Posted on 05/18/2004 7:48:54 AM PDT by presidio9
Imagine one of the wealthiest people on Earth living without indoor plumbing.
Granted, she only lasted a few days, but Oprah Winfrey took that challenge. She sat down with KMBC's Kelly Eckerman to talk about what life is like without electricity, running water or modern conveniences of any kind.
Oprah and her friend, Gail, recently stayed in the PBS "Colonial House," where the pair agreed to live as people did 400 years ago.
Eckerman: "Were some people surprised you were anxious to do it?"
Oprah: "I come from a very poor family, so it was like going back in my own time for me. Gail, on the other hand, grew up with a maid and always had indoor plumbing."
There were many unforgettable moments for the television talk-show guru. Oprah seemed to take most tasks in stride, but Gail was another story.
Oprah: "First, you arrive and they make you strip all your underwear because women didn't have underwear in the 16th century. Just one of those facts, I guess I never knew that."
Eckerman: "I never thought about that."
Oprah: "You never think about it. The panties have to come off, bras off."
The chores were another big adjustment for Gail.
Oprah: "We're trying to cook bacon, gasping for air, and Gail says, 'I'd like mine extra crispy.' And I said, 'This is not the Fairmont Hotel, sister.'"
A rodent finally sent the pair packing -- that was where Oprah drew the line.
Oprah: "I'm not going to survive if a rat falls on my face!"
Oprah's said her stay was short, but priceless for "seeing how far we've come as women, as people, and all the people who did so much for us to have this exquisite life that we so often take for granted."
Oprah added that the most revealing thing about her colonial experience -- besides no underwear -- is how hard they had to work. The women, especially, never had a minute to themselves, Oprah said.
Contrast that with what Amy-Kristina(?), the female of African descent had to say:
That day when we were out in the hot sun trying to plant the corn, understanding that historically the colonists' lives depended on it, I could see that, honestly, if it weren't for the Native Americans and the African slaves, the colonists would not have thrived the way they did.
Apparently, she's one that did not get it. It still was about "her people" and "their struggle". She still could not appreciate that everyone around her was engaged in exactly the same struggle
I suppose I'll watch next week for another lefty view of colonial life.
The early colonists really did dress that way.Bright colors were the norm.The Puritans and other early settlers weren't all that much like the version you got in school;they did NOT only wear black,nor were they anything like what the term "puritan" implies/infers today.
Was watching it right now, kind of paying attention (while surfing). I watched most of Frontier House and Manor House and they were both fairly engaging..will have to see how this one shapes up.
What did you think of tonight's installment?
I couldn't take much of it. The biggest excitement was one dude leaving the time-warp reservation and slippin into town for a beer... yawn... zzzzzzzzzzz...
The show is far too PC and SLOPPILY done,but should be watched by all, because far too many people think that colonial life was all beer and skittles.
I don't watch watch much tv; don't even have cable, but like these kind of shows, would like even to be in one of them..
Should have known there would be a token gay deliberately selected by casting and his "coming out" would be a part of the Colonial experience. Yawn.
The English would NEVER have allowed the kind of garbage,that PBS has continually done in these shows,in theirs.Admittedly, the Brits have had their share of whingers too,but not nearly as many and they stuck with things as they were and made NO exceptions!
I would have killed,to be in Manor House or the earlier Brit one,but have no interest in the American ones.
Yes, the inclusion of blacks,the "coming out" Homo,the PC Indian junk,allowing the young man who bolted to stay,and WHY didn't they build stocks (?)and the utter rejection of making EVERYONE adhere to what it was REALLY like in both Frontier House and this one,disgusts me.
As I said before,the good thing about the show,is that at least people will get a wee idea just how hard a time people used to have.They never get that in school.
I like the Baptist preacher (elected as governor) sticking it to the feminists and punishing them (the colony is governed by real 17th century laws....no blasphemy, have to attend the Sabbath etc). Those uppity women really got it good, as well as those people who hate authority and tried to undermine the governor. Pretty funny stuff seeing these people get their just desserts.
It is a pretty engrossing show. I definitely recommend watching it...it is really interesting seeing 20th century people try to adapt to 17th century life.
It is something I would have enjoyed doing......really wish I could have tried out for it.
The Oprah scenes will not appear in the show; she only showed up to get the experience. It will not be actually shown on tv.
Well, in 1620 MA, she would be working as a servant, not really a slave. Slavery did not come along until later mostly (excluding Jamestown; slavery came there early).
I have about had it with the assertion that women were chattel though.
The feminazi's of the group keep asserting that, but it is flat horse manure.
If you even read just a tiny bit of John Winthrop's diary, you see how much he loved his wife, that he did not consider her someone to just order around.
Looks like the consevative Baptist governor gets pushed out tomorrow for the leftist "Christian" from California according to the website episode guide for tomorrow.
True.
I love colonial history as well, though the Puritans are my big interest; not too interested in the Pilgrims.
I do agree with you,though,that the show should be watched and the minister from Texas is pretty good about most things.He was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of line,when he knew that the guy was going to take off and not only let him,but didn't tell the rest of the council about it and then gave him what amounted to a gentle touch on the hand,as punishment.
I watched Frontier House primarily because of several cute girls on the show.
Bethany is good looking, along with Amy..and strong Christians.
I was really saddened with Bethany's loss of her fiance.
I was glad to see them come back on tonight's show.
However, I will be sad to see them lose their power tomorrow....the episode guide for tomorrow makes it sound like the Baptist preacher will lose his governorship to the liberal professor from California (the lay preacher). It sounds like the family will all go home, leaving the colony to be filled with a bunch of lefties, NOT historically accurate in the slightest.
It was at least somewhat with the Baptist family there.
The Pilgrims, which this group is representing, did dress that way.
It is a common myth, however, that the Puritans dressed like this (the folks who supposedly were really strict...Anne Hutchinson, witch trials etc.)
The Puritans actually dressed very lavishly, something the Pilgrims criticized them for. The Pilgrims did dress very starkly like the show portrays.
Tomorrow? I thought that the next installments are next Sunday.
Actually, you have things backwards.
It was the Pilgrims who wore black and white.
The Puritans dressed in colorful clothes and were criticized by the Pilgrims for doing so.
The Pilgrims were more "puritanical" than those "awful" Puritans.
I bet you did not know that one man was excommunicated from his Boston congregation because he refused to have sex with his wife... (It is a myth that the Puritans did not like sex...they enjoyed it as much as any modern person, but only within marriage. However, it was believed that sex within marriage should be for pleasure, not just procreation).
Oh yeah, those Puritans were real dour people.
Exactly.
This is one of my "pet" historical periods, so I have to spend a lot of time re-educating folks on what the Puritans were really like.
They were not like you learned in school.
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