While it's true she is a working individual, and her job is indeed a paid position, it's rather misleading to imply that she experiences financial hardship in the same way as the average American.
Understandably, she's facing significant backlash for her comments. This Thanksgiving many will be asking, "Are you serious?" around dinner tables across the country. She's honestly comparing herself to everyday Americans with a median income of $80,020 a year?
Whoopi Goldberg earns an annual salary of $8 million for her appearances on The View alone. On top of that, she likely receives substantial income from her extensive work in TV shows, movies, and comedy albums over the years. Her estimated net worth is approximately $60 million.
She's hardly on her way to rags and a shed in the woods hunting deer for food.
Having a political stance is one thing, and understanding the dynamics and impacts of inflation is another. You don't need to be poor to grasp how inflation affects one's financial quality of life. However, to sit there with a straight face and claim to share the same struggles as your audience is quite insulting.
Her comment serves as yet another reminder of how disconnected celebrities can be from reality. It's important to remember this when they comment on issues that affect the rest of us. They don't live in our world, see things through the same lens, or experience life as we do.
It's not to say they are not people, of course. But someone like Whoopi Goldberg isn't facing the tough choices at the grocery store that many Americans do. She's merely complaining about the increased costs, not making the same sacrifices as a working mom with a family of four to feed on a limited budget.
How can she sit there earning 100 times what her audience does and be taken seriously trying to argue that she's just like you? In the most basic of ways, it simply lacks credibility.
Granted, it's Whoopi Goldberg, who is known for making controversial remarks rather frequently. However, this does not entitle her to a free pass. The significant disparity between the lives of celebrities and average Americans is evident—do they not understand this? Have they become so far removed from their past lives that they have forgotten what it's like for everyone else?
It's perfectly fine to empathize with the financial hardships of others and to voice concerns. However, comparing their own experiences to those of average Americans only highlights that they lack the same perspective to draw upon.
Personally, I think Whoopi Goldberg should apologize to her audience. She once faced financial hardships and was a regular person. It would be more sincere for her to reflect on those experiences and share that story honestly. It would be much more genuine for her to acknowledge that these aren't her struggles today but that she remembers and understands what it's like to make tough decisions at the grocery store. Instead of claiming she's just like us, she should reflect on how fortunate she is to be in a different place.
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© 2024 Jim Bauer
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