KEY POINTS

  • Oprah Winfrey’s white supremacy remarks have gained social media attention
  • As a result, the controversial comment received backlashes from netizens
  • Some called Winfrey as the true racist
  • Others, on the other, took a stand with Winfrey and defended her
  • Winfrey had also experienced being a victim of racism
  • Meanwhile, she recommended the book “Caste” concerning the racism issue

Oprah Winfrey went viral on Twitter following her remarks on white supremacy. Netizens, who threw multiple backlash on the famous talk show host, tagged her as the true racist.

Winfrey explained during an episode of the “The Oprah Conversation” that being white has its advantages, hence, the term “white privilege.” The “Uncomfortable Conversation with a Black Man: Part 1” episode featured Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player.

In the same episode, Winfrey also praised her white guest for denouncing himself as racist, the Washington Examiner reported. Moreover, she reportedly noted that not all white people were as powerful as the system of white people; nevertheless, they still have their “whiteness.”

These remarks gained attention from netizens, who took their reactions to Twitter. A whole lot of them expressed their disappointment against the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” host.

Because opinions differ, some netizens took a stand and defended Winfrey from the bashing.

Over the years, Winfrey had her fair share of being a victim of racism. Talking to Larry King back in 2018, she revealed that a saleswoman refused to let her see an item because she thought it was too expensive for Winfrey to purchase.

“I would like to see that bag on that shelf,” Winfrey recalled that instance where she went shopping in Zurich for Tina Turner’s wedding.

“No,” the woman replied to Winfrey. “That one’s too expensive.”

Winfrey, on Tuesday, announced that she chose “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson for her next Oprah’s Book Club Pick. She has recommended the book as it “eloquently examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America.”

Caste System, what does that mean?

The author of the book “Caste” said that racism was an insufficient term for the systematic oppression of Black people in America, NPR reported. For Wilkerson, it was more appropriate to describe America as having a caste system.

Wilkerson also said that caste “predates” the idea of race. The term was more precise to use because it was comprehensive and signify the underlying infrastructure supporting the inequality, injustices and disparities in America.

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