Since Oprah is now of the air, we thought we'd revist this piece from five or so years ago.

Long has been the time that has passed since a piece about the negative effects of Oprah has been pursued by my late past midnight writing habits. However, there hasn’t been a right reason to begin to lay out the attack until recently. And there’s one little undeserving writer to thank for it – James Frey.

Immediately, I need to inform the reader that this piece (nor this website) is anyway is defending James Frey. This isn’t about him (although it is very much about the impact of his “memoir”). This piece also is not about the book, “A Million Little Pieces,” but instead it is about something more important: the “idea” of the book and the “idea” of Oprah. If nothing else, isn’t all life a continual battle if Ideas? Here at Crackpot Press, and other bastions of true journalism, you will get nothing less.

There are a lot of people that seem to be “upset” that they were lied to, regarding the book. What they had believed to be a truthful assemblage of life seems now to have been false. The reactions were amazing. And just how amazing were they? Galvanic to say the least. Upset that you were lied to? Well where in the fuck were you when our government lied to us just about everything since the election of 2000. Who knows what before that? But since then it has been clearly documented, yet no one gave a shit (“no one” being not enough “someones”), yet someone lies about a drug-hazed memoir and they go crazy. Does this say anything about our priorities? Would you read another James Frey book? Would you re-elect George W. Bush?

It is very bad when people lie, but folks, in the age of Photoshop, nothing is real and nothing is fake. People are putting way too much trust in things other than themselves. A memoir does mean memory, already, I have to invoke the “unreliable narrator”, but I also invoke him at just about anything, and I implore you to do the same. Like this:

There is a reality around most of us, which we tend to take for granted, and it’s strange because it’s a reality purposefully created by others to control thought and direct attention, like, getting angry a very average and sensational story, but not getting angry at the state (government or corporations) and bringing them up on the stage and asking them right out: why the fuck did you lie to me??? What is a bigger sin, Oprah’s book club gone wild, or wiretapping you without a warrant?

But that is the essence of Oprahnization. It defines itself around its creator, Oprah, as the almighty modern Oracle of Delphi. We know now there were actors behind the rock, speaking scripted answers, we know the Wizard of Oz was controlled by a man behind he curtain, and we know that Oprah is just a big sham, put together by a bunch of producers and this little (well 420 pages isn’t really little) stupid book has thrown a monkey wrench into the entire Oprah façade. Now Oprah looks stupid. “Duped,” as many say. So she is out in force doing all she can do to repair the ship, to keep order, and most importantly, her audience. You don’t mess with Oprah, or she will get you on her show, and show her audience just the kind of person she really is, complete with make-up, hairdo, wardrobe, applause please, cut to commercial, lights camera – no action.

It isn’t that you were duped people, it’s that Oprah was duped. Here she is acknowledging the essence of Oprahnization: “I count on the editors to do the work of telling me what I am reading… Of telling me what is true and what isn’t.” But the point is, shouldn’t you be telling yourself that? Really. First of all, you’re reading an “Oprah Book of the month club.” Come on. Do you really believe anything interesting is going to come through her? Would she have the balls to recommend “Junky” by William S. Burroughs that was so thoughtfully used as a comparison for Frey’s memoir, right next to the Oprah’s Book Club sticker. Is “God and The State” ever going to make her list? A list by the way, made by producers in cahoots with the publishers to increase sales via hype. Yeah, that all came out, too. So she’s in overtime, spinning PR to keep it all in line. This is the beauty of the “idea” of Frey’s book. It has caused total chaos and disorder in the reality the system. Now people should be questioning a whole lot more. We hope. So I thank Frey for starting a fire, however unintentional it was.

I find it very amusing that Oprah was made a fool of; I hope it continues across the board. Another aspect of Oprahnization (and there are many a few will be dealt with here) is everything is a goddamn show. And if it doesn’t go as planned, turn off the tape. Boomerang back to us more chaos and wrenches in the system like this; with well-intentioned writers of meaning! Fiction is better than truth. Yeah that is what has been unearthed by this whole entire pomp and un-circumstance. That’s what all this has to be, doesn’t it? It’s the only way I can explain things like this:

Here’s first Lady, Laura Bush: “After Sept. 11, when we all looked at Afghanistan and saw the oppression of women there, it awakened a lot of people to the plight of women around the world.” What, the Taliban? Well, why didn’t you say anything when they visited you and George in 1997 at the governor’s estate to discuss oil? That’s well documented. Yet no one brings it up. Or is it that you just had to say “Sept. 11” and then follow it through with any garbage you want? I think that’s probably more in line with your thinking… Why isn’t Oprah mad about this? It affects a lot more people than a book club. Fiction is better than truth.

And things like this:

Condoleezza (Skezza) Rice regarding Iran: “The Iranians want to make this about their right. It’s not about their rights.” Right here in front of everyone, right in your face, from an American official, saying we don’t give a shit about people’s rights, and no one objected. “They have a history of covering their activities and not disclosing and so no one trusts them.” Well, can’t they same be said of us lately? Can anyone trust us??? Why isn’t Oprah mad about this? Fiction is better than truth.

And things like this:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: “Warrantless Surveillance falls within the President’s constitutional authority.” Where??? Please, show me, Please, journalists, if you exist, ask these people the next time they say shit like this. Yeah, it kinda sucks when a rich spoiled frat boy lies to you in his cheap novel, but it’s really really bad when the Attorney General does. Come on people, let ‘s get with it.

And this:

Wanna search the web? Well, it’s pretty fun but any searches you conduct that have anything to do or link to anything else in anyway that mentions the concept of human rights or criticizes the government is blocked in the search. Fiction is better than truth? No, it’s the truth this time. And it’s Google’s deal with China. Censorship, my friends, is bad in any form, no matter how much money you make.

Yes, fiction is better than truth. And that’s the fiction of media and the media is the state. Oprah is the state. It’s the job of any artist (writer or not) to disenthrall the masses from the message of the state. Art or Chaos. Or both. And for a brief moment (still counting) this book, “A Million Little Pieces” disenthralled a million little Oprahnized book junkies and everything fell into question. Now only if they could turn it on the real liars, whose infliction of harm is global in scale.

Don’t just question authority, question everything.

That includes Oprah, Dr. Phil, Fox News, CNN, your friends and neighbors, and President’s State of the (dis)Union (1/31/06).

Don’t miss it.

Good night, and turn off Oprah (for starters).

PS. You can find more about Oprahnization, a word coined by me, at Wikipedia.com, pending my editor’s ability to assist, but he’s busy fact checking, we don’t fiction + opinion = fact for nothing.