In the June issue of O The Oprah Magazine, there is a Q&A with Oprah and Gayle King reflecting on the 25 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show. One passage from Oprah struck me as so jarring and meaningful. She is talking about the early days of the show and how she would notice people recognizing her and following her around stores:
But this one woman just stopped and said, “Can I tell you something?” And I said, “Sure.” And she goes, “I used to beat my kids. And I watched you say you’re not supposed to beat your kids. That didn’t make no sense to me, because I was beat. My mom was beat. But I kept watching you. And it wasn’t the first time you said it.” She goes, “It’s because you were consistent. You were consistent. So I said, ‘I’m gonna try it. I’m gonna just try it for a week, not to beat my kids.'” And she said, “I tried it for a week. Then, ‘I’m gonna try it another week.'” She said, “And now, I can’t remember how long it’s been.” She goes, “I don’t beat my kids anymore — and I got different kids.”
Remarkable.