Double Aught

Just a note before I begin - "aught" is an old word which means "zero - a cipher". "Naught" means the same

Okay I never did watch Oprah that often. I used to watch her show more, but over the years there were too many cases of her ethnocentric bias coming through and that bothered me. I lost almost all respect for her when she went gaga over Obama and had him on the show twice - citing his historic candidacy (the reason she was backing him - besides the fact she is a flaming lib) - while refusing to have Sara Palin on the show.

Still I have to admit that every now and then when "Dr. Oz" is bringing on a fifty foot tapeworm (or something of the like) I will turn it on. And yesterday seemed to be one of those days. Her show was called "Whiz Kids". It was all child prodigies - many of them in the arts. We were treated to a 13 year old violin virtuoso, a 12 year old yodeling champion, etc. It was entertaining.

Then about twenty minutes into the show she has a six year old boy on who is an authority on presidents. First she asked him how he got interested in presidents and his answer was pretty typical for a six year old - along the lines of, "Well first I just got interested in them and then I started studying them and then I got REALLY interested in them." From here I expected a couple of questions about obscure presidential facts. But oh no -"Say it ain,t so Miss O" - she asks the youngster what he thought of our current president - Monsieur Obama - and the whole character of his phrasing and speech changed (as if rehearsed). He said, "I think he is great and will end the wars and bring peace, etc." Much too adult to not have been a "learned" response.

Oprah - you had no business asking a six year old that question. A six year old can learn amazing things but at that age they aren't really capable of forming an independent opinion. Pretty much everything they hear they will take as fact (especially if their parents have said it) and spew it back out. Pretty shameful for you, Oprah, to use a child to further your political views.

So Oprah that was it for me. You've gone over the line - way over. And for asking the question you ought not to have asked you have become an aught naught.

So that's it Oprah and Obama - the double ought or should I say the Double Aught Naught.