The late Dr Albert Ellis who created Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy talked about the 'love slob' who needed to be needed to feel worthwhile. In his book 'A Guide to Rational Living' Ellis described the need to be needed as Conditional Self Acceptance, that is, a persons worth is measured by the amount of esteem bestowed on him/her by others. He described this as 'musturbatory' thinking i.e.' I must have the approval of significant others or I am a dud.' Ellis says that people can work on their USA (Unconditional Self Acceptance), meaning a persons worth is not in any way contingent on how others view him/her. Donovan is I believe asserting that Australia as a nation is expressing a 'love slob' neediness in courting the approval of others (Oprah) which I call Serious Approval Dependency (SAD). At an individual level this gives rise to mental ill health such as depression and anxiety. Eleanor Roosevelt said, 'No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.' Are we giving Oprah, Bono and others permission to determine whether we are worthwhile or not? I think Donovan is on to something!

It had to be said, and I'm glad that it has been.

"And every time our Prime Minister looks like a supplicant before a visiting American talk-show host - or indeed Irish rock star - we look like more and more like a tin-pot country with no sense of its own worth."

But that's exactly what we are, surely?

Put it the other way around. What are the indicators and measures that say we are not "a tin-pot country with no sense of its own worth."?

I do agree, though, that we shouldn't have gone so far out of our way to demonstrate our neediness to the rest of the world.

One positive thing.

It will undoubtedly make Oprah's US audience feel better about themselves, as they look around their trailer park and congratulate each other on being "proud to be a murkin"

The author needs to see all this, from the perspective of a news
journalist. Every day they wake up, needing to come up with
something, anything, that might interest the punters out there.

Its not easy, not enough important stuff happens. Just tune in
to breakfast television, to see how desperate they are to fill
in the hours every morning.

So wether its the Chile miners story, our own mine disasters,
the snow at London airport, or Oprah at the Oprah house,
it fills in those news hours and keeps the punters entertained.

As to the "dignity of the PM", personally I think that comes from
the old British school of stiff upper lip. Hillary Clinton kept
mentioning the "dignity of the presidency", when it came to
who the US prez should meet. But folksy PMs like Hawke or Obama
in the US, who commonly appears on talk shows these days, have
changed all that. The folksy style does in fact go down well with
the public, despite outcries from the old stiff upper lip brigade

I did not think Oprah was paid the amount of money you quote in your article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1312002/Fury-Australian-taxpayers-foot-2-3m-Oprahs-gift.html

I am not a fan of Oprah but I have to say our tourism industry is failing. Many people world wide like and listen to Oprah. This could be good for Australia. No one can argue Oprah has made lots of money. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1312002/Fury-Australian-taxpayers-foot-2-3m-Oprahs-gift.html

There were many Australians who attended her shows, many people in Australia were very happy that she was here. I do not see the need for the fuss and I am concerned about people of her caliber being here. Mind you Oprah on the surface has more respect for people then our NRL or AFL.

Oprah showed Australians who were watching what we have, a PM who followed her around like a lost puppy and was star struck plus many others who value Oprah and her money. This showed me Australia is like many other places around the world at the moment. Pop culture reins supreme at the moment. Education and science are not valued.

We live on Planet Hollywood where celebrity is everything. US cultural hegemony is nearly complete, especially in the mass media. daytime TV is an commercial circus: presenters who scream hysterically at their audiences; guests who applaud everything including themselves; endless product placements and promotions as news or features; reformed characters who have written a book. Fortunately we have the ABC (at times) and the web for some balance.

'Oprah Down Under: Not Everybody’s Cup of McCafe' has some possible answers to your questions, including your own.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/12/16/oprah-down-under-not-everybody%E2%80%99s-cup-of-mccafe/

Fair point, Yabby.

>>The folksy style does in fact go down well with the public, despite outcries from the old stiff upper lip brigade<<

But... our Julia, "folksy"?

Hmmmm.