Oprah Winfrey is under fire for recent remarks Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz made about managing the coronavirus pandemic.
In Mehmet’s interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, he referenced a British medical journal, The Lancet, that said: “the opening of schools may only cost us 2% to 3%, in terms of total mortality.”
“Any life is a life lost,” Dr. Oz said on the show. “But to get every child back into a school where they are safely being educated, being fed and making the most out of their lives – with the theoretical risks on the backside – that might be a trade-off some folks would consider.”
Dr. Phil’s blunder also went down on Fox News where he compared the COVID-19 deaths to those caused by car accidents or swimming pool drownings and argued that since the economy doesn’t shut down for those circumstances, it shouldn’t for the coronavirus.
Oprah first put Dr. Phil on in 1996 and Dr. Oz, in 2004. But is she really supposed to pay for their crude and questionable word choice decades later?
Many people unfortunately believe that she is.
First of all, Dr. Phil is not a medical doctor, so his decision to weigh in on how we should handle the coronavirus pandemic is more so a reflection of his arrogance and ego than on Oprah. And the fact that Dr. Oz is a medical doctor with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that having an education doesn’t deter you from making questionable statements.
We do have the power of the internet which means we can vet Dr. Phil and Oz ourselves, right? Why are we absolving these men of their words and laying it on Oprah? Is it because some of us are still hurt about her taking the lead on the Michael Jackson documentary? Which, by the way, is not a good reason to put her head on a stake for the views of others.
This is yet another example of how often Black women are blamed for the actions of others even when they have no involvement in said issue. Oprah wasn’t the root of the problem in regards to the Michael Jackson documentary, his child molestation allegations were.
Dr. Phil and Oz aren’t her children and therefore she is not in charge of them. The misogynoir is palpable in this situation because people are actively seeking to blame her for their words even though both men have established long-standing brands separate of her.
Maybe one of the persons who deserve blame is the President for empowering unqualified celebrities to speak and take on positions they’re not fit to hold.
It’s up to you to do your own due diligence and examine the books and doctors, celebrities like Oprah, swear by.
