified. Some time ago Bill cosby criticised the black family and people were up in arms. The truth hurts at times because some of us cannot face it. I wish more black celebrities would speak up because there are uncomfortable issues in the black community that we need to face. One, what value is placed on education? Very little. I guess becoming a millionaire rapper or sports figure is more attractive to most so they figure that they do not need an education to make money. However, how many of them actually reach that level? Very few and even when some do, black on black violence cut their lives short.
This brings me to the second point- violence. These inner city kids glorify the gun and to them this is LIFE. Young black men are killing off each other and to them its O.K.
Third, there is the black family structure. Black women it is NOT O.K to have 4 or 6 baby daddies and black men it is NOT OK to have 4 or 6 baby mamas. In fact from my vantage point as a BLACK WOMAN - it is disgusting. SIDE NOTE: ( And we wonder why HIV is so rampant in the black community- BLACK PEOPLE'S CHOSEN LIFESTYLE IS A MAIN CONTRIBUTOR)
Therefore, when Oprah criticises the choices that these inner city kids make and have a problem with what they value- she HAS EVERY RIGHT.
Like it or not, these kids live in a country of OPPORTUNITIES of which they are WELL AWARE. They should make USE of them. These third world countries, do not have things such as financial aid, student loans without using properties-land, money ect.. to finance an education. There are NO SOCIAL SAFETY NETS like WELFARE. There is LITTLE OR NO CHANCE of making it because of TALENT.These are just a FEW of the adversities that these third world countries live with. It is something that Oprah KNOWS. Perhaps without the opportunities that being in this country offered her- she would not have been a millionaire today. So when inner city kids are asking for 200 dollar sneakers and have not read part of or a whole book in their lives, then SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG- THEIR PRIORITIES ARE ALL SCREWED UP.

Posted at 3:06PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by unip

47. Oprah is not JESUS. She can't fix the worlds problems. She's given MILLIONS to USA inner city charities. Everybody knows how many millions she's given to the Baltimore City (Maryland) Public School System. That system is more corrupt than the Bush Administration. Her money went down the drain! Writing a check doesn't solve the solution. Getting involved does. None of you on this board who have an Anti-Oprah agenda has done that. When was the last time you gave $1 to an inner city charity, child, etc? When was the last time you've volunteered? I have and let me tell you it was a waste. Those kids are disrespectful, attitude problems and can recite rap rhymes but don't know simple multiplication. And please note: HAVE NO DESIRE TO WANT TO LEARN! Do you want to give your time and money to this. Hell no!!! I quit after 6 months. Got fed up.

All you black folk out there. What has 50 cent done? What about Snoop? Any of those rappers who make millions of dollars. What are they doing for inner city children? Are these black athletes or entertainers doing anything for Katrina survivors? As much as the black rappers talk about police brutality. When was the last time you saw any of them doing anything about it. These black rappers are the biggest capitalistic rapist of the black community. Not Oprah!

Posted at 3:20PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by whateverII

48. Oprah is not JESUS. She can't fix the worlds problems. She's given MILLIONS to USA inner city charities. Everybody knows how many millions she's given to the Baltimore City (Maryland) Public School System. That system is more corrupt than the Bush Administration. Her money went down the drain! Writing a check doesn't solve the solution. Getting involved does. None of you on this board who have an Anti-Oprah agenda has done that. When was the last time you gave $1 to an inner city charity, child, etc? When was the last time you've volunteered? I have and let me tell you it was a waste. Those kids are disrespectful, attitude problems and can recite rap rhymes but don't know simple multiplication. And please note: HAVE NO DESIRE TO WANT TO LEARN! Do you want to give your time and money to this. Hell no!!! I quit after 6 months. Got fed up.

All you black folk out there. What has 50 cent done? What about Snoop? Any of those rappers who make millions of dollars. What are they doing for inner city children? Are these black athletes or entertainers doing anything for Katrina survivors? As much as the black rappers talk about police brutality. When was the last time you saw any of them doing anything about it. These black rappers are the biggest capitalistic rapist of the black community. Not Oprah!

Posted at 3:31PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by whateverII

