Oprah Winfrey 'was victim of racism' in Switzerland

[AndyA]

86. Not sure how much sympathy I have for Ms. Winfrey on this

A $40,000 purse? Really? Who the hell needs a $40,000 purse?

I also question how well known Oprah is in Switzerland. I'm sure I wouldn't recognize most celebrities from another country--how well known is Oprah over there? Some working people probably don't watch television much, so it's very possible they had no idea who she was.

I'm not saying it wasn't racism, but with a language barrier on top of everything else, is it possible they just had no idea what Oprah wanted, or who she was?

If the clerk refused to let Oprah look at the purse because she was black, yes, that's an issue, and it's wrong.

But the other issue here is this is an example of the haves and the have nots. How many women don't even have a purse? Or food on the table, or a roof over their head, or medicine for their children? How many people could that $40,000 help?

I'll never understand how these hyper-wealthy people continue to drum up sympathy for their problems. I'm sorry, but their problems pale in comparison to those of many others. Oprah will never have to worry about being able to afford food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or anything else. She's one of the lucky ones who will never have to fight these battles.

If I had the kind of money Oprah has, instead of worrying about wasteful excesses, I'd rather spend the money to help abused animals left on the street to die. I see them all the time on Facebook--set on fire and left to die a painful death--but somehow they survived, and organizations are begging for money to help them. A kitten that a group of teenagers tried to drown in a bucket of dirty motor oil. The dog hit by a car and left to die, whose broken bones healed incorrectly so it can't hardly walk and drags its back end behind it, so weak it can barely move because it's starving to death. The single moms all across the world struggling to care for their children. People dying because they can't afford medical attention. People going to bed at night hungry because they haven't eaten in days.

Racism is very real, and it's very wrong, and it shouldn't be tolerated. But I just don't have much sympathy for Oprah on this. If she wants that purse, she can have one of the many people who work for her get it in her hands in a matter of hours, I'll bet. But what about the mother watching a child die because she can't get medicine or food?

I like Oprah, and I know she's done a lot of good for a lot of people over the years. But $40,000 for a purse that she'll use a couple of times then stash in her closet? Seems rather wasteful to me. $40,000 for a purse? Really? Was it 24K gold? I lost a lot of respect for Oprah over this.

I'm sure more details will be revealed about this, now that's it's become a worldwide story, and if the clerk really did act the way they did due to the color of Oprah's skin, that needs to be addressed as there should be zero tolerance for that.

If I were Oprah, I would have been embarrassed to even mention it, knowing how many are hurting today. In the big scheme of things, that money could have done a lot of good for people and animals. Indulgence is one thing, but c'mon...really, Oprah?