I guess there's not much else to say, Dana. Just trying to understand what I think is a bizarre thing, certainly not dastardly and evil, but yes, bizarre. I appreciate your ideas, and the one that makes the most sense to me is:
Not because I allow others to dictate to me what I read, but merely because I am constantly on the lookout for new authors to explore. Your comments about crass commercialism have merit, but at the same time, that is exactly the society that we live in.
Is there a difference between the crass commercialism of the Oprah logo emblazoned on the cover of a novel, and the logo of the publisher who printed and distributed the novel? Maybe not.
I think that when we understand how society works we gain a bit of personal freedom. We recognize when we're being manipulated and toward what end. Anyway, excluding the nasty bits between Sheila and me, I did get something out of this thread. My view of things now is not as dire as it was when I first posted. I plan to watch the Oprah episode when it airs, for kicks if nothing else. Maybe I'll report back later about it.
As I sort of said to you in a PM, the only thing that makes me ... unique, whatever ... is the reading I've done in my life. For that reason, perhaps, I get carried away with topics like this.
Finally, I didn't intend to generalize in the sense that, if one is an Oprah viewer, one must therefore blindly follow the cult of Oprah. I'm sorry if anyone came away from what I wrote with that impression.
Dedalus
