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What annoys me is that - and it is the media outlets that propagate this - tourism aside, for some reason there is a perceived need for this country to prove itself constantly on the world stage. The constant questions like, "So what do you think of Australia/us/the food/the people/the pot holes/ad nauseum.."
We've done enough as a nation and as a people that we don't have to seek acceptance from every bloated celebrity/politician/country that visits here.
Breaking News !!!!
Oprah has been to the toilet.
That is all.
And was "papped" leaving...:twisted:Quote:
Originally Posted by VladTepes
http://www.novafm.com.au/lib/images/...010-148746.jpg
Et tu, Brute!Quote:
Originally Posted by MickS
Deano:)
Best I could do :pQuote:
Originally Posted by MickS
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/mu...10_110284s.jpg
I am not a huge fan of Oprah but we must all admit she is a media machine and whatever she touches turns to gold and sales go nuts.
Research is the key here.
Oprah absolutely loves this country and the people so all the tall poppy knockers, pull your head in and stop being so short sighted.
The money that will filter in via so many mediums is crazy from her 15 minutes of fame of 3 days of mayhem or whatever you like to call it.
Its not just shown in the US but many other places.
We are in dire need of more foreign visitors, you may not realise but the cost of living down under is now on par with London and back packers have stopped coming as well as many other types of travellers.
Among some other things, I own a bar I had for 10 years now and can 100% support the statistics of travellers all saying the cost of livinghere is very high and apart from initial outlay on flights etc its just too expensive.
In short, Paul Hogan is now a try hard hero of the past and him having been pulled through the ATO ringer has not helped.
An audit like that comes with pretty good reason and he is lucky.
I wish there were more people with Oprahs attitude and kind heart.
I hope you all realise her past, raped at 9, pregnant at 14 and her child dying and the list goes on.
I take my hat off to her and thank her what she has done for this country already and time will tell the influx of people and potential fiscal gain.
She probably also has a Landy in her stable, a rangie comes in very cheap in the states.
Big Guy, I respect your opinion, but must question the cost of living statement. Friend of mine came to Aus. from England and recently went back for a visit , says the opposite. Basics such as meat, fish, some veg. some fruit more expensive and harder to get. Beer was much more expensive, housing prices over the moon, rents out of this world, [ especially in London !!] Most of the thinking people knocking Oprahs visit are not directing their dismay at her, her rise from a very difficult early life is to be admired. However, it seems we are throwing good money after bad , with the " where the bloody hell are you " adds, to the Englishman who won the comp. to live on a Qld island and is now being paid good money to be Qld's. "tourism voice", to the Aus. food and lifestyle extravaganza in the U.S. recently, none of which have worked. The real reason? they can't afford to come with the Aus. dollar as high as it is. No amount of slick advertising will change that, there are cheaper places to go closer to their homes, Mexico, South America, Spain, etc . Aussies are taking advantage of the dollar to holiday overseas, and I dont blame them. I feel sorry for our small business people relying on tourism, but until the dollar comes down, don't expect things to change.[ cant help thinking if some of the money spent on the adds etc. could somehow subsidise tourist accommodation to make it affordable would be a good idea.] Sorry about the length of the reply, but some of the replies may have been getting a little personal to Oprah, and we tend to lose sight of the real problem. :rolleyes: Bob.
I have no intention of speaking for others, but my comments have nothing to do with tall poppies. In fact they have nothing to do with Ms Winfrey let alone the possible economic benefits of her visit.Quote:
Originally Posted by big guy
My comment about 15 minutes of fame was not even directed at Ms Winfrey. It was quite specifically directed at the embarrassing behaviour of one of her fans. I thought it was a good illustration of one interpretation of Andy Warhol's comment that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.
Until now I have made no comment about Ms Winfrey herself. However, I will say now that it is possible to have great sympathy for what she endured as a child and still be irritated by her shrill delivery. I am always unimpressed by anyone whose only way of adding emphasis to anything she says seems to be to shriek at me.
It is also possible to enormously impressed by her ability, especially as an Afro-American woman, to have risen to a position of wealth and influence that is probably unrivaled anywhere in the world and still think that her show is rubbish. I must confess that my condemnation of her show is based purely on the unavoidable clips I have seen on ABC News over the last few years. That may be an unfair judgement, but nothing I have seen there has tempted me to tune into her show.
It is possible to accept the argument that Australia will ultimately benefit from her visit while at the same time cringing at the way some of her fans have made a public spectacle of themselves.
While I said I did not intend to speak for others, it did seem to me that some of the other posts in this thread indicated a position with some similarities to mine.
I will leave comments about the economic impact of her visit to those with some knowledge about and some interest in that subject.
I see no problem at what she is doing at all.
Oprah is building up the image of this country to the rest of the world in a matter that we will not be able to account for till there are some hard figures from tourism australia etc.
Please do me a favour and go overseas, we are very lucky down here, with the exception of cost of living getting out of hand.
I have been, travelled lived and was born there and may I say how much I love it here. Oprah will do for us that not many other personalities be able to match and for a princely sum of $4mil.
Soccer cost us $50mil and we were never actually in the running anyhow.
Times are still tough in the economy, make no mistake there, any positive input can only be welcomed and I thank Oprah for doing a much better job than I could have ever imagined.
I have never seen a single show of hers but I will and 300 million other people will do as well I am sure and even if .1% come down under, thats 300 000 people.
She is not a tall poppy, she is a poppy that spreads her blossom and does so in a humbling giving manner.:p
this may sound like an oxy moron but i agree with the sentiments of both Big Guy and Bob10
If Oprah can get more visitors here to Oz excellent
I think the high australian $ is hurting the tourism industry badly and our export industry, but we are reaping rewards in our buying power. The economy of australia is much more complex than getting any one person to endorse the place.
My personal view is it's all a bit silly - particularly the carry on of some of the australian people, that hysterical woman being my point in case, not Oparh per se.