Oprah Winfrey told: ‘You cant afford it’

You maybe one of the most influential women on the planet, but if you're Black and the person doesn’t know your status, too often to them, you’re just another lesser human being than the rest of white society.

When Oprah Winfrey walked into a Chic Boutique in Zurich wanting to spend twenty four thousand pounds on a designer handbag, the shop assistant took one look at Oprah and said:

you can’t afford it."

Actually, billionaire Oprah Winfrey could buy the shop several times over with her loose change, but to the shop assistant, her own racial prejudice precluded her from making a substantial sale.

The shop owner gave the usual line:

‘It was not racism, but rather a misunderstand."

Fortunately, Ms Winfrey was having none of it. This was racism pure and simple, she said.

Whilst, some may say, ‘well why should we care, at least Oprah can go to another shop and buy that or any other bag till her hearts content’, and that would be true. But the wider point is, the shop assistant's comments could easily reflect the views of a wider nation. Furthermore, most Black people in Switzerland or anywhere else in Europe do not have the Billionaire status to easily brush off demeaning incidents. Most Black people have their lives dictated to by people who either think themselves superior or worse still just don’t like people of colour.

No wonder the Swiss tourist board have come out with a grovelling apology. Imagine for a second if all those blinged up Black rap, movie and sports stars stopped buying those luxury swiss watches, and other high end items?

There’s a thought.

Simon Woolley