General Discussion

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

163. Melissa Harris Perry, an African American woman dismissed the claim of racism and

Mon Aug 12, 2013, 10:03 AM

Aug 2013

stated that Oprah was having a one percenter problem instead on her show Sunday. I believe this to be true. The clerk did not recognize her as of the class who could afford the purse. I believe it had nothing to do with her color as I'm certain much of the high end clients they deal with are not lily white. She just didn't have the facial recognition in Switzerland as she has here. Also, Melissa went through a laundry list of what that money could have bought, including food for a family of four for thirty months.

Yeah, the fact that overpriced baubles like that exist shows how uneven the world's wealth distribution is. I don't know the solution to this but in the USA we need to go back to the pre-Reagan tax structure, so that those with excess wealth pay their fair share to fund social programs for the needy. Until the poorest person has a roof over his/her head and access to health care and other necessities of like, such obscene wealth should not be permitted to happen.

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I'm still trying to wrap my head around Oprah's purse. [View all] Cleita Aug 2013 OP

I am not losing any sleep over an obscenely wealthy woman being insulted by a snooty shop asst. MotherPetrie Aug 2013 #1

Switzerland is the most xenophobic place in Europe. Machine guns at every entry point confirm this. onehandle Aug 2013 #2

Nonsense. nt. Democracyinkind Aug 2013 #21

To give them the benefit of the doubt question everything Aug 2013 #3

She's got billions BainsBane Aug 2013 #4

She's the one whining about how she was mistreated. duffyduff Aug 2013 #85

Wow, so just because you are rich, you aren't allowed to speak out against racist treatment? phleshdef Aug 2013 #95

Your comment is offensive BainsBane Aug 2013 #109

what bothers me is people dismissing the racism JI7 Aug 2013 #5

and nobody is dissing the shop owner for selling a $38,000 purse or Phentex Aug 2013 #30

It is about racism, but isn't it a legitimate side issue that a family could live happily for a Squinch Aug 2013 #35

Yes, but that's another topic... Phentex Aug 2013 #46

Well, that other topic happens to be the main topic of this thread Scootaloo Aug 2013 #102

I think the saying goes like this hfojvt Aug 2013 #45

Another racist rant Bandit Aug 2013 #166

Do you think the OP is dismissing racism? nt ZombieHorde Aug 2013 #61

Exactly...The point is, if even a very wealthy & well know celebrity can experience racism, whathehell Aug 2013 #63

According to her. We don't really know the truth. n/t duffyduff Aug 2013 #82

What happened to Oprah is illustrative of what happens to blacks every day. lumberjack_jeff Aug 2013 #76

this. nt La Lioness Priyanka Aug 2013 #98

+1000 - they're either oblivious to the point Oprah was trying to make CakeGrrl Aug 2013 #151

PETA's 2008 Person of Year - looking at crocodile handbags leftstreet Aug 2013 #6

Seriously? Fridays Child Aug 2013 #8

Mainstream media's reports are that this was an alligator handbag - truedelphi Aug 2013 #20

Nope, not alligator. Beacool Aug 2013 #137

Yeah, that is amazing to me too Bettie Aug 2013 #160

Do a little research on PETA and the number of animals they kill - TBF Aug 2013 #31

She wanted to look at it. She didn't do anything PETA could object to. If she had bought it Squinch Aug 2013 #36

I just bought a $68.00 handbag a couple of weeks ago, and it was a an ENORMOUS amount of money FourScore Aug 2013 #7

and many would diss you for that... Phentex Aug 2013 #32

I hear you. My bags are usually under $20, however, I was eyeing a Michael Kors Cleita Aug 2013 #97

This message was self-deleted by its author BainsBane Aug 2013 #112

Your $68 handbag will last you awhile, I bet. Ilsa Aug 2013 #132

she gives a lot of money to charity Liberal_in_LA Aug 2013 #9

Was it really racism? moondust Aug 2013 #10

Then she could have explained the policy and called the boss. n/t pnwmom Aug 2013 #12

The clerk and owner of the store maintain that it was a miscommunication. Democracyinkind Aug 2013 #22

Nah. I think they didn't let her see it because she was black, and they assumed she was Squinch Aug 2013 #37

After hearing the statement from the owner, I doubt it. Democracyinkind Aug 2013 #44

Zurich is probably quite familiar with monied elites. moondust Aug 2013 #50

That was the drift of my post ... Democracyinkind Aug 2013 #53

That's what came to my mind as well. SMC22307 Aug 2013 #92

Nope! JustAnotherGen Aug 2013 #38

Rush Limbaugh doesn't think it's racism. See today's "Salon." (nt) Paladin Aug 2013 #39

Now I'm doubling down JustAnotherGen Aug 2013 #58

For me the take away point from Rush's rant is that tblue37 Aug 2013 #88

Who the hell is Tom Ford who prices a purse at $38,000? Kablooie Aug 2013 #11

+1000 darkangel218 Aug 2013 #26

exactly... it is a sick part of our society. The question is-- where does the money go? NoMoreWarNow Aug 2013 #57

On any day of the week you will see bags that expensive for sale BainsBane Aug 2013 #113

Oprah has donated MILLIONS to charity pnwest Aug 2013 #13

no, she hasn't earned it. HiPointDem Aug 2013 #24

That's right, the elites always give to charity. David__77 Aug 2013 #27

lol, socialist. how you going to tell okieinpain Aug 2013 #77

no one 'earns' the kind of money oprah has. HiPointDem Aug 2013 #89

That is an incredibly logic empty comment. bluestate10 Aug 2013 #120

no one earns it. no one. that is something folks like yourself can't seem to understand. HiPointDem Aug 2013 #126

If you are giving away that much money, then you don't need it at all duffyduff Aug 2013 #73

So, after taking what she needs to live, the proceeds from Oprah's labor hughee99 Aug 2013 #104

Hey, spying costs money. Dr. Strange Aug 2013 #116

Why don't we get a law passed to take rich people's money. Obviously they don't need it. bluestate10 Aug 2013 #121

I would be on board with that. Cleita Aug 2013 #125

If we had such a law, we'd all be surprised at how quickly the poverty level Egalitarian Thug Aug 2013 #158

Oprah is the 1% avaistheone1 Aug 2013 #14

Actually she is like the top one thousandth of the one percent. n/t duffyduff Aug 2013 #74

It's the lavishness of the celebrity culture. That's why I find celebrities repulsive if they are... Safetykitten Aug 2013 #15

One possibility seems to be missed defacto7 Aug 2013 #16

If I saw that price tag, I'd want to look at it too mainer Aug 2013 #54

one time in vegas, I was looking at judith leiber purses--absolutely beautiful little works of art. niyad Aug 2013 #56

That's my same point... UncleTomsEvilBrother Aug 2013 #155

I doubt Oprah needed to look at the price. That's the point of the story. CJCRANE Aug 2013 #159

Whoever said that Capitalism was efficient in distributing and consuming resources? AZ Progressive Aug 2013 #17

Did you know the upper crust still have debutant balls? Spitfire of ATJ Aug 2013 #18

These bags get sold like used cars. SleeplessinSoCal Aug 2013 #19

I just can't imagine any purse being worth that much, I didn't know that such Raine Aug 2013 #23

There are some pieces of canvas ..... oldhippie Aug 2013 #51

the most expensive purse in the world valued at 3.8 MILLION. lots of gems!! niyad Aug 2013 #64

I have no doubt that they'd refuse to show it to me, too - lynne Aug 2013 #25

That is what it seems to me as well. Lurker Deluxe Aug 2013 #59

Nobody would show it to me, either. Ednahilda Aug 2013 #70

I think you've hit the nail on the head. duffyduff Aug 2013 #83

Don't bags like these have wait lists? eilen Aug 2013 #153

I agree with the point you're making. I am also unsurprised by the point missers pissing on your Stinky The Clown Aug 2013 #28

she has the last laugh though. ejpoeta Aug 2013 #29

The store had the last laugh in that scenerio. nt ZombieHorde Aug 2013 #62

how did the store have the last laugh, since it lost out on a pretty big sale? niyad Aug 2013 #69

Didn't they buy a bunch of clothes? ZombieHorde Aug 2013 #72

yes, vivian and edward go to a number of different shops. when vivian is finished shopping, loaded niyad Aug 2013 #79

Ah. That does sound familiar now that you have described it. nt ZombieHorde Aug 2013 #87

Yes, that's the trope that this incident resembles. CJCRANE Aug 2013 #162

when I was in college, back before the earth's crust cooled, most of the students looked and dressed niyad Aug 2013 #164

You're right - it's not the purse it's the general idea TBF Aug 2013 #33

It's appalling. Oprah should have kept her big mouth shut. duffyduff Aug 2013 #71

Thank you for this chart. Cleita Aug 2013 #93

If you go to the link there's more -- TBF Aug 2013 #100

I live in an affluent area and since I work out at the gym with some really rich people, Cleita Aug 2013 #103

Is there a similar chart for accumulated wealth? I think that would make more telling. rhett o rick Aug 2013 #117

I'd love to see one - TBF Aug 2013 #146

John. Edward's. Haircut. Phentex Aug 2013 #34

Thank you for using the word poor. ananda Aug 2013 #40

I can't even deal with anyone, including Oprah, who would spend $38,000 on a purse kelliekat44 Aug 2013 #41

I can deal with them. But some of their spending habits are misguided. nt bluestate10 Aug 2013 #122

That's no rant. Octafish Aug 2013 #42

That's ok. As long as the 1% can work the rest of us MichiganVote Aug 2013 #43

At least she was circulating the money. The $38,000. (likely over)paid a bunch of people, who magical thyme Aug 2013 #47

We can do better than that. TBF Aug 2013 #84

I don't doubt that magical thyme Aug 2013 #148

Your statement - TBF Aug 2013 #149

advocating how? who is listening? what changes are you actually effecting. magical thyme Aug 2013 #150

Some folks advocate bandaids and crumbs TBF Aug 2013 #156

ah, I see. Still not answering the question. nt magical thyme Aug 2013 #165

If you are having problems with comprehension TBF Aug 2013 #167

This is a 'perfect storm' of cognitive dissonance for DU. X_Digger Aug 2013 #48

Yes -- Too bad so many here can NOT separate it to see the bigger picture. n/t whathehell Aug 2013 #66

Her attempt to make herself into the Rosa Parks of the top thousandth of the top one percent duffyduff Aug 2013 #75

She's not trying to make herself into any kind of Rosa Parks gollygee Aug 2013 #80

that seems like a silly article to me hfojvt Aug 2013 #49

purse designer Duckhunter935 Aug 2013 #52

oh, I bet there is more of a mark up than that hfojvt Aug 2013 #55

The article says it was $35,000 Swiss Francs and $38,000 Cleita Aug 2013 #90

+38,000 Hassin Bin Sober Aug 2013 #110

Al Franken usually gets it hfojvt Aug 2013 #123

Thanks for sharing your insight n/t TroglodyteScholar Aug 2013 #60

So when do you people plan on attacking the First Lady for wearing Tom Ford? name not needed Aug 2013 #65

"You people"? n/t Igel Aug 2013 #91

No sympathy for Oprah duffyduff Aug 2013 #67

I can't think of a better illustration of what's wrong with the 1%! hedgehog Aug 2013 #68

38,000 for a purse is obscene nt abelenkpe Aug 2013 #78

Thank you for making the purse a separate issue from the racist incident gollygee Aug 2013 #81

I'm sorry I mentioned Oprah at all. Cleita Aug 2013 #94

I don't think you should be sorry for that. It was news...and KoKo Aug 2013 #96

I'm white, blonde/blue-eyed eilen Aug 2013 #154

Some great points. Grateful for Hope Aug 2013 #86

Those in the pampered elite class aren't going to pay their fair share of taxes as long as indepat Aug 2013 #99

I am not at all sure that Oprah can be a judge of racism. truedelphi Aug 2013 #101

I have to admit, I've never seen an "Oprah isn't paying her fair share of taxes" thread before. n/t hughee99 Aug 2013 #105

To be clear, maybe she is. Cleita Aug 2013 #106

I doubt anyone in the 0.01% is paying their fair share. nm rhett o rick Aug 2013 #119

What is their fair share? Tax rates should be progressive and loopholes that the rich use mostly bluestate10 Aug 2013 #124

Yes, past a certain point, they should be taxed into oblivion. Marr Aug 2013 #140

It's wrong that she wasn't given the chance to handle the 38k purse daleo Aug 2013 #107

The racism gets to me. Rex Aug 2013 #108

I have one thing to say BainsBane Aug 2013 #111

Ah, capitalism. RedCappedBandit Aug 2013 #114

I lost respect for Oprah hearing this story Californeeway Aug 2013 #115

Like most people that go from being everyday to being super rich, Oprah has jumped the tracks. bluestate10 Aug 2013 #118

Right there with you. Oakenshield Aug 2013 #127

Yep. Time to bring back real progressive taxation Cleita Aug 2013 #128

Contemporary research suggests chervilant Aug 2013 #129

If philanthropy worked as a solution to social problems, we Cleita Aug 2013 #131

True. n/t chervilant Aug 2013 #145

This whole thing smacks of a publicity stunt, done usually when celebs have a new movie or book. reformist2 Aug 2013 #130

not sure this is so racist. the shop lady DID show her other bags. pansypoo53219 Aug 2013 #133

I've never been to Zurich, but I was reading comments from people who lived there Beacool Aug 2013 #134

here: niyad Aug 2013 #135

Point was about the price of the bags. Cleita Aug 2013 #136

The price is obscene. Beacool Aug 2013 #139

There are people out there dying of diseases that could be treated for the price of Marr Aug 2013 #138

I think what really bothers Oprah is her ego was damaged because doc03 Aug 2013 #141

Yes, but you're missing one point. Rich people deserve the best, no matter valerief Aug 2013 #142

You are so right. Cleita Aug 2013 #143

Yes! Good point! Would you like a dish of this excellent Almas caviar, dear? Zorra Aug 2013 #147

Two wrongs don't make a right. Whether racism or class snobbery, the shopkeeper... Moonwalk Aug 2013 #144

What is a $40K handbag made of, unicorn hides? The Velveteen Ocelot Aug 2013 #152

The assumption is she was going to BUY it. CBGLuthier Aug 2013 #157

I think it's odd how Americans tend to project their own local ideas of racism onto Marr Aug 2013 #161

Melissa Harris Perry, an African American woman dismissed the claim of racism and Cleita Aug 2013 #163