Hey, there are folks. It's July thirtieth, and people are pissed at Oprah Winfrey for something she and police say she didn't do. With that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I threw police in there. I should make sure I make clear she's not being accused of crime.
No, no crime, but maybe a crime against humanity.
Yes, this has gotten out of control. Robes and some people listening to us might be already aware. But before we even tell you what they're what they're accusing her of doing, can you give an example of the kinds of things being said right now about Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah is a greedy and heartless human. Oprah is this is terrible. I don't even want to say this. Oprah the fat Satan is bitch.
It's funny.
I didn't want to say fat, but I felt worse about saying bitch.
But how about this.
Don't think for one second that Oprah is a good human. Oprah Winfrey is a vile, disgusting excuse of a human being.
Good Lord, have mercy. What did Oprah do? I actually saw a lot of the comments before I had a good understanding of what the story was, and then I was blown away to understand what was happening.
Oprah was the trending topic? Correct? Was it just her name? Oprah was trending?
That was it? And so that's, you know, curious, what could Oprah have done? What could people be saying about Oprah? And to think that it's all connected to the biggest one of yes, the biggest earthquakes ever recorded in the history of planet Earth.
That is such a good way to put it. An earthquake off the coast of Russia got us to everybody hating known Oprah today.
How is that actually possible?
Will you please connected?
That's okay.
So she is being accused of keeping a road, a private road that she owned. She has thousands of acres in Maui. She is being accused of keeping her private road closed and it is a access point to get folks who might need to evacuate from coastal areas to higher ground. And so somehow someway someone said that Oprah shut down her road and wasn't letting people get on it to get quickly to higher ground.
And of course folks were trying to get to higher ground. It was a big story overnight, big earthquake off the coast of Russia, triggers tsunami alerts from Japan to the west coast of the US and of course in Hawaii, and yes, they had traffic out there, folks were all the long lines of video we saw, but they were trying to get to higher ground. Thankfully, there were no waves of consequence, as they put it, but still waves from that earthquake, and that tsunami did show up.
I believe one of the largest recorded.
They actually called them a tsunami wave because they were wavescreen by a tsunami from an earthquake. I think we're six feet tall. A lot of them are four.
And a half feet.
I don't have a gauge of how significant that is. But there was no damage and there were no injuries. But obviously people remember, yes, the disaster in Puquet in Thailand, where no one knew what was happening, and all of a sudden an earthquake triggers as tsunami and the devastation we all know was just horrific and beyond imagination. So you have to say that could happen. We don't know
what is going to happen. It's impossible to predict exactly how big tsunami waves are going to be so yes, people were panicked and scrambling, scrambling and trying to get out as quickly as possible to get away from the coast.
So that's the backdrop of the story. This was a legit emergency. So in the midst of this emergency in Maui, you can get away from the coastal area. It would take you longer to go one route, or you could cut through, essentially, and that cut through is a private road that is on private property owned by me. It's Oprah Winfrey. So somehow, some way robes it got going
on social media. I think there was a video out there that seemed like the gate was closed and then it was opened, and it was closed again, and some were let through and some weren't, and then others just showed video of the of it being closed, closed gate and cars being around, and it took off on social media, and so many folks came after her with stuff that sounds like it was built up for years. They've been waiting to say.
You know, it really is remarkable that it feels like so many people don't wait for clarification, they don't seek another source, They don't wait to hear if maybe they have the full story or don't have the full story. As soon as they hear something that could possibly say something negative about someone, people pounce. And they don't just pounce and say how could you?
How dare you? They pounce with evil rhetoric.
I mean, it really is disgusting and dispa and obviously someone of Oprah's stature is used to this, but I still think it stings. I mean, I can only speak from personal experience. No matter how many times people can say the same thing over and over again in different, mean horrible ways, especially when they're saying it with misinformation, and you and I both know what that feels like.
It hurts and it affects people. And I mean, she may be able to laugh us off, but it's so unfair and unwarranted because the real story is very different than this rumor that took off like wildfire on the internet.
It took off, and I'm still seeing her name and still reading posts that are still they're still current, they're still popping up. People are still spreading this thing about her, and it's just horrific.
It's as if they want to believe that she closed the road. It's like they want to have an enemy. They want to band together and feel like they belong as a part of this collective that is going up and fighting for the little guy.
And if you've got.
Someone who's rich and someone who's powerful, or someone maybe you just don't like for whatever reason, it's as if they don't deserve to be treated like human beings, or at least deserve enough of a pause where you say, wait, let me see what the real story is before I decide to lend my voice and put something out there in the world that's filled with hate.
