print“Oprah can protest all she wants, but, like Jefferson, her actions bespeak a belief in ‘a natural aristocracy among men,’ which Jefferson considered ‘the most precious gift of nature.’ In an 1813 letter to John Adams, he described this natural aristocracy as distinguished by ‘virtue and talents,’ and disavowed ‘an artificial aristocracy … without either virtue or talents.’ Jefferson would have thus approved of the way Oprah separated the wheat from the chaff for her school, selecting each girl for her grades and grit. The 152 girls were chosen for qualities rare everywhere (and certainly among American school kids).”
The excerpt is from “Oprah’s Excellent Elitism,” my new WND column, which also leads the Commentary Page today.
Some bonus material that didn’t make its way into the column:
Rapper Jay-Z, who recently acquainted himself with conditions in Africa, said he would no longer be referring to the relatively poor neighborhood in which he grew up as the “hood.” “Struck by the sight of children playing near open sewers in an African slum,” he said, “this is the hood.”
In other words, Jay-Z thinks African-Americans have no idea what the “hood” really is.
This is a prize comment from Oprah:
“I was coming back from Africa on one of my trips, …I had taken one of my wealthy friends with me. She said, ‘Don’t you just feel guilty? Don’t you just feel terrible?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t. I do not know how my being destitute is going to help them.’ Then I said when we got home, ‘I’m going home to sleep on my Pratesi sheets right now and I’ll feel good about it.’ ”
Oprah Winfrey,
speaking in Baltimore
on 04/10/06 at a fund
raiser for
Beth Tfiloh Dahan
Community School
Winston Churchill was once criticized for praising the Russians, his avowed pre-war enemies. He said: “If the devil himself was fighting the Germans then something good would be said about him on the floor of the House of Commons.” Oprah does indeed deserve an “Attagirl” for this project. Oprah, you go girl..
That really felt strange.
Perhaps Opra understood that not only was her effort needed in a country that has trouble helping itself, but also that her efforts would have been wasted in a country that places its hand in the cookie jar, but is too lazy to pull it out.
In the early 1980’s I saw this coming. In the early 1980’s, I could go to just about any bookstore at just about any mall and buy real engineering books, real math books, real science books, real books on the language arts. I shored up my lack of a good education by buying up as many books as I can and devouring them. But today, you can go to those same bookstores and never see these same books. What has replaced them is dumbed down tripe.
Why should Opra be castigated for not helping a people who will just take her offerings, spit in her face, and chide her for not doing more. One of the very few reasons I wish I were a person of substantial means is that I would do exactly what Opra did. She earned it. And as soon as her detractors earn theirs and demonstrate what they will do with it, then they need to be quiet, and pull their hand out of the cookie jar.
I am not an Opra apologist, I commend her for putting her money where her mouth is, which is more than her detractors are willing to do.
I agree with your assessment of the public school system and the attitude of most school children. And I applaud Oprah’s method. However we do have a schooling system in the United States that is producing superior students and needs to be applauded more than it is. I am speaking about our homeschooled children. Journalists need to speak out and appreciate the efforts of many dedicated parents who are educating their children with outstanding results.
Homeschoolers have had to fight every inch of the way with our government for the right to give quality education to their children.
I am a grandmother who has the privlege of homeschooling my grandchildren. I am also an educator with a K-8 degree. When I entered into the homeschool arena, I was appalled that we might need a lawyer to protect us from government interference. Homeschooling parents are under greater scrutiny from people who are not producing a better outcome, AND are empowered to make that judgmental call. Does this seem logical? Shouldn’t the superior judge the weaker? If children who are homeschooled are showing a higher level of achievement, shouldn’t the government be heralding these selfless efforts and asking for our help on our failing school system, rather than creating barriers for us?
This is not quite on the Oprah subject, however isn’t it time we quit shaking our heads over the state of our youth, and begin encouraging those who are achieving rather than discouraging the process? Journalists have a responsibility to promote excellence, and the homeschool community needs support at all times.
I am not a libertarian, as I understand the term. I support access to education for all children, which must necessarily come at someone else’s expense.
Most of my support here is selfish. My father, insofar as I can believe his stories, was a flunky loser up until his junior year in high school. At that point, he tells me, he decided that perhaps he might like to do something with his life. He studied, yada yada yada, and was eventually able to attend a state university’s dental school at a price far below what such training would command in a free market. So I benefitted personally from his access to a subsidzed education. Later, in my own life, I attended state universities and got an education that I consider quite good.
