First, the meat industry. Remember that? After seeing cows being butchered she spoke off the cuff and said she wouldn't eat meat again. The meat industry was crippled after that remark. They sued Oprah!
And today, she had Suze Orman on the show. Suze suggested the following:
1. Don't spend any money for one day
2. Don't use the credit card for a week.
3. Don't eat at a restaurant for a month.
She had me until #3.
Ben: what are you doing?
Me: I'm writing to Oprah.
Ben: No, really, what are you doing?
Me: I am on Oprah.com writing her a letter about today's show.
In case she does not publicly respond to my letter and admit her mistake, I have included it below for you to read.
Dear Oprah,
I love your show, you always have such great advice. Although today's show with Suze Orman had more far reaching implications than I think you realize.
The suggestion to avoid eating out at restaurants for a month may indeed save people money, however those in the food service industry are GREATLY impacted by such a boycott of restaurants. The servers making less than $3 an hour rely on those tips from customers to pay their rent. The commission based food service salesmen,such as my husband, sell far less food if Oprah and Suze say don't eat out for a month. The truck driver delivering the food will have much less food to deliver, shortening his work day and paycheck.
You can see how this suggestion of a restaurant boycott will do more harm than good for the American economy. It may help your personal checking account for the month but the realization is, that if these food service workers lose that money in wages, that money will also not be circulated through the local economy, thereby impacted several additional industries.
I hope you can amend your suggestion and encourage people to eat out responsibly, not using the credit card to pay for the meal would be one example.
I look forward to seeing your next show.
Thanks,
Laura Ayotte
I think my friend Jean Chatzky would have had other advice. She would not make such a crazy suggestion that affects so many people.
I now have to end this post and sit by the phone waiting for Oprah to call and invite me on the show. If she doesn't call, Jean and I can just sit around making fun of Suze.
8 comments:
I am waiting with bated breath to hear if she actually responds! You are soooooo right about what you said though. They dont' realize what that would do to the entire economy!
I wonder if you will get a response??? GREAT letter by the way!!! =)
Don't worry, my husband and I eat out REGULARLY and neither Oprah nor Suzie will change that!!! lol
Oprah has way too much power if she can control what people buy.
I bet she has a secret lab underground somewhere, near a volcano, where she kicks puppies and does testing on baby rabbits all day.
She's evil. I just know it...
You know, I never would have thought about it that way if you hadn't posted this...Don't worry, my husband would wither away and die if he couldn't eat out for an entire month, lol.
I despise Oprah anyway. She's the devil :P
I love my wife!! She's always looking out for me!!
So, which restaurants do you recommend in our area? ;)
I love your letter! Boycotting anything, unless it's inhumane or illegal is never the way to go about something...well almost never.
You made some very valid points and I look forward to seeing if she responds!
So did anybody respond yet? Im ready to boycott the Oprah show!
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