General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I'm still trying to wrap my head around Oprah's purse. [View all]eilen
(4,950 posts)and I think the sales clerk would have said the same thing to me-- in regard to this very overpriced piece of reptile skin. I don't know, there is some plausibility although I think that if a store is displaying something for sale, it should show it to customers that express interest in it. If the article was already sold and it was display only-- maybe that may explain it. But then again, what do I know being a recipient of privilege? However, I have observational ability to see when people are being mistreated. Since I was not there, I cannot be sure. I do know there are a lot of snooty people out there that do treat people like crap to make themselves feel superior. I have been on the receiving end and have to say it is about the personality of the person doing it, not the person receiving it.
Now, if O had been turned away from a restaurant; if the police stopped her for driving while black or arrested her because she "matched the description" or the grocery store clerk tests her cash only to verify it is real, being followed about (without cameras) by security in department stores- the daily kinds of little humiliations that people of color endure everyday-- that I have observed and can believe quite easily.
I think Oprah is used to people kissing up to her. Her show has been off the air on major networks for a long time now. Despite plastering her magazine with her face on it every month, --other countries don't necessarily look at American magazines. She is the kind of celebrity like Michael Jackson -- swimming in more refined waters than the rest of the population-- I think their class of wealth insulates them.