However, even after conceding my own benefit from subsidized education, I believe I would still support it in any case. In theory, access to education should be “the great opportune-izer” – any kid should be able to spread his wings if he has the talent and desire. In practice, yes, it’s become “the great equalizer” in the worst sense of the term, wheat and chaff packaged together often, if not always. It doesn’t need to be that way.
I like Oprah, I just don’t like her show or magazine (too materialistic and celebrity oriented) but yes, this is a grand achievement and these young girls certainly deserve a helping hand. They remind me of many Africans I have met here in California–kindly, gentle, and very intelligent. And WOW, Oprah talks smack about American children! We can only blame their parents for raising them to be shallow, aggressive bullies.
Yes, the schools here are a disaster, and we can learn a lot from these wonderful little South African girls.
Speaking as a South African who had hoped after 1994 that finally “The Rainbow Nation” would emerge to show the way by recognising people on merit not colour and getting inspiration from diversity, I must applaud Oprah for putting her money where her mouth is. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC and exactly what we need in our society where policy is to bring everything down to the lowest common denominator at the expense of the advantaged. WELL DONE OPRAH!!
In reply to Linda’s letter:
The first thing a homeschooler needs to know is that the government doesn’t want the best for you or you kids; it wants control. The second thing a homeschooler needs to know and disseminate is that the Founders refused to give the government the powers Linda, however heroic, thinks they have. This is not about the wisdom of the better guiding the lesser; it’s about the rights of parent to be left free of government interference, unless they are abusing their kids.
Not twenty minutes ago, I finished John Gatto’s book The Underground History of American Education which is available on line. Then I come here and find this post and very interesting comments.
David Perkins says:
This is a very interesting comment, especially in light of this eighth grade final exam from 1895 I found while surfing around trying to find more information on Gatto.
An excellent piece on what the wealthy should be doing. Very few walk the walk. I might not like Oprah’s inability to pump her own gas, but I can say that this shows her character.
[In my state, they don’t allow women to pump their own gas, or at least that’s what I tell my husband. No woman worth her salt should be pumping her own gas. Heavens.–ILANA]
I want to share a quote with you that comes from my American History professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, when I attended there.
He was sharing with the class his disbelief over the then recent change in policy regarding honors distinction at the university. It would no longer be based on grades alone. Instead, anyone performing distinguished community service would be recognized as an honors student. To base it solely on grades was “elitist.”
Half-shouting, my Korean-born professor exclaimed: “If you take elitism out of education, what’s left?”
In response to Ilana Mercer’s response to Linda’s entry. I did not interpret Linda’s entry in the same manner as you did, although, I can see where you might have understood it from that perspective.
What I understood, being a homeschooling dad, is we need journalists and those in position of media power to exalt this educational system. As I understood Linda’s entry, the PUBLIC needs to be educated on the achievements of this system. Oprah says it is difficult to find a grateful group of children in the public school arena, so she trots off to Africa. And she does find a grateful group of children who need her, this is true and her money is being put to good use. But, why did she not look toward the homeschooling community? We are not looking for her money, but her media magnitude is mind-boggling, and she is just one of the many who could encourage the homeschooling effort. As Linda stated, the homeschooling discipline has for the most part been a success and we should not have to retain a lawyer’s service to educate our children. I know most of the public does NOT know this need for a lawyer is necessary, however the majority of the media exposure has been on the ill effects of homeschooled children. Yes, I know the liberal media is not pro-homeschool because for the most part they view it as a Christian endeavor. [And because they place the state above individual and family autonomy] However, this should not be a deterrent to those journalists who can exalt the attributes of homeschooling, no matter the religious affiliation. [WND, for example] Why not pour into the public arena, that is thirsting for a little freedom from control, the IDEA that they can achieve on their own; that homeschooling families are successful, something that is so badly needed in a time when the people think they have no other choice than to follow a person who promises but never delivers.
I believe Linda’s point was not more government influence, but to show the absurdity of the status quo. Therefore, those of the media who have an inclination towards the homeschooling effort should bring its achievements to the public’s attention.
As much as the government seems to be “against” our efforts to be a free people at times, we are still a country that votes, and the public is influenced by the media more than anything else.
The main thrust of Linda’s idea, as I understand it, is that journalists and those with wide media appeal, such as Oprah, need to support our homeschooling effort at every opportunity.
Thanks Linda for speaking up and thanks Ilana for creating a discussion.
–Dustin
More reading: ‘Warehousing Children,’ ‘A Christmas Story’: Nullified By The State‘