Oreo, Twinkie, and Other Cream-Filled Insults

Normally I don't pay much attention to celebrities throw back and forth insults. And normally I wouldn't take someone too seriously if they called themselves 50 cent. But when he called Oprah an oreo, black on the outside and white on the inside, it hit a nerve. In an interview with Elle Magazine, 50 cent said that Oprah "started out with black women's views but has been catering to middle-aged white American women for so long that she's become one herself."

I've been called a twinkie and a banana before, most of the time in jest which I don't mind. But I've also been called those terms from people who were serious, mostly when I was running for office at UCLA. It aggravates me when people use these terms in malicious and insulting ways because I really want to know how they decided that they, or anyone for that fact, could really determine what it means to be Asian. In addition, what criteria are they using?

Apparently a criterion for being black, according to 50 and other rappers who have insulted Oprah, is having rap music on her show. While I have my share of Kayne West and Common on my computer, I can understand why she doesn't have performers like that on her show: (1) most rap nowadays is degrading to women and (2) most of her audience is middle aged- and I think middle aged women who are white, black, asian, latina, etc don't listen to rap music.

Moreover, I want to know if 50 Cent actually watches Oprah and knows what's actually on her programming. Because as a middle-aged woman at heart, I have seen the show and I have read my mom's copy of her magazine. I know that she tackles so many issues afflicting both minorities, blacks in particular, and woman at large. Just look at her book-list: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. And as Richard Roeper points out in his column, "Not only is that an insult to Winfrey, it's an insult to black women. What, only middle-aged white women are interested in book clubs..." (I also really liked the fact that Roeper also pointed out that like Oprah, a large part of 50's fan base are probably white kids, and Roeper also found it funny that 50 cent was doing an interview in Elle magazine).

I might not be black, but as someone who has looked around the room and realized that there aren't a lot of people who look like me in law school or politics, I do admire Oprah and how she defied a lot of the stereotypes in entertainment and business. I also greatly admire the way she has addressed issues like poverty on her show and used her celebrity to promote the (Red) product brand that benefits fighting AIDS in Africa.

Heaven forbid minorities become like Oprah and become successful, popular, and have broad appeal. Maybe if minorities spent less time judging each other and determining whether someone is black enough, or asian enough, we could spend more time helping others. Because that's what Oprah is doing.