Options
Do you think Oprah Winfrey was a victim of racism?
CigaretteSmoker
Posts: 492 Forum Member
✭
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2392778/Oprah-Winfrey-insists-WAS-victim-racism-Swiss-store-nearly-called-Jennifer-Aniston-tell-her.html
Having just read an article about Winfrey being refused to look at a bag in an expensive Zurich store, I find it difficult to see how it was anything other than racism.
Sadly many continental Europeans, and especially in Switzerland associate black people with being petty criminals and poor.
It is likely that if the assistant had never heard of Winfrey and didn't recognise her as being famous, then she assumed that she was either going to steal the bag or was setting it up for someone else to steal it.
Most of the comments are critical of her and seem to think she is just being an arrogant loudmouth, but to be honest I see her point.
The shop had no reason to refuse her to see the bag other than because they discriminated against her on the basis of her skin colour. I think it's rather sad that such xenophobic attitudes still exist in 21st century Switzerland.
Having just read an article about Winfrey being refused to look at a bag in an expensive Zurich store, I find it difficult to see how it was anything other than racism.
Sadly many continental Europeans, and especially in Switzerland associate black people with being petty criminals and poor.
It is likely that if the assistant had never heard of Winfrey and didn't recognise her as being famous, then she assumed that she was either going to steal the bag or was setting it up for someone else to steal it.
Most of the comments are critical of her and seem to think she is just being an arrogant loudmouth, but to be honest I see her point.
The shop had no reason to refuse her to see the bag other than because they discriminated against her on the basis of her skin colour. I think it's rather sad that such xenophobic attitudes still exist in 21st century Switzerland.
0
Comments
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1871267
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062302086.html
I think it is racism, clearly. Now lets move on.:)
This!
Or her grasp of the French language wasn't up to standard...:rolleyes:
Sorry,but I saw a link in the other thread about Oprah. Where in this link does Oprah speak about racism;in fact there are no quotes from Oprah whatsoever.
I wouldn't be at all surprised is she had uttered " Don't you know who i am " . Mountain out of a mole hill comes to mind, seems up herself by all accounts.
There's clearly more to racism then that.
I remember years back in a part of Wales near Snowden being told they didn't serve my sort. That wasn't an ethnic slur, and to be honest, they weren't rude either, but it was still racism.
It's hard to know what to think without knowing everything, but it everything happened exactly as Oprah said, then I'd believe there was an element of racism.
However, my dad always said there's three sides to every story. In his case, Oprah's side, the assistants side, and then the truth.
So you think that if there is no name calling,then it's not racism?
I used to watch her show when they showed it over here,and apart from the hour or so,I can honestly say I know little about her"ego".what is she like?
Reading the statement given by the employee, tbh it sounds like she couldn't be bothered to climb up and get the bag down from a high shelf when she thought there were plenty of adequate bags within reach.
^ This.