Oprah’s Criticism of Protesters for “Lack of Leadership” Elicits Negative Reception

Oprah Winfrey is going to have a hard time defending herself against the maddening crowd after comments she shared about the protesters who have been camping in the streets for months following the folly of Ferguson and the non-indictment of the police officer that maneuvered the fatal chokehold on Eric Garner.  

Oprah who is in the middle of a press tour for the much heralded film Selma was naturally inclined to draw imperative parallels between the subject matter and its relevancy in present times.

The former daytime Queen offered up some calculated advise to the demonstrators apparently based on the efficiency of Martin Luther King Jr., which in her view produced noted results because of the infusion of proper leadership.

Oprah gave her summary in a video posting courtesy of People magazine and in it she hailed Selma for showcasing the winning strategy of Dr. King and blatantly admitted that this is the key element missing with the new generation of protesters.

Expectedly her criticism was not received well by the public and it didn’t take long for the tweets loaded with disapproval to be released into the twitterverse:

“If Oprah doesn’t see ‘leadership’ in Ferguson, it’s cuz she’s not really looking”. “It’s grassroots – she has to do work to see the teams”.

Another user courtesy of the Washington Post expressed – “Once again a Black ‘celebrity’ shows just how out of touch they are. So, while @oprah searches for an outdated leadership model, #weworkin”.

Perhaps Oprah meant well but her words were definitely tinged with a level of disassociation with the overall mission of those who dare to challenge a failing system that has consistently tortured people of color since the dawn of time.

Here is what she had to say and judge for yourself if she deserves to be brought to task for being insensitive to the cause:

“I think it’s wonderful to march and to protest, and it’s wonderful to see across the country people doing it, but what I’m looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say ‘This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it’”. “I think what can be gleaned from our film is to take note of the strategic, peaceful intention required when you want real change”.

Considering the fact that she co-stars and produces Selma, it is clear that Oprah is trying to find “strategic” ways to promote the film by comparing the past with the present, which is never a bright or innovative idea. There is certainly a disconnect in her statement and attempting to brush the issue with strokes of judgment encased in supposed good-will will not revive her flailing stance.