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.

Just wondering if

a) Pericles knows a Murkin is a pubic wig

b) That was deliberate (I'm betting yes, well done)

c) Anyone else appreciated it.

I completely agree with David's comments . The media attention was nauseating . Without such media saturation , very few would have shown the slightest interest in the visit . The most significant Australian value appears to be fawning over "celebrities " particularly from the USA and UK .

*But... our Julia, "folksy"?*

I think so, Pericles. She's certainly not being pretentious,
which is common for people who do well in the political or
business world. They try to create some image about themselves.

The way I see Julia, she's a smart cookie but she is politically
snookered, so her Govt will more then likely be a lame duck one.
That is not all bad. Govts who keep doing and changing things
for the sake of it, often leave the joint worse then when they
started.

Mind you, she often looks like she's been dressed by the Salvos,
so even I think she could do with another outfit or two.

That folksy style works quite well these days, even in business.
Look at Richard Branson or Dick Smith

What people see in this, is beyond me........Sorry ladies....not a good look. This fat couch potato just cost you "the tax payer" 4 million dollars. And you say your children are not becomes rap dancing gangsters....bull! You lot follow the US like your from there. My own daughters are starting to talk like black people, and pretty soon they will all have Oprah hair stiles as well.

This was one of the comments I read.

"The great US conspiracy............turn all White Australians into Afro's....WTF:) Pauline Hanson would be having a fit. Iam not racist but.......maybe that's not such a bad idea that we throw all of our ways of life in the bin and just do the US thing.....Yes! I can see it now! Brats all over the place.....gangs popping up everywhere......women glued to the lounge all day stuffing huge packets of chips down their throats..........size 16 pants coming into fashion.......No housework done........men looking like they should be rolled back into the ocean with Greenpeace confused whether or not their stranded whales."

It does give one to think about though.

We eat, drink, and practically live America.......whats wrong with your own culture?


Just have a look at these twits.

http://tinyurl.com/23ypcfd

BLUE

Whle Australia (we) are paying for Oprah's visit to boost tourism many countries are encouraging citizens to holiday at home to support local business since the GFC.

Australia is doing it (including individual states like WA and SA), Russia and Czechozlovakia, the UK and even the US are pushing for 'holiday at home' campaigns. Apparently Australians are ignoring it for the most part and going OS but we have not been hit like the US as regards the GFC.

I wonder if Oprah will be worth the expense. For my two bob's worth, it is just as wasteful as funding the Pope's visit or funding state funerals for people whose families are usually sufficiently rich enough to provide for these occasions.

oprah was here to promote her new network tv launch on 1 january 2011 in the usa. it is called OWN - Oprah Winfrey Network.

we oz taxpayers have donated millions in free advertising to ensure that her tv network will be a success.

i doubt that many american tourists will show up here when they know that a bottle of coca cola will cost them $3.

This tour, as the tour of any other puppet, has been a waste of world resources for which our children will dearly pay in due time.

When will we start to see our insanity?

skeptic..........Nice point..........However, if you had 4 million dollars..........and I ashume you love this country............with that amount.....being Australian of course.......where and what would you spend the money on.........and be truthful if you can:)

BLUE

Not sure about that, Yabby.

>>*But... our Julia, "folksy"?*

I think so, Pericles. She's certainly not being pretentious,
which is common for people who do well in the political or
business world.<<

Are we talking about "the real Julia" here?

I actually quite like the lady. I think she's got guts, and deep down, I think she actually cares.

But her "folksiness" is as carefully crafted and stage-managed as every other part of her political life.

And - sadly - it is precisely that which leads to the unseemly displays of fawning adulation for a fading US talk-show host.

The image-minders sat down in their bat-cave, and emerged with this idea that we would somehow relate better to our PM if she was seen to be matey and "folksy" with our paid entertainer-lady.

I would imagine that it was all entirely against her own nature. What an unpretentious and highly intelligent gal from Unley High has in common with a noisy self-made billionaire from rural Mississippi is anybody's guess, of course. But mine is that the whole thing was stage-managed to the last detail, and our Julia was just playing her part.

Read it and weep all you naysayers. Oprah Winfrey's tour was a rip roaring success. Its always entertaining to read bucketloads of criticism from nobody journalists and self-appointed social commentators who are confused by and envious of such crowd pulling ability.

Like it or not, its there for all to see. The crowds, the fanfare and big bucks flowing in all directions.

As for the disparaging remarks about her looks and intelligence by the author - its simply schoolyard level jealousy and the type of nitpicking one expects from the confused, comparatively unsuccessful and self engrossed.

Perhaps we are starving for a benign individual with an ability to lead and inspire which is so lacking in this country.

*But mine is that the whole thing was stage-managed to the last detail, and our Julia was just playing her part.*

Oh I fully agree there Pericles. Sure it was stage managed. But
it was probably a bit of light relief for our Julia, rather then
face those ongoing pesky journalists, who are determined to trip
her up. She just took it on as part of being her role as PM.

But they do in fact have things in common which would bind them.
Both are working class girls, who have made it bigtime in life,
under their own steam, so they would respect one another for that.

Whatever one thinks of Oprah, she has serious crowd drawing power.
Some of those women in the audience, even flew over from Western
Australia, after winning tickets in the lottery that was held.

Great article with which I could not agree more.

To be honest, I found the whole episode irritating in the extreme. It seemed I didn't dare turn on TV unless some media type was breathlessly fawning over Oprah. That was bad enough, but when the PM joined the worshipping, I'd had enough.

I agree, Australia is beter than this.

We have great scientists, great inventors - black box, orbital engine, medical vacines and antibiotics and so on -, great artists, great muscians (classical I mean, and largely ignored), we had an economy which was supposed to be awe-inspiring and we are the most peaceful and successful multicultural nation in the world.

Why then do we need to fawn over American talk-show hosts and Irish do-gooder singers?

I think you've nailed it, Ibbit.

>>We have great scientists, great inventors - black box, orbital engine, medical vacines and antibiotics and so on -, great artists, great muscians (classical I mean, and largely ignored)<<

Which is all very well and good, except that none of them plays cricket.

They probably don't tweet much, either.

Now, if Simone Young were to put on a Western Bulldogs guernsey...

*Now, if Simone Young were to put on a Western Bulldogs guernsey...*

The media is purely about numbers, Pericles. How would Simone
compete with a Jennifer Hawkins or a Paris Hilton, if they did the
same?

Look at the tens of thousands of teeny boppers, screaming for
Justin Beaver! Its all about bums on seats.

IMHO, if the tourism commission were serious about improving tourism
in Australia, they would spend some serious money on biological
control of the Australian bushfly. Tourists only have to head into
the outback once, most will never go back, invaded by flies up their
noses. That is what they will tell their friends too.

Even most Australians, head for the refuge of cities, once nearly eaten alive by too friendly Australian bushlflies.

Yet the problem could be solved, with just a bit of money and a bit
of good science. Nobody seems to care. Its easier just to plug
Australia on the Oprah network.