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It would behoove the sales clerk to sale the bag to whomever wants it and has the money to buy it despite their skin color or how they 'look'. A smart sales person knows this.
If Oprah had shown her cash or her golden credit card, I am sure that woman would have sold her the bag.
Again, we don't even know what happened. That saleswoman said she offered to show Oprah the bag, but she did not answer.
Frankly, I am much more inclined to believe that Swiss woman than Oprah.
Actually, it is indeed racist to view a black person as someone incapable of having money. The color of their skin is the reason behind that view. That is the definition of racism.
Who said profiling works all the time? Point is, in Europe being black usually means not being able to buy a 40k bag. Just because there maybe a handful of exceptions does not mean that the profile is wrong.
I think it is naive of Oprah or any Americans for that matter to come to Europe and expect that same phony pc **** that you are used to over there.
So what you are saying is that Americans should expect to be racially discriminated against when they travel to Europe and be OK with it?
If someone refused to show me an expensive item because they assumed by my appearance that I couldn't afford it, I'd be ticked off too. Is this normal for some of you? I've never been treated that way, and I'd raise h*ll if I was. That said, I'm not in the habit of buying $35K handbags either. Oprah can easily afford them--not a lot of other (even fairly affluent) women can.
Which is the entire point of this non-issue that Oprah wants to make a racial issue out of. She was looking at other, more normally priced bags, then pointed to one the clerk knew held a price similar to that of a kings ransom, to which the clerk simply assumed she couldn't afford, or likely wouldn't even if she could, which probably covers all but maybe a handful of the grossly wealthy tiny few members of the population of any racial makeup. The clerk obviously was not familiar with who Ms. money bags was, so the natural assumption was made that she'd not really like to switch from say a $500 or $1,000 bag to one costing 50 times as much. And I'm guessing that this has happened many times before when a patron said "can I see that one there on the top shelf" .. clerk: "that one costs $35,000" patron: "What?? ... uhh .. never mind, I'll stick with one of these bargain basement $1,000 bags" .
The reality is ... racists see racism everywhere and in everyone, except themselves ... because that's how their little racist minds oprah-rate.
Being rich in the US and in Europe is different. In many European countries one does not display wealth by buying expensive stuff etc.
And I am happy I don't have much to do with wealthy people, they are bad company.
Most of the European women I know tend to buy better quality, beautifully cut, classic clothing--they're not as flashy and brand conscious as Americans, but they still wear beautiful clothes. That said, what does that have to do with whether or not the store would show her the bag or not? They were obviously selling a very expensive bag, and now you're saying that even wealthy Europeans wouldn't buy it, but wealthy Americans would. So Oprah is an American--she would be in their target market for the bag. You've admitted that most would assume she can't afford it because she's black. I don't know why you keep going on--you made your point really clearly that they didn't show her the bag because she's black.
In this day and age it is more than a bit presumptuous to assume that there are no black folks that have money to spend on luxury items. Do you think that black rap stars do not indulge themselves and shop in upscale establishments? The sales clerk made the wrong call, if it played out the way Oprah claims. It is highly doubtful that Oprah entered the store dressed or looking like a homeless person that led the sales clerk to question her ability to afford the merchandise.
Again, this is Europe, not the US. We don't have many black rap stars or whatever... And if they really are famous in Europe, they are likely to be recognized in shops.
I am pretty sure Snoop Dog would have been treated the same way as Oprah, probably the woman would have had her finger on the alarm button under the table
If Oprah had shown her cash or her golden credit card, I am sure that woman would have sold her the bag.
Again, we don't even know what happened. That saleswoman said she offered to show Oprah the bag, but she did not answer. Frankly, I am much more inclined to believe that Swiss woman than Oprah.
...and why would that be? Clearly this woman has two resaons to alter the story. One being that she does not wish to come off as discriminating and the other...appearing stupid to have lost the sale, her commission and maybe her job.
Which is the entire point of this non-issue that Oprah wants to make a racial issue out of. She was looking at other, more normally priced bags, then pointed to one the clerk knew held a price similar to that of a kings ransom, to which the clerk simply assumed she couldn't afford, or likely wouldn't even if she could, which probably covers all but maybe a handful of the grossly wealthy tiny few members of the population of any racial makeup. The clerk obviously was not familiar with who Ms. money bags was, so the natural assumption was made that she'd not really like to switch from say a $500 or $1,000 bag to one costing 50 times as much. And I'm guessing that this has happened many times before when a patron said "can I see that one there on the top shelf" .. clerk: "that one costs $35,000" patron: "What?? ... uhh .. never mind, I'll stick with one of these bargain basement $1,000 bags" .
The reality is ... racists see racism everywhere and in everyone, except themselves ... because that's how their little racist minds oprah-rate.
But she didn't just inform her of the price--she refused to show it to her at all. Here's what she said: "that one will cost too much, and you will not be able to afford that." That's not the same as making the customer aware that it costs significantly more than the other bags she was looking at. If I'm shopping, it's up to ME to decide what I can and can't afford. I can't even IMAGINE a sales person refusing to show me an item I want to look at.
I find it racist to throw bananas at black people or comparing them to orangutans as they do in Italy.
Yes. That is racist too. What does that have to do with it being racist to discriminate against a person in the store for being a certain color of skin?
Actually, it is indeed racist to view a black person as someone incapable of having money. The color of their skin is the reason behind that view. That is the definition of racism.
I just don't share that view of racism. Groups of people are associated with stereotypes, and we all know them. That does not mean that those stereotypes are true in every case, of course.
It is like with those Korean shop owners in the US who get nervous when black men enter their shops. They have their experience, and maybe their fear is unfounded in many cases, but still...
To me racism means I think my race is superior. I don't think so at all, actually I find African women cute, like the Angolans who come here
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