Feb '10 06
Why Oprah?
By Abdulmohsen
That title was used in an article in today’s Al Qabas newspaper. The reason for this title is because it was rumored that Oprah recently said: “In Kuwait, Egyptians build the houses, the Indians clean the streets, the Filipinos raise their children, the Indonesians cook the food and the Americans handle defense while they just act like Paris Hiltons.”
I tried googling this and the only relevant result is from a forum post in Oprah’s official site titled ‘Kuwaitis Say Back‘
Now I don’t know if she really said this and I actually have trouble believing that Oprah could say something as inconsiderate as this.
What do you guys think?
Can anyone find any proof or refute this claim?
Comments
48 Responses to “Why Oprah?”
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February 6th, 2010 @ 10:26 PM
If she said so, all of what she said is true
February 6th, 2010 @ 10:43 PM
why opra we love u :P
February 6th, 2010 @ 11:09 PM
I do not know if she said it or not. but I think she did not.
The question is..what do kuwaitis think?
February 6th, 2010 @ 11:13 PM
why pissed? all that is true.
February 6th, 2010 @ 11:25 PM
I Agree with el ekhet Oprah :]
February 6th, 2010 @ 11:39 PM
You know even if she did not say this. It is true to a degree.
February 7th, 2010 @ 12:05 AM
It might be true, but we don’t make them come here against their will. They come to kuwait looking for jobs, and thats what they get.
And theres nothing on the websites that says its true except that website.
I don’t think its true, I just don’t think Oprah would say such a thing.
February 7th, 2010 @ 12:10 AM
who’s don’t want live like Paris!!!! all Americans does even Oprah!!!!
February 7th, 2010 @ 12:12 AM
@F.F.F loooooool that’s true
February 7th, 2010 @ 5:50 AM
http://boards.bootsnall.com/oprah-goes-around-the-world-women-at-30-t5037.html looks like it was a saying by someone else.
February 7th, 2010 @ 6:03 AM
Guess it came from http://expat.typepad.com/kuwait/
February 7th, 2010 @ 7:53 AM
F.F.F anaa agool tekallaam q8ty abraklek le2nek ba6eet el English baaa6 !!!!!! yaa sheen esaarj 3alaa elbogaar
February 7th, 2010 @ 8:26 AM
well, she did not utter any false letter.
However, if she did say it, I know she meant it as a joke. Thats how she steers things away in her show.
just my 2 cents.
February 7th, 2010 @ 9:21 AM
AMK loooooooool i was thinking the same thing..
to everyone else who agrees with the aforementioned statement: get a life, or get a job..or get both…just because ur unproductive and a burden to the society doesnt mean all kuwaitis are…
Kuwaitis are PHDs..
Kuwaitis are MDs..
Kuwaitis are MBAs..
Kuwaitis are engineers..
Kuwaitis are lawyers..
Kuwaitis are consultants..
Kuwaitis are professors..
Kuwaitis are teachers..
etc.
Americans are the most ignorant people on the planet…they don’t know what’s happening outside their state (not even country)..and i am being very polite by suggesting they even know that much..
so point being..do we kuwaitis have money? yes we do…do we hire people from other nationalities to do labor work?? who doesnt? but to suggest that kuwaitis are airheads who do nothing but shop all day and go to a spa in the afternoon and get shit faced at night…i only have this to say: EAT A BULLET
February 7th, 2010 @ 9:55 AM
as mentioned above, even if she didn’t tara killa 9a7….its quite spot on…lel asaf.
February 7th, 2010 @ 10:01 AM
ok aalaa yedeeem el ne3ma ma3alaikom min el 3ithaaal
February 7th, 2010 @ 10:29 AM
I’m guessing it was from someone posting on a discussion board on her site
But still… most of it is unfortunately true. I just didn’t know we had that many Indonesians
February 7th, 2010 @ 10:31 AM
LOL @ AMK …!
ana agool hal ibqara khal takil il tibin o taskit…
She is the richest black woman in the world … and she says that?
