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Commenting as the Stone Rolls toward Infinity
Barbara Walters: Book and Television Special and The View
Suddenly, the world is being inundated by the fact that Barbara Walters, television journalist, television host, and American Icon, has published her autobiography. Not only are the various media heralding the fact that Ms. Walters has written an intimate and detailed account of her life but, strangely enough, Ms. Walters herself is front and center in the marketing blitz. It seems that everywhere one looks, Walters is in view and, naturally, shes talking about her book and it's contents.
Turn on Oprah Winfrey and there's Ms. Walters being interviewed. Wait a couple of minutes and ABC advertises that Ms. Walters is about to be interviewed later in the evening, by Charles Gibson - no less, about her book. If, by chance, you happen to be watching morning television you'll see - well, you got it - Ms. Walters talking amongst her 'friends' on The View' about her book and about her interview on The Oprah Show to discuss her book and, as if that's not enough, she's also talking about her forthcoming interview with Charles Gibson about her book. For most people that amount of publicity about a forthcoming book borders on the point of saturation, however, because we're talking about Barbara Walters, that amount of publicity is only the beginning. Open the New York Times Book Review section and what do you know - Janet Maslin is reviewing 'Audition', the aptly chosen title of Walter's biography. Then, of course, Salon dot Com has written it's own review while countless other internet sites are critiquing and/or reviewing 'Audition', let alone the many television and radio journalist that are discussing what's now almost rivaling The Holy Bible in terms of public discussion.
Of the several points I'd like to make, one of them is that I'm not about to discuss Barbara Walter's book while the second is that nowhere have I heard or read that the financially comfortable Ms. Walter's has directed any of the profits from her book to be directed toward charity. The second point leaves me virtually incredulous.
I've followed Barbara Walter's career virtually from its inception and I'm old enough and certainly wise enough to know that though Barbara has made some rather significant contributions toward facilitating women's rights in the workplace, there is nothing that Ms. Walter's has done with purposeful intent in that regard other than by sheer coincidence. Ms. Walter's, like the publicity surrounding her book, is all about Ms. Walter's - despite the fact that she'd like you currently to believe otherwise.
In my opinion, all of the publicity surrounding the publication of this book borders on sheer huxterism and though Barbara Walters likes to dress the part of a social matron while talking as if she invented articulation is nothing more than more Barbara promoting more Barbara.
Just scratch the surface of all of the various revelations about Ms. Walter's life and times and what one experiences is that at last there is proof positive that she's a very common woman with few exceptional abilities that merely happened to be at the right place at the right time. Further, on those very few occasions when Barbara was not present and accounted for when opportunities arose, she 'made things happen' for her and her alone. She'd now like everyone to believe that she's a caring, sensitive, and vulnerable human being whose kindly disposition and disarming manner is only seconded by her selflessness. After all, she harps on the fact that she fervently pursued making money and lots of it so she could take care of her retarded sister Jackie amongst other family members whom she saw as being either inept at making or unable to earn money by themselves.
Is it productive to know that Ms. Walter's married and divorced three times? Is it endearing to know that her one and only adopted child was so problematic as a teen that she had to be sent to away to a 'boot camp'? Why does Barbara want us to know that she had an affair with a married African American Senator?
I simply can't understand what redeeming merit she finds in telling the world the hitherto untold story of her father's attempted suicide (unless one thinks of self-aggrandizement by virtue of her assertion that she was the one that took him to the hospital). She even rationalizes her lack of presence at her 'beloved' sister's death bed because she was off in Wisconsin giving a speech on behalf of her network.
Color me critical or call me cynical but when it comes to so many of Barbara Walter's associates and fellow TV personalities fawning all over her on account of her book, I commence feeling deeply pained and very nauseated.
There are so many pieces of good literature that are written today and pass without barely a second glance that one has to seriously ask the question; what's all the fuss about. If grandstanding about one's barely moral and somewhat less than successful personal life is anything to be proud of, then I highly recommend that you read Barbara Walter's 'Audition' - and while you're at it - I'd further suggest that you watch all the hoopla that's appeared on TV by watching repeats of same on UTube. In the meantime I hear Saul Bellows calling.
