Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who gives f about Oprah? Is she still relevant?

I would love to have the opportunity to meet Oprah and have a completely open and perfectly candid conversation with her. I would promise to take her secrets to my grave.

You are a sad person.

Anonymous wrote:Who gives f about Oprah? Is she still relevant?

I would love to have the opportunity to meet Oprah and have a completely open and perfectly candid conversation with her. I would promise to take her secrets to my grave.

I've never thought of oprah as an environmental activist.

Oprah has a good gig. She is a billionaire, but still manages to convince people she is "regular folk". It is her gift.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just can't be offended by this, Op. Gayle has been Oprah's tried and true BFF for decades. If yellow tulips from Holland or wherever made Gayle feel special on her bday, I think it's sweet that Oprah made those flowers happen for her.

It is not my job or my place to tell Oprah how she's allowed to spend her own danged money.

Oprah preaches about climate change. Friendship is not about materials displays of wealth. Gail should feel special because her friend throws a party not because she pays an insane amount to ship in flowers. I was a fan of Oprah for many years, but for the past 5 years or so she has been such an out of touch hypocrite in so many ways.

Don't put Oprah up on a pedestal. She supports climate change because that's the PC thing to do these days. In reality, she is used to the finer things in life and she has a staff of subordinates who take care of her every whim. I don't begrudge her that at all - Lord knows she has worked her azz off and she has earned her success.

If someone figured out how to get some pretty flowers on a cargo ship for Gayle, more power to them. I think Oprah did a sweet thing for her friend that met a lot to Gayle.

Jealousy is not pretty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oprah has always bugged me.

Those flowers didn’t come from the local florist. She hired a high end florist who procures flowers from high end international vendors. That’s probably $10k worth of celebrity upcharged floral arrangements. A disgusting display of wealth.

Your local florist isn’t exactly selling flowers grown in her backyard.

No duh, pp. I didn’t say that. RIF.

The difference is the tulips I buy at giant are shipped in bulk...that’s why they’re only $7.99 a bunch.

Celebrities like Oprah have high end florists who will actually rush import specialty items and charge thousands for the service.

I wouldn’t have an issue if Oprah used a normal florist, but her florist to the stars most certainly cost a small fortune. And that is a disgusting display of wealth.

Get it?

They aren’t $7.99 because they’re shipping in bulk. They’re $7.99 because large scale farming operations utilize farming methods that destroy the environment and exploit workers, many of whom are children. For all we know, those flowers are expensive because they came from a small, family owned organic farm that pays their workers a living wage.

It’s the same with any other produce. The produce at Giant isn’t cheap because it’s shipped in bulk. Most of the produce in chain grocery stores is farmed using destructive methods, forced labor, and child labor. Local, independent farms have very small shipping costs since they sell locally, but they are more expensive because they use different methods and pay their workers more.

But hey, if you want to pat yourself on the back for being so progressive by shopping at a corporate grocery store, go for it.

Who gives f about Oprah? Is she still relevant?

Anonymous wrote:Yet everyone on this board thinks it’s perfectly okay to ship Reuben sandwiches from Michigan to all your friends around the country? Now who’s the hypocrite?

Ooohhh! Is there a thread on here about Zingerman's? The Georgia Reuben-- Yum!

It must have almost killed you to read about Google Camp.

Celebrities pay lip service. The same way that pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is something billionaires advocate.

The vast majority of flowers that are bought in the US are grown in Colombia, South America. Some are grown in Europe. Flowers from Colombia and Europe are shipped in
big lots on planes.

Yes, Colombia is a poor country. Colombia is generously
helping folks from Venezuela. Venezuela is currently undergoing the collapse of socialism. Venezuelan pregnant women walk miles to cross to the Colombian border to give birth in Colombian hospitals.
Death rates to babies and mothers born in Venezuela are some of the highest in the world. The Venezuelan mothers walk miles to give their babies a chance to survive the birth process.

I've worked in Bogota. Believe me the Colombian farmers would rather sell and ship flowers, bananas and coffee to us than go hungry.

PS. Do you eat bananas? Do you drink coffee? Most of the bananas and coffee the US imports also comes from Colombia.

Colombia is a very key country right now because millions of Venezuelans have made there way to Colombia and the Colombian free market economy, while poor, is providing support to the Venezuelans who have left due to the collapse of socialism in Venezuela.

PS. Much of the produce you get in Giant right now is flown in from South America.

Maybe Oprah purchases carbon offsets to compensate for her personal footprint. It's not uncommon, though it's debatable as to the long term benefits.

I did it when I designed/built my eco, leed certified house.

Anonymous wrote:Aren’t the majority of the flowers sold in the US shipped from other countries?

They are, to serious environmental detriment. Not just the shipping, but also where and how they’re grown.

While we’re here talking about this, I’d like to mention a website I found recently called slow flowers dedicated to finding local growers. https://www.slowflowers.com/ The blurb is so far up its own butt that I want to strangle it, but growing and buying American and thoughtfully will work to everyone’s benefit.

Should Oprah have known better? Probably. But we’re all learning.

Anonymous wrote:I just can't be offended by this, Op. Gayle has been Oprah's tried and true BFF for decades. If yellow tulips from Holland or wherever made Gayle feel special on her bday, I think it's sweet that Oprah made those flowers happen for her.

It is not my job or my place to tell Oprah how she's allowed to spend her own danged money.

Nobody can tell Oprah what to do.

But as a celebrity, she’s fair game for us to judge...especially as she’s putting out the info via social media...and especially after building a career and empire on pontificating about being a good person/good global citizen. The climate element is hilarious. Her lack of self-awareness would be befuddling but for the fact that we all know deep down that she’s just your typical rich celebrity who gives zero Fs what anyone thinks. She’s not the saint people want her to be, so don’t put her on a pedestal.

Boo, Oprah.

Anonymous wrote:
Celebrities should publicly show how they can live glamorous and luxurious lives with minimal climate change impact.

So, I agree that she should be criticized, along with others who do this and worse.

This. Any celebrity who preaches should show how they practice what they preach and should be scrutinized.

Anonymous wrote:I just can't be offended by this, Op. Gayle has been Oprah's tried and true BFF for decades. If yellow tulips from Holland or wherever made Gayle feel special on her bday, I think it's sweet that Oprah made those flowers happen for her.

It is not my job or my place to tell Oprah how she's allowed to spend her own danged money.

Oprah preaches about climate change. Friendship is not about materials displays of wealth. Gail should feel special because her friend throws a party not because she pays an insane amount to ship in flowers. I was a fan of Oprah for many years, but for the past 5 years or so she has been such an out of touch hypocrite in so many ways.