Letter: Letter about Oprah itself was ignorant

To the Editor:

I read with great interest the letter from Darlene Wadleigh. To call Oprah Winfrey and her audiences ignorant is really “out there.” Apparently, you know nothing of all the good Oprah has done since she overcame a lot of obstacles to get where she is today. Some of the audiences you called “ignorant” have been full of teachers and other heroes. She has helped countless people with her money.

As far as “big city people” being “clueless about the real world,” you are far off base there, too. I was born and raised in Chicago. My parents were hard working Christians who sacrificed a lot to raise their family. They certainly were not “clueless.” I married a farmer in 1959 and came to South Dakota. I milked cows by hand. My dad on visits would help with grain harvesting and other chores. He wasn’t “clueless.”

Ever heard of the great Chicago stockyards? We did and know all about how animals are raised for food. We saw it at the packing plants that flourished there. My uncle worked at Swift and Company. We had a neighborhood grocery store (family owned) that raised chickens and butchered them fresh when someone wanted one. We knew how cows gave milk. The city was and still is in some places surrounded by farmland. City people are definitely not “clueless,” as you insinuate.

I don’t agree with the animal rights people either, but to insinuate the “big city people” are clueless and that Oprah and her many audiences are ignorant really deserves an apology to everyone.

Tags: opinion, letter, updates