Does anyone else think its screwy that Oprah gets rich in the USA then opens a school in Africa?

After her own show clearly demonstrated how messed up schools in America are and after she used a school not far from her studio as an example of how bad education is here?? Yet where does she choose to help kids...in Africa! I understand she made the money and can do what she wants with AND that its none of my business, but then again if she didn't want people to have an opinion about it she shouldn't put it on national news.

2006-08-27T00:16:05Z

Goodness people calm down, I'm in no way slamming O, she does lots of great things for people. I'm not picking on African kids either. I'm just saying that after airing a show, using a school blocks from her studio as an example of how badly our schools need resources I found it odd that she chose a place so far away. Many inner city kids (and their kids, generations to come) in THIS country (the one she gets rich off of) could benefit from exactly the same thing she is doing over there. And to the folks that think its the kids fault if he doesn't get an education here you obviously aren't paying attention to the numerous reports about how badly our system is failing the kids, providing a bad system doesn't ensure anything but a bad future. In THIS country I saw news reports last year of kids attending schools in buildings with NO heat for weeks on end because there were no funds to repair the building!

2006-08-27T00:26:41Z

As far as my narrow minded refusal to think 'globally', if you spend too much of your time and energy worrying about whats happening at the neighbors place yours will fall down around your ears before you even notice the cracks. Why, how and when did we become responsible for the fact that it hasn't occurred to folks in Africa to build schools? And why should that be more important than the state of the schools that future members of our society, those you and your children will deal with everyday? We keep that up and we'll be worse off than Africa is in a few generations!

yahoohoo2006-08-26T20:44:00Z

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Good point.

Anonymous2006-08-27T03:56:06Z

Just one person's opinion, here....
But whenever an American school is messed up...a large part of the problem is that the kids (and their parents) just don't give a damn. You've got kids from screwed up family situations (if there's anything they can even call a "family" in the first place)...all the grownups in their neighborhoods (who should be positive role models) are messed up themselves, and blame others (the government, white folks, black folks, Mexicans, Asians, the Jews, etc.) for their problems...and if kids study and try to do well, their peers pick on 'em and tease 'em for "acting white".
(Think about that for a moment...the race that, despite slavery and Jim Crow, produced some of the most brilliant minds and scholars of all time...Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois...now look down on education and academic achievement as being some kind of "sell out" and not being "truly Black".)
And in every single school in this country, there are SOME kids who do manage to succeed...no matter how poor or inexperienced the teachers, no matter how old the books, no matter how run down the building might be. Every year some do succeed, no matter how wretched the school.
Yeah, if I were Oprah, I think I'd prefer to spend my money on kids who don't have ANY school in the first place.

diaryofamadblackman2006-08-27T04:03:03Z

Considering all of the problems that are going on in Africa today, I have always found it very, very curious how this country doe little to help considering how they subsidize other countries. Bravo to Oprah for drawing attention to the plight of the African education system. Sociologically it has been proven that a better education is the key for anyone to better themselves thus creating a crescendo affect that will reach into the future of the generations to come. Yes it is her money and she can do what she damn well pleases with it. You are too narrow minded and need to set your focus on global concerns and stop being a spoiled me, me, me personality. Sharing what you have is more important than what you have.

raecheile2006-08-27T03:50:49Z

I totally understand where you are coming from, but I don't really think it's screwy. See, our schools may be in bad shape here in America, but at least we have schools. There are places in Africa where there are no schools. I think it's great of her to provide the less fortunate children a chance to receive an education. It would be nice if the less fortunate children here could get a better education, as well, but it doesn't necessarily take Oprah to do that. Every year I see school levys fail because people don't vote to improve the funding for supplies, etc. It's like some of us don't want to pay higher taxes, so our schools suffer. At least here in my area.

elizabeth_ashley442006-08-27T05:17:35Z

At first I didn't agree with your feelings in the question. People should want to help children regardless of nationality. Children can't help where they're born, and if some rich lady on TV wants to help African children, go 'head girl.

However, when you brought up the fact that she's recently done shows on how crappy our schools are here, it DOES seem a bit uncool of her to help elsewhere (assuming she's not helping here). Perhaps she's helping schools in the US as well. Perhaps I'm just giving her the benefit of the doubt. Either way, children in Africa are getting a much-deserved education (because everyone deserves one dontchiaknow).

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