Yeah, this isn't in defensible prah Winfrey. They have statements that defend her. This is, I guess, just in defense of I guess taking a beat in defense of I mean, why can we not? Is this people though robes projecting because of something else. Yes, the rich or a target, the famous or a target, and the super rich certainly have been a target here lately. But is this Does this really have nothing to do with a road? Does this really just we got now found an easy target.
Yes, and for people who already didn't like her, perhaps because for politics she endorsed Kamala Harris, so you can get into the politics of things seriously. So it does seem like that could be part of it as well. When you have someone whose ideology is different than yours, when you think they might have slipped up or done something wrong, you can't wait. You can't wait to point the finger at them and say, see look what they did.
They're actually horrible.
That's on me. That didn't even politics didn't cross my mind and all this. But that was an easy, easy target here. So again not in defense of Oprah Winfrey. We don't have to because the Maui Police defended Oprah Winfrey. Maui Police, yes, put out a statement and they said very early on Oprah's road is open to get to upcountry is how they put it.
And from what I understand, they put out that alert when the tsunami warning came in immediately, almost like they said, yes, there is a tsunami warning. This is around eleven pm last night, correct, So this was hours ago. This was
ages ago in terms of communication. And yet still despite that official statement from the Maui Police that Oprah's Road is open to get to upcountry, hours later, because the gates were closing and opening, people jumped to the conclusion that Oprah had closed her road and nobody could get out, and she was going to let people potentially be swallowed up by a tsunami wave rather than let people down her road.
And you just mentioned another I think another video that got around was I guess when the gate actually closed. It looked like literally they were shutting people out in real time, and somebody got video of it. But they came out and they explained later it was the police who were letting only a certain through and get through the property at a time. So the police were the ones opening and closing the gate to the road.
They had a very strict amount of cars, just traffic control, and you know people in these moments, and I can only imagine when you think you are fleeing a giant title wave, you want to get out as quickly as possible. So to keep order, police set a limit of fifty cars at a time, so fifty cars would go through, they would shut the gate, let them get through, and
then reopen the gate. But just by a video, people jumped to the conclusion or chose to believe something and then went with it and ran with it.
Chose to it didn't take long to figure out.
Okay.
You know what, even if you want to believe that she kept it closed, even if you went and read and saw that, Okay, the police are saying something else. But I choose to believe otherwise you would still temper your statements a little bit because you knew there was other information out there. Some folks are just what Oprah didn't open her road and these people are fleeing for their lives. Let me jump on here and say something, and that was it.
But they're not just saying something. They're saying cruel, vile, horrific things. And I think, what's scary to me? Look, we are.
I don't want to say that.
These past two weeks have been any more significant than any other, but there have been just these horrific shootings that have gone on here in midtown Manhattan. We had it in Reno. It's just folks who are so angry taking out their rage on innocent folks. And I just, you know, you want to think that these are outliers, and they're few and far between, and they're singular, and there are people who have mental health issues. But when you start to read some of these comments, the anger,
the vitriol is so intense. It actually is frightening to me that there's that much anger in so many people that they would choose to send out that much hate about a story that probably doesn't affect them in any way. They probably are thousands of miles away from Hawaii and they don't know or care to know the whole story. They prefer to jump to conclusions and just say horrible things. That's scary to me that there are that many people out there like that.
And when you say scary things, folks, we shared a little off the top, but you won't believe the things that people are saying. All right, folks, we continue now with this story that's kind of run amook, would you say, robes. People are attacking and viciously attacking Oprah Winpley online because a rumor got around that she wouldn't open her private road to people trying to reach higher ground in Hawaii
during this tsunami warnings. And it has just gone all kinds of sideways to the point that Oprah and a spokesperson did officially put out a statement.
Yes, and that statement read, as soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened. Any reports otherwise are false.
So we're just going to say she's there lying. Is that what we're doing? Because okay, why we're just going to say, We're never going to take anybody at their word. Again, everybody online that's spitting this bitrial at Oprah. Is that a good enough answer to make you stop?
Well, if that's not good enough, what about the police statement that verifies and acknowledges that they absolutely opened Oprah's road. In fact, their statement specifically says this, local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through fifty cars at a time to ensure everyone's safe road, meaning Oprah's road
will remain open as long as necessary. How are those two statements not enough to stop people from saying and writing and putting out in the world what they have and you in real time and this is now, I mean, we're about twelve hours since Oprah opened her road and said she was going to open a road and police said the road was open, and in real time, people are still saying horrific things about Oprah to the point where she is like trending worldwide.
