General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I love handbags [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)No one knows what happened, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that the shop attendant had a prejudice, and didn't want those not white hands on that pricey merchandise.
We recognize Oprah over here, no matter what she has on, even when she doesn't have the makeup, but she is less well known in Europe. And in person, she looks a bit different than she does on the TV.
Again, there IS racism in Switzerland, and other parts of Europe too--in some sectors, it's pretty bad. This image we have of the Europeans being so much more progressive in terms of race relations is false--they just never had to deal with minorities in any numbers, so they were always happy to welcome the exception to their rule. Now that migration and asylum seekers have made the continent more multi-cultural, they are feeling the stress and plenty of 'em don't like it.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/archive/Blacks_bear_the_brunt_of_racism_in_Switzerland.html?cid=3023446
Blacks bear the brunt of racism in Switzerland
A sharp rise in Switzerland's black population over recent months appears to have hardened attitudes towards Africans, and asylum seekers in particular.
More and more blacks say they are suffering from racism on the streets, in the workplace or in the housing market.
In the run-up to this month's national vote on restricting the rights of asylum seekers, anti-racism groups are warning that blacks in particular are being depicted en masse as drug dealers or trouble-makers without any evidence on the part of those making the claims.
"The federal commission against racism has observed an increase in clearly racist articles in Switzerland's smaller regional newspapers," commission spokeswoman Doris Angst Yilmaz told swissinfo.
"In these articles they frequently use anti-black stereotypes and blatantly incite their readership to act against African asylum seekers who are all classified as drug dealers.".....