Oprah Should be Ashamed

I had my suspicions when Oprah Winfrey likened the Microsoft Surface tablet to a Mercedes Benz automobile. I suspected it was all a marketing stunt but what I could not ascertain was if she had been paid to do it. However, I aired my suspicions only in informal circles because one should not allege what he cannot prove.

Announcing it as one of her famous (now infamous) favourite things implies that she’s in love with it as would be normally expected of any new toy. It came as a big surprise then to see that she continued her praise of the Surface tablet by tweeting about it on an iPad. This is one of the greatest faux pas in recent times. Now that we know she still uses an iPad, we have to wonder why she made the announcement in the first place. While there is truly nothing wrong with a celebrity endorsing a product, the fact of the matter is that Oprah is not your run-of-the-mill celebrity. She has attained elder statesman status and should not be peddling her influence.

Why name something as one of your favourite things especially when you don’t like it? Let’s face it people, if she truly likes the Surface, then she would be using it. To quote Zig Ziglar, your belief in what you are selling ought to be so strong that you are absolutely using it.

People like Oprah should be above such petty practices such as deceptive product endorsements. Other celebrities do it for the cash but Oprah is extremely wealthy; so wealthy that she’s part of the one percent club. Her conduct in this matter is really low of her; lower than the ratings of her OWN outfit. So what exactly was she paid? I doubt we’ll ever know but I suspect it has something to do with Microsoft promoting her TV network; a default OWN live tile on Windows or Xbox perhaps. It is very shameful when people of her caliber stoop so low to deceive the public. She has abused her position as an esteemed and renowned influential personality. But then again, I am reminded of The Godfather, when Tessio says to Michael: “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”  

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