I'm still in the past few seconds. These things are still coming in and folks are still saying the same thing. I mean, the client that Roe isn't it And it's the same thing as if you haven't had time to just google anything. They're choosing to not believe. So where are we in the society if the police tell you and she has come out herself and told you what happened, and you're still just saying, nope, you close the road. Now people are starting to say, I'm noticing also robes well,
she was pressured to open it later. It's the saying it's open now, but you know that thing I said about earlier. She only opened it after we pushed her and she got backlash. Is now the new theme? What do you believe? Who do you believe? It's not politics all the time, I mean, do we really think she's evil?
There is a massive distrust for anyone who has money. There is a massive distrust for anyone in the police force, or perhaps even in the government. I think there are so many people who just don't believe people who live or are existing in certain circles.
That's fair, But when do we ever give anybody the benefit of the doubt, When do we ever consider the person across the table from you, across the street from you, the next city from you, across the tracks from you. When do you ever consider that person a decent person? If we can't just start with that baseline, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you're decent despite what you look like, who you voted for,
what uniform you wear. Let me start there. We're not starting there anymore.
Absolutely not.
I'm already going to dislike you, distrust you because of where you're from and what you're wearing and how much money you make. Where do we start with just decent? I don't know what are we supposed to.
We assume the worst. I think that is where we are in society. We assume the worst, and you have to prove to me that you're not an asshole. I think that's where we start now, and I think that is where we are as a country. And certainly this story is a massive highlighter of that very problem. I mean, it's just a sad commentary on where we are as a society and a community.
I loathe her. Someone wrote we should truly eat the rich. Another wrote, Oprah is a selfish and evil woman. Open the road, bitch.
Seems like the only thing the tsunami has destroyed is the last of Oprah's reputation. Woof, in a crisis, blocking an escape route is inhumane? Humanitarian? Nah, just another greedy landlord with a TV smile. And then how about this one? Oprah is a miserable human being. You look up elitist and there is a picture of Oprah there. She would not open her private road to help people to higher ground with the tsunami coming.
Only after she was pressured by police did she do so.
Okay, I will let the little people through while sitting on her throne eating fried chicken. So a little racist element to what to add to the spice of all the hate.
Okay, And I guess we're supposed to say, you have to can't be these folks aren't representative of This is just a small extreme outlier who would go on and say these types of things. Maybe I just this was one. I actually I feel a little down about it. When I first I said, come, let's hop on and explain what's going on. I thought this would be more upbeaten fun, but I found myself being a little more down and actually turned off and depressed and discoursed.
I know you actually said, wow, this is trending, this is a crazy story. We should talk about it, and you know, we can, you know, have some fun with and then you're like, no, this isn't fun, this isn't funny. This is a sad commentary about our society. And we have pleaded, pleaded, pleaded, And I know everyone who's listening here gets it, but just for one second, I know it feels probably impossible to turn the table to Can
you imagine? Can you imagine when someone is spreading a complete lie about you, a complete misrepresented non fact about you, and then that lie and that misrepresentation balloons to the point where you have thousands of people just saying the most horrible things you can ever imagine someone saying about you, and it's now for everyone to read and for everyone's entertainment, it's a trending topic and everyone's eating popcorn, enjoying the show.
People say things like here for the comments, ha ha ha. Those comments have an impact, they do, but what they say about the person who wrote them is so much more than the person they're saying it about. And I just want everyone to think about that when you write something you're saying so much more about who you are versus who you're saying something about so.
And if anything, ever, mind you hear folks, don't believe everything you read, and even if you do read it and do believe it, it's okay to quickly verify it before you hop on and jump on board a bandwagon like this. Don't know Oprah at all at all. You don't have to be a fan of hers. You don't have to like anything she's done on TV, never bought a single product, you can hate the way she dresses, all kinds of things, but whatever does it still have to get to this level?
The answer is no, and maybe we can do better, all.
Right, folks, Well man dah, I'm sorry, all right, right right, Well, well you know how about this, Yes, we know no one who's listening to this podcast right now was a part of any of this, And so we all can just not that we need to learn this lesson, but just to take it in and recognize how we can choose to be kind and if.
We have nothing nice to say, we can say nothing at all. And that's perhaps just a win for this Wednesday. So we want to thank you all for listening to us do our little rant, but we do hope you're having a wonderful day to day.
I may Bee robot alongside TJ Holmes.
Thanks for listening, everybody,