OK, OK I promise it's my last post on this topic. I just wanted to make sure everyone saw Oprah go nuts on James Frey about the inaccuracies in his memoir. What's most interesting to me is that she admits being brainwashed by that immediate reaction from fans, who defended Frey to the wall without bothering to read the Smoking Gun article about his lies.
So, huzzah to Oprah. In case you're wondering (and I think the article mentions this), we're still selling copies of his book pretty regularly at the store. I always wonder if it's people who just haven't heard about the controversy or if they just want to see what all the fuss is about. Obviously, I keep my mouth shut when I ring them up. It's their money to do with as they please.
I'll post more soon, as I recover from several days of truly obnoxious head cold. I used my sick time to apply for two jobs today -- an advertising copywriting position and an assistant editor spot at a local magazine company. So wish me luck.
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4 comments:
I don't see the big deal.
Oprah found a book, liked it, and recommended it to her viewers. If it turns out to be a bunch of made-up crap, it isn't any less entertaining. Sure, it's unethical to present fiction as fact, but it's not like the guy was writing for Newsweek.
One of my favorite authors is David Sedaris, who writes about the odd things that happen in his life. I'm sure most, if not all, of the stores are somewhat embellished, but nobody has gone on television to crucify him, despite the fact that I often see his books in the "nonfiction" section.
If anything, I'm more annoyed at Oprah for feeling she had to scapegoat someone to maintain an image of credibility.
People seem to divide into two camps on this issue: 1. It's a big deal. 2. It's not a big deal.
I don't blame people for being on either side, but I do think the guy's a scumbag. The reason this is a bigger issue than it might be is that his book, largely because of Oprah, was being embraced as a bible of unorthodox drug recovery. He inspired thousands of people to take up his approach, which dismisses the 12 steps and AA. But, it turns out, about 95% of his story was crap.
His drug abuse was tremendously overstated, but there are tons of people out there who are at that level. So if they try his approach, they'll likely be in for a big disappointment.
As for Sedaris, I once heard him say in an interview that he makes up some of his stuff, but it's never the stuff people think is made up. OoooooK.
I still blame Oprah for unleashing Dr. Phil on the world.
Word.
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