49. actually, EVERYBODY who has something has a moral obligation to give something back to the community, whether it is time or money...oprah has given hundreds of millions of dollars away in this country, and believe me, $40 million for her for one school in africa is just a drop in the bucket! someone said she should build a condom factory over there to save some lives....we need those HERE first! our wonderful president doesn't believe in birth control, he wants to teach american children abstinence...talk about someone who needs a reality check...i think what oprah's doing is definitely going to make a huge impact on south africa as a whole, as she's taking a major role in educating their future leaders....education opens doors for EVERYONE by letting them know that there are options in life, even when you're dirt poor and not even 20 years out of apartheid....those young ladies will be equipped with skills pertinent to their country's situation, and i fully expect for them to take the reins in transforming south africa! how can you people be so cruel for bashing oprah for giving some young ladies who ( i don't care what anyone says, there is nobody in america as poor as they are in south africa....and btw, there's no welfare, no homeless shelters, no soup kitchens...the poor barely have functional hospitals!) deserve just as much a right to better themselves? i'm sure if they could afford it, they'd come over here and fully appreciate the wealth of opportunities that america has to offer....too many young people these days expect for everything to be GIVEN to them instead of earned! let's not forget that oprah was one of the primary reasons that AIDS in america, especially in black america, is even discussed publicly! do we not remember the 2004 VP debates where neither cheney nor edwards recognized that AIDS was a huge problem in america? and they're well-educated and wealthy, so i KNOW a majority of the people reading this site were unaware of how bad it is in this country until you turned on oprah!

oprah knows what her moral obligations are, and she definitely fulfills them monetarily and by opening all of our eyes to national and international issues. last time i checked, oprah didn't have ANY biological kids, so she's not to blame for your kids not knowing how to read, do basic math, or speak correct english... it's time for parents to step up to the plate and put their children and their future FIRST, instead of worrying about how well britney parents her kids or how much money paris hilton does or does not contribute to charitable activities.... i like this site as much as the next person, but there's a time and a place for everything, and i definitely would not be on here when i could be reading to my own kids (if i had any)....

p.s. and before anybody says anything about oprah's favorite things shows or her celeb interviews...let me remind you, she's a business, so all this heavy international stuff wouldn't fly with her viewers every damn day...that would make her the news...and we KNOW people in america know more about britney spears and her whereabouts than we do about north korea, iraq, iran, syria, venezuela, who shot who down the street, tomorrow's weather, or anything of that nature...please, just give it a rest!

Posted at 3:36PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by Ashley

50. Only TMZ.com and similar tabloid sites could turn a good thing like building schools for disadvantage children, into something negative. What Oprah has done is undoubtedly a wonderful contribution. The United States has the resources to fix its inner-city schools (though it doesn't for obvious reasons); South Africa doesn't.

In any case, the haters will find always try to find some way to put anything you do down. You haters need to deal with your own racism, general bigotry, and envy.

Posted at 4:18PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by Chris

51. Please folks, bashing Oprah? If you don't like it then YOU become successful and make a change! BTW, those commenting on the rate of out of wedlock children amongst Black Women...you are right. However, do not forget that White Women conceive many children out of wedlock too.....they just have (an can afford to have) more abortions. Think about all those White women from the 1950s and 1960s who went "away" to "special schools." Also, many of the white children that are born out of wedlock also are adopted.

Posted at 7:34PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by j

52. I agree with #3 kids here a caught up in a BET gangsta mentality. kids in other countries appreciate an education. these here the parents are too busy trying to live like those ho's and jailbird on BET they are too busy chasing fly whips, designer labels and all the other f***ery to pay any real attention to their kids. is it any wonder most of the inner city kids are so f***ed up look at the damn parents. good for her. I grew up in the inner city and am a divorced mother of 3, my 18 yr old is on her way to pharmacology school, works in a pharmacy. never been knocked up, did drugs, smoked or ran with gangs, my other two children are well adjusted, well behaved kids who excell in school. I don't have BET or cable, I take them shopping for toy's to the dollar stores, we are vegetarians and I order them books on line. it start's in the home. if the mom and dad is f***ed up the kids are going to be f***ed up and the school system can't help these kids. the parents need to get their s*it together.

Posted at 8:39PM on Jan 2nd 2007 by NubianGoddez

53. I don't blame Oprah. Most of these American kids are too materialized. Their biggest wants are ipods, $100 sneakers, $50 jeans, etc. The kids in Africa just don't just have wants, but they have great needs, and many of their needs are substantial. The greater needs are in Africa, and it's better to give to the needy and not to the greedy. It is Oprah's millions, and she can do with it as she pleases. Because you can never please everybody. If she was giving her all to the kids in America, then some folks would be saying that she is not doing anything for those poor kids in Africa. And the same ones that are commenting about Oprah not giving to the American kids, are the same ones that probably wouldn't give anything to the American or African kids if they had millions of dollars.
And it is very generous of Oprah to have those extra ammenties added into the schools to give those kids a pleasure that they have never experienced in their lives. (i.e), If all you have had is an old tractor to drive all of your life, wouldn't it give you pleasure if, for the first time in your life, you were given a new car? That same scenario applies to African children and African people. They deserve to have nice things like anybody else. They just have been unfortunate and that's why Oprah does what she does.

Posted at 12:11AM on Jan 3rd 2007 by Tommie

54. BRIT LOOKS LIKE SHE HAS A REALLY BIG ARM IN THAT PIC!

Posted at 2:57PM on Jan 3rd 2007 by becca