Shahadat.ha majroo7a
February 7th, 2010 @ 10:36 AM
AMK loooooooool i was thinking the same thing..
to everyone else who agrees with the aforementioned statement: get a life, or get a job..or get both…just because ur unproductive and a burden to the society doesnt mean all kuwaitis are…
Kuwaitis are PHDs..
Kuwaitis are MDs..
Kuwaitis are MBAs..
Kuwaitis are engineers..
Kuwaitis are lawyers..
Kuwaitis are consultants..
Kuwaitis are professors..
Kuwaitis are teachers..
etc.
Americans are the most ignorant people on the planet…they don’t know what’s happening outside their state (not even nation)..and i am being very polite by suggesting they even know that much..
so point being: do we kuwaitis have money? yes we do…do we hire people from other nationalities to do labor work?? who doesnt? but to suggest that kuwaitis are airheads who do nothing but shop all day and go to a spa in the afternoon and get shit faced at night…i only have this to say: EAT A BULLET
February 7th, 2010 @ 11:05 AM
1. Why not ask Oprah directly through it web sit !!??
2. This is not the first time Oprah attach arab, she done it before on Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
February 7th, 2010 @ 11:40 AM
mmm..it’s TRUE. ya kirh eli yiz3al mn el sij.
She should also have also said the governments subsidizes petrol prices, food…etc etc, and pays the interest of loans, bails the stock market..the list goes on and on
..kuwait is a social welfare system.. sha3b emdala3..ma galat shay iza3al!!
7elwa hathy “why oprah”..lol
February 7th, 2010 @ 11:56 AM
nathareyat ilta3mem ‘3er maqbola, not all kuwaities rich and spoiled.. i clear up my closet every summer and handle my belongings to a trustable woman that disributes the stuff to KUWAITI families who do not go to bet ilzakat to ask for help ‘nafs-hum 3azeeza’.. i can’t believe the feed back i get from her they are so happy with the givings walla some ppl ma3endehum thalaja!! lat3amemon plz 7ata il cooking o raising the kids come on fe nas ga3den yet3ebon 3ala byt-hum o 3yalhum so plz stop it!
February 7th, 2010 @ 2:31 PM
And that not true at all , in every society there is rich and poor ppl but here mainly we are gifted from god that we are a rich country and that’s it not that we don’t poor ppl but every thing manly free thank god , if opra said what they claim she said it come out of jealousy and that doesn’t bother me , what bother me when Kuwaiti ppl say it true , we studied hard and worked hard so we earn what we’ve earning , so every body talk about him self and please don’t generalize
February 7th, 2010 @ 2:37 PM
why why oprah whyyyyyy
February 7th, 2010 @ 3:23 PM
To be honest
that’s the true my friend except she compared us to Paris Hilton WTF !!!!
February 7th, 2010 @ 8:10 PM
Frankom, have you walked around Avenues wela Marina lately? Either we have 15-20 yr old boys with spikey hair wela girls/women in super tight clothes and a hijaab!!
ya 3ami zain!!!!!!!! Paris Hilton would fit in right well in Kuwait.
February 7th, 2010 @ 8:40 PM
i really don’t think she would say anything like that, I’m Kuwaiti and have lived in the USA for over 12 years and i can pretty much say the same thing about Americans. The Chinese build their houses, Mexicans clean their streets and their houses, and for raising their children they have latino’s and asians. parents are always at work or out. they are seriously worse than us, and when it comes to treating their maids we’re a million times better. So I’m pretty sure that Oprah knows the reality of her own culture , she has her maids and chefs, i don’t think that she’ll dare say something like that
February 7th, 2010 @ 9:01 PM
Ok im Oprah’s number one fan, I didn’t hear about this but all she said is true, and I think she is just quoting it from someone who told her about the Kuwaiti society. How would she know in the first place? She said the same thing about Lebanon, she showed the image of Lebanon as conservative and showed the poor areas, and she didn’t show the fancy and the classy parts of Lebanon. She doesn’t know much about the Arab world, all Americans just follow the news and believe everything they hear without even researching.
February 7th, 2010 @ 10:35 PM
Truth or not it is the truth. Sad to see how the majority of the Kuwaitis do nothing and bring ’slaves’ to do thier dirty work. They throw trash on the streets to be cleaned by indian and srilankians who don’t even get a pay check. The filpionos and indians raise thier kids, the egyptian and irani labours build thier house. so what are they complaining about?
February 7th, 2010 @ 11:03 PM
Kuwait create jobs for the poorer people of the world..
What’s so bad in that.
February 8th, 2010 @ 12:27 AM
well i guess she’s jealous why she wasn’t born as a kuwaiti!!
Americans make their living on the expense of arabs hope she understands that!
February 8th, 2010 @ 7:49 AM
lola thank u…finally a sound of reason…unfortunately many ppl commenting are self defeated and broken…they have no confidence in themselves, fellow citizens, and country..and so hypnotized and fascinated by america they think its Eutopia..
i wish everyone here would stop being so bendy towards the negative things ppl try to promote about our great nation…we have our flaws, but so does everyone else….and beleive me Oprah and her country is in no position to be criticizing anyone in the world because i have never seen such a more ignorant and degenerate group of people in the world…and i have been around the glob from east to west
February 8th, 2010 @ 8:44 AM
surely that statement only highlights how truely diverse kuwait is and this is globalisation at its best…
people come for their own self interest – the americans aren’t here to “help kuwait” – they’re here to give jobs to their people, fuel their economy (excuse the pun) AND receive low oil prices for however long…
i’m not condoning kuwaiti society, it has many flaws and the treatment of low level labour (i.e. tanzifco employees), but so does every other economy – surely “he without sin should cast the first stone” – i do doubt oprah would say that maliciously or in a bad way though
February 8th, 2010 @ 2:08 PM
welli just came across this page, i was searching for a Dior item and found myself scrolling here lol anyways..regarding that opera thing …don’t be disappointed. sheer facts… but Kuwiatis also do alot of good things. we “expats” stopped thinking about the “camel” issue..a great slice of Kuwiatis now r highly educated, and contribute to their country as much as other exapts do. every nation takes steps towards rising, and i think this country has come along way. i was born here, and i’m really attached to this place. and i know there is a damn gr8 deal of senstivities among hundreds of communities that can irritate and provoke any humanbeing on earth. but still, this soil is a melting pot and u should be proud of it. this contry contributed to our lives and paid us back, and anyone who denies this is really FACELESS. i’m Egyptian, and i love this country, and i’m really happy that u ppl can sense the flaws in society, and aware of this quote’s significance. some of u laughed, and others got disappointed. ofcourse it’s funny, but still, u guys shouldn’t pay it any attention. enjoy ! w sebko men Opera :)
February 8th, 2010 @ 3:02 PM
1. all she said was true
2. she didnt say it someone on her website did
3. the one thing i dont approve of is, she compared us to paris hilton.. ok tabe she states something.. ok 3adi, bs inha itgol ina we r like paris hilton thats just wrong, they didnt have the right to say that.
4. not all q8i’s r like that, 9a7.. bs on a large scale yes they are.. she wont say “egyptians build, indians clean.. etc.. BUT, not all q8i’s r like that.. she just said it in general w i dont think it needs a fuss mithil ma sawaw shway mn il q8iyen..
February 8th, 2010 @ 4:42 PM
i consider that a compliment .. but why Paris Hilton? laykoon she lives in the ghetto and begs for a living? :P
February 9th, 2010 @ 7:33 AM
What’s wrong with Paris Hilton? “Hilton has worked as a model, actress, singer, and engaged in occasional business pursuits. According to Forbes Magazine, she earned approximately $2 million in 2003–2004, $6.5 million in 2004–2005, and $7 million in 2005–2006.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Hilton) That’s smart in my book :P
February 9th, 2010 @ 7:46 AM
Shaima…god bless u…and congrats on winning the african cup =)
February 9th, 2010 @ 11:12 AM
My God I felt gutted after reading the links MM added.
