Erica Jong: Oprah Wasn’t A “Professional Negro” Before

By Julianne Hing Apr 15, 2010

Oprah Winfrey, that enigmatic media mogul, that high-powered television host with the Midas touch, the purveyor of hopes and dreams and refrigerators, is the subject of everyone’s fascination. And these days more than ever, what with Kitty Kelley’s latest unauthorized biography of her and on the eve of Winfrey’s OWN cable television network. So there’s no reason to be so surprised that this has inspired minor celebrities to take to their Huffington Post accounts to pile on. I admit when I heard about what she had to say about Oprah, I had to Google Erica Jong’s name to refresh my memory about who she is. Famous byline or no, Jong reveals herself to be little more than just another crazy white lady as she writes about the Oprah she once knew, or thought she knew:

But Oprah seems to have gotten more mistrustful with fame, not less. And she seems to have gotten more race conscious than she was when she was younger. You never felt that Oprah was a professional Negro. She seemed totally unaware of race — but what do I know about being black? It’s not like being Jewish with a Chinese nom de plume.

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