Is Oprah's KFC Promotion Hypocritical?

Imagine that! A person who is constantly in the public eye is human. First of all, let me state that I am by no means a "fan" of Operah. I don't like her show, and I don't like her politics. That aside, I don't think Oprah meant any harm to anyone or anything by this gesture. I believe her intentions were at least mostly honorable (she does need to maintain her ratings). Obviously some chickens will be offed to provide a meal for someone, but there are many who believe (myself included) that this is one of the purposes of animals (I know I'll catch a lot of flack for that, so don't bother). Maybe this was something Operah didn't consider. Or maybe she did consider it, and felt it was more important to feed a few million people. At any rate, it was her call to make, and she's not breaking any laws by doing it. She may appear like a hypocrite, but perhaps this will teach us that we can't rely on celebrities as our moral examples. They're humans, too. They make mistakes (in the eyes of some). If you were relying on Operah to be your moral compass, perhaps you should do some deep soul-searching, and determine what YOUR beliefs are, and then do something about it, instead of waiting for a big name with deep pockets to do it for you.

Andy Jackson of IL 12:55AM May 07, 2009

Millions of animals are killed by the cultivation of crops . So unless you are growing your own food you are a part of the problem . And only rich people that never has had to want would get upset with someone giving out food to poor people .

Joey of SC 11:07PM May 06, 2009

Oprah seemed to think this was healthier than the fried version of KFC. Oprah apparently liked the idea of "grilled" vs. fried along with their claims of less fat and salt. Is it healthier? How does one go about figuring out what is healthy or healthIER?

Here are some ways I evaluate food to determine if a food is hazardous to your health.

#1 READ THE INGREDIENTS!

It took me a while, after some searching, I was able to find the ingredients on the KFC website. Not the "Nutrition Information" which just tells calories, fat grams and other manipulated info, the ingredients!

Here are the ingredients in the new KFC "grilled chicken" from their website. I put the hazardous ingredients in Bold so you can find them easily:

KFC® Grilled Chicken: Fresh Chicken Marinated with: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate Seasoned with: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth,Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and Not More Than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added as Anticaking Agents. Contains Wheat and Soy.

Looks like this food is swimming in MSG! If you're not concerned about MSG? Perhaps you should be! Here's a link to a short piece about the Hidden Dangers of MSG

Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oils are on my "never eat" list. I'm sure that Dr. Oz would agree with me. Hydrogenated oils are unhealthful at any level. This is a great example of how meaningless the term "Trans Fat Free" can be. Oprah obviously got sucked in, just like millions of eaters every day.

Also, keep in mind that cotton is not a food crop, its heavily sprayed with pesticides and is extremely high in inflammatory Omega 6 fats. Cottonseed oil is not an ingredient fit for human consumption in my book!

Looking beyond ingredients, let's ask a few more questions about Oprah's grilled chicken.

Where were these chickens raised? In a factory farm? What were these chickens fed? Genetically modified corn or soybean meal with pesticide residues?Were they fed antibiotics to make them grow faster? Chickens are meant to run around outside and eat bugs and peck around on the ground? Did they ever see the light of day? Were their beaks clipped off? Factory Farms create huge environmental problems here in the US and in countries like Mexico and others. In addition to creating huge sources of pollution, they make for ideal breeding grounds for new strains of flu.

Perhaps we should change the name from KFC to KFFC: Kentucky Factory Farmed Chicken!

What can you do if you feel that Oprah was not doing her viewers a favor by offering a free meal of KFC? Ask Oprah do a show on the health hazards of MSG and the environmental hazards of factory farming! Tell her, no thanks for the free meal. Let her know at www.oprah.com

Dr.Susan Rubin of NY 9:58PM May 06, 2009

I heard PETA people taste like chicken.

Dom of FL 7:14PM May 06, 2009