The View Seeks to Suppress Whoopi Goldberg

Posted by Sara Rosell at 6:00 AM on August 6, 2007.

This post, written by Sara Rosell, originally appeared on Race Wire

Introducing Whoooooopi! Too bad Walters treats her like a sambo...

Barbara Walters, producer of ABC's The View, has found herself a new token to fill the empty seat on the show that for years, has set out to represent women's take on pop culture and current events.

Enter Whoopi Goldberg, with her gruffy comedy and impress-no-body attitude.

As many of us know, Goldberg is a widely loved and respected actor and comedian, and has been on The View a few times now. But after watching Walters introduce her as the new moderator, I was saddened to see Goldberg assure the other hosts and the audience that she won't be saying the type of things she'd normally say.

Meaning, she will tone down her raw, liberal jokes. She even mentioned a talk with the "powers that be" about their concerns that she might get out of hand. Whoopi said they want her to be a little edgy and entertaining, but only as long as she can control herself.

Meanwhile, it remains too obvious that The View has gained the most attention from the political progressives who have acted out lately. First it was the falling out of Star Jones, who did not fully comply with the powers. Then it was the liberal commentary of Rosie O'Donnell that spun out of control, people say.

The Views' ratings peaked during the buzz created by the Black woman and the lesbian. Now, with Goldberg, The View is looking to arouse but not upset, to subdue Whoopi but not let her brilliance, say...sway the presidential election. As long as she obeys her orders, we can presume she'll stay.

That the great Whoopi Goldberg has to prove she is civil enough to participate in a show with three white women whose composures remain non-threatening, is disheartening.

Tagged as: the view, television, o'donnell, walters, goldberg

Sara Rosell, an intern at the Applied Research Center, is a junior rhetoric and ethnic studies major at the University of California-Berkeley.