I agree with Shaima. I want to add that I have been back to Kuwait around 5 years ago and could list few observations and comparisons between Kuwait and London at least. However within each county you have different worlds and different subgroups. It is very hard to draw a fair comparison. Very hard to generalize based on a snapshot.
I am a Kuwaiti who watches youtube with her maid, have three degrees and getting a fourth one. I have a maid and driver but I work day and night and I have met so many hard working Kuwaitis who I am very proud of. It really depends where you go and who you know to judge Kuwaitis.
BTW even expats have maids in Kuwait and you should see how they are treated.
February 9th, 2010 @ 11:17 AM
BTW even expats have maids in Kuwait and you should see how they are treated as well if you want to be fair. Each house is different.
Last point don’t compare and judge just do the best to have a positive attitude and lead by example. No hate or envy or unfair judgements.
February 9th, 2010 @ 2:43 PM
thanx Spartan :)
February 10th, 2010 @ 11:07 AM
Too much drama about Oprah!
February 10th, 2010 @ 8:19 PM
radeen 3la oprah 3ad ;p
elly yisma3 egool kamlah wil kamil allah 3ad !
February 13th, 2010 @ 5:10 AM
Mr’s Oprah….
If what you said about Kuwait was right…then you’ve been a naughty naughty girl!!!
How can you say such a thing about Kuwaiti’s?? I think it’s called jealousy!
Well let me make thing’s a bit clear for you Mrs. Winfrey
Beneath our land lies a-lot of oil and because of all that oil we have a-lot of money:)
and with all that money we are capable of hiring Americans like yourself to do all the hard work for us :) for example all those troops in Iraq sticking there necks out just for the money.
let’s be honest over here… life in Kuwait is 200% better than life in Europe and 150% better than life in America :) so I think you are jealous Mrs. Winfrey..
I have to fly early in the morning and I have the laundry to finish to bad I don’t have a maid to do all my chores for me :’( aaaaaaaaaah I think I’m crying right now aaaaaaaaah I need a maid to do this for me AAAAAAHHHHHHH I miss being like Paris AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH :’(
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA peace ;** shit I need someone to start typing for me my fingers are getting sore :( hahahahaha and excuse my spelling my maid did all the homeworks for me in High-school hahahaha
February 16th, 2010 @ 1:33 AM
I thought the exact same thing :
AMK loooooooool i was thinking the same thing..
to everyone else who agrees with the aforementioned statement: get a life, or get a job..or get both…just because ur unproductive and a burden to the society doesnt mean all kuwaitis are…
Kuwaitis are PHDs..
Kuwaitis are MDs..
Kuwaitis are MBAs..
Kuwaitis are engineers..
Kuwaitis are lawyers..
Kuwaitis are consultants..
Kuwaitis are professors..
Kuwaitis are teachers..
etc.
Americans are the most ignorant people on the planet…they don’t know what’s happening outside their state (not even nation)..and i am being very polite by suggesting they even know that much..
so point being: do we kuwaitis have money? yes we do…do we hire people from other nationalities to do labor work?? who doesnt? but to suggest that kuwaitis are airheads who do nothing but shop all day and go to a spa in the afternoon and get shit faced at night…i only have this to say: EAT A BULLET
February 16th, 2010 @ 1:35 AM
Capt- Othman
I really doubt she’s jealous, and I really doubt we can hire someone like oprah to do labor work..
March 20th, 2010 @ 4:35 PM
A very critical topic though.
People hate it when facts are tackled.
June 23rd, 2010 @ 1:30 PM
Well As Egyptian She’s Right But We Have A President And He Cares About Us