Caught in the Oprah Effect

Man. That daggone Oprah.

There I was, Monday afternoon minding my own business watching the Oprah show. It’s one of the few pleasures I have every blessed day. Monday’s episode was all about Harpo Hook Ups, where the Harpo team goes out and makes dreams come true for unsuspecting Oprah viewers. Nothing makes me happier than seeing other people when a new house/car, courtesy of the Winfrey Machine.

So like I said, there I was minding my own business when she has a segment featuring 2 family’s hard-luck stories. One was a single mother who had worked hard to get an education and finance her first home. The other was a family of 10 whose father had lost his seven figure job and and working burger stands just to make ends meet. Both were in jeopardy of loosing their homes to foreclosure, a consequence of this wicked economy. Thinking they were there to get financial advice, Oprah surprises them instead by introducing Grammy winning singer Will.i.am…who is there to pay off their homes in full.

*This would be an appropriate time to pull out the Kleenex and boo-hoo one’s eyes out*

He also tells Oprah viewers (meaning ME) that he has launched the i.am home fund, which helps people struggling to keep their homes that they have genuinely worked hard for. Knowing several people who purchased houses int he last 5 years knowing that they bought more than they could afford, I was encouraged to hear that i.am home had gone through each recipients finances to ensure that they were indeed worthy to receive the money. Then Oprah started to cry. Dang it.  I walked over to my PC, pulled out my check card and gave 20 bucks at Will’s site: https://www.wepay.com/Will.i.am.

“$20? Is that all?” you say.

Let me tell you what $20 means to me: That’s 2.5 hours of work on my swollen, 18 month pregnant feet, selling shoes to an entitled and rude public at my job. That’s 1/3 of my weekly paycheck. So yeah, I’m proud to say I gave $20. I encourage you to do the same. It’s a tremendous feeling to help someone else in need, and knowing the favor will be returned to you in kind one day. That’s just the way the world works.

The world is just s better place when other people are willing to give more.