Who'd have thought...

[PlugInMatty]

So, it's just occured to me that America's two most-powerful women are a black woman and a lesbian.

 

 

Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey.

 

Forget the Obamas and Clintons of the world, the women who set America's social agenda are the ones that American housewives willingly let into their homes at 11am every morning. Scoff, if you like, but these are the two women are the people who tell American housewives what to think. If Oprah says it's a good book, millions of readers buy it. If Ellen says he's a good bloke, his Q-rating goes through the roof.

 

That might seem insignificant to you, but these are the housewives who will shape the minds of the next generation. If the kids of tomorrow are growing up with the belief that the opinions of black women and lesbians matter, that's going to achieve a lot more progress than the divisive agenda of a token black president ever could.

 

Be proud of yourselves, America.

 

I know I am\.

 

 

[MikeL]

There are others worthy of mention including Martha Ingram who is worth billions and has given away hundreds of millions. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Rivers_Ingram

 

[PlugInMatty]

well, yes and no.

 

from my limited research, Martha Ingram does appear to have quite a standing in the philanthropic community, perhaps even in high culture, but her influence doesn't seem to extend into popular culture.

 

and while we may often look down on popular culture, perhaps even label it 'inferior', one cannot underestimate the cultural influence of figures like Oprah and Ellen across middle America. the fact is, women look to figures like Ellen and Oprah for guidance on things they might/should enjoy, and people who gain their endorsement will subsequently gain immeasurable exposure. if Oprah recommends a book, it becomes a best-seller. if Ellen has a musical guest, viewers buy their album.

 

on the flipside, people who perform unfavourably on their program (or even incur their wrath), will feel the brunt of negative media exposure. when James Frey's 'memoir' A Million Little Pieces was exposed as a fake on Oprah's show, he lost his book deal and became 'America's most-hated writer'. when Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch, his Q-rating dipped 40%.

 

remarkable.

 

who'd have thought, thirty years ago, that two women from minority backgrounds would be telling American women what to think?

 

if Ellen can maintain this far-reaching influence, she may ending up doing more good for the GLBT community than a thousand protest rallies could ever achieve.

[Mark Arbour]

well, yes and no.

 

from my limited research, Martha Ingram does appear to have quite a standing in the philanthropic community, perhaps even in high culture, but her influence doesn't seem to extend into popular culture.

 

and while we may often look down on popular culture, perhaps even label it 'inferior', one cannot underestimate the cultural influence of figures like Oprah and Ellen across middle America. the fact is, women look to figures like Ellen and Oprah for guidance on things they might/should enjoy, and people who gain their endorsement will subsequently gain immeasurable exposure. if Oprah recommends a book, it becomes a best-seller. if Ellen has a musical guest, viewers buy their album.

 

on the flipside, people who perform unfavourably on their program (or even incur their wrath), will feel the brunt of negative media exposure. when James Frey's 'memoir' A Million Little Pieces was exposed as a fake on Oprah's show, he lost his book deal and became 'America's most-hated writer'. when Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch, his Q-rating dipped 40%.

 

remarkable.

 

who'd have thought, thirty years ago, that two women from minority backgrounds would be telling American women what to think?

 

if Ellen can maintain this far-reaching influence, she may ending up doing more good for the GLBT community than a thousand protest rallies could ever achieve.

 

 

Those were almost my exact thoughts when throwing Martha into the mix. Ingram, no Stewart.

 

 

[zland666]

i think ellen is funny. My mom watches both there shows.