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Thursday, June 30, 2005The Life and Trials of Oprah WinfreyLet me see if I have this straight. Hermès is a terrible racist organization because Oprah Winfrey couldn't shop after hours? What planet is this woman living on? It's plain to see that she hasn't heard the words, "Attention Target shoppers, we will be closing in five minutes" in a while. All the headlines are wailing about racism. Racism in France? I thought that France was the land of liberal goodness and light. Actually, I've lived there and know better. If you catch the right Frenchman on the right day, you can hear things that would make the most backwoods Southerner uncomfortable. But... This case has nothing to do with French or other racism. It has to do with celebrity narcissism. If you or I had been at that door, do you seriously think the Frenchie in the window would have said, "Entrez, entrez"? Where does Oprah get off thinking all doors should open to her? Unfortunately, this isn't just narcissism. It's blatant insensitivity to others. Oprah sells herself as an everywoman, but she seems to see retail salespeople as service machines, not people. Looking in the window at Hermès, Oprah identified with her element, the wealthy shoppers. Her thoughts were not with salespeople who were obviously busy either getting the store shut down or getting something ready for later. Her only thought was, "Why do the other rich people get to shop and I don't?" We are asked to evaluate what the French clerks were thinking. But let's evaluate what Oprah wasn't thinking. She wasn't thinking at all about a mother being late to pick up her kid at the sitter's. She was totally indifferent to the young man who missed his bus and was an hour late for a date with his sweetheart. Nope. It's all about Oprah. Were Oprah truer to her supposed down to earth roots, she would know at least one retail salesperson who hates getting home an hour late every night because a customer needed one last thing at the last minute. She would realize that people don't work retail for the thrill of selling to Oprah, but to earn a living to pay the rent. And she would understand how profoundly discourteous it is to assume that because a bigshot tv host makes more money, others having nothing better to do with their lives than to hang around for the chance to serve her, even if it's after their posted work hours. I realize that sometimes people can't make it to the store in time. I have equal sympathies for the retail clerk from store A who wants to go home and the clerk from store B who has to run in at the last minute because she just got off work and she needs diapers. But when a multimillionaire celebrity throws a hissy fit because she's been asked to wait twelve hours to buy a thousand dollar watch, I feel sorry for the poor clerks who have to deal with that class of person. Should I stumble into sufficient disposable income, I hope to one day shop at places like Hermès. But I'll go when they're open out of respect for those who are there to earn their living, not flaunt their wealth and privilege. 
posted by gbarto at 4:44 PM |
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