No, no, no. Celebrities routinely shop at stores after hours. They were turned away because the store was hosting an imminent private event, the preparations for which were in progress.
Or, in other words, the store was not open to the public. It was, therefore, closed. 
It’s surprising how much the “racist” card is played, especially by the affluent.
The person who lived here before us, according to our downstairs neighbor, was the Neighbor From Hell. NFH liked to watch his big large giant tv into the wee hours of the morning. NFH had a bad habit of putting his putrid bags full of garbage out in the hall and just leaving them there. NFH also just happened to be Arab. When Downstairs Neighbor politely