A piece in the May 12 issueof The Wall Street Journal suggests that “The private-jet industry may have finally found its savior.”
Journal reporter Robert Frank wrote: “During a speech to Duke University’s graduating class, Oprah talked about the secrets and joys of success. Among them: owning a mansion and a jet.”
“It’s great to have a private jet,” she told the students. “Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”
“The golden nugget,” Frank wrote, “is the jet part. In these times of hair-shirt capitalism and envy politics, the wealthy have been going to great lengths to pretend they don’t enjoy luxury or want nice stuff. If Oprah were like most of the faux-populist rich today, she would have said something like, “I don’t need private jets, in fact I’m happier flying commercial and living in a small house. I like the simple life.” Of course, she would be lying.”
But she didn’t. She told the truth, which is that flying in a private jet is one of the great material perks that money can buy, and Oprah’s ride is a $42 million Global Express XRS, which certainly counts as one of the better such perks.
On the other hand, blogger Perez Hilton sneered: “Lesson to learn, graduates: It’s good to be Oprah and sucks to be everyone else!”
To read the article: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/05/11/oprah-its-great-to-have-a-private-jet/
To read the speech: http://www.oprah.com/media/20090510-orig-oprah-duke-speech
Taken from a comment posted by WhenFlowersBloom on Perez’s website:
“I was at the graduation, my brother goes there. That wasn’t the point she was trying to make. She was saying that no matter how much you end up with in the end (jets/multiple houses) if you aren’t helping to better someones else’s life you aren’t truly successful. That quote was definitely taken out of context. If they had listed what she had said after you would think differently.”
Perez’s snide remark at the end of the article is just one more reason why he needs to shut up.
It is about time someone who influences so many people provides motivation for people to work hard and achieve great things. Although my passion is the light-sport aircraft and flying for fun, I feel the corporate jet is a symbol of American success. One more privilege we have, freedom to fly.