to racist salespeople,
who can? Her encounter at a
Swiss boutique last week
has sparked genuine soul
searching in and around
Switzerland.
Oprah Winfrey and Our 'Oh-So-Civilized' Society (Der Standard, Austria)
"Black women, not dressed to the nines, not blessed with
the ideal dimensions of a Gucci coat rack, and who are demanding and difficult
to boot - that’s when people really like to vent their everyday racist
feelings."
Whether
Oprah Winfrey is recognized and courted in a high-end Swiss boutique or gets a
dressing down like some poor schmuck, is of course about as important to the
world as the proverbial bicycle falling over in China.
The
Swiss embarrassment certainly shows us several facets of discrimination and a
state of mind that exists in places other than Switzerland: Black women, not
dressed to the nines, not blessed with the ideal dimensions of a Gucci coat
rack, and who are demanding and difficult to boot - that’s when people really
like to vent their everyday racist feelings. African American opera singer Angel Blue had a similar
experience in 2011 with a Viennese taxi driver, who simply refused to chauffeur
“Black women.”
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Mind
you, prominent individuals with good connections to the media know how to
defend themselves.
This
is in contrast to all of those who are not wealthy or influential, and who are
entirely defenseless against this mindset. Like asylum seekers, who are barred
from public assembly, as in the Swiss town of Bremgarten.
Or women with headscarves who cannot find work because they look “different.” Or
people with disabilities, who are often treated as if they can only count to
three. That is why it’s OK to get angry about “Oprah’s Case”: because it shows
how “oh-so-civilized society” behaves when it thinks no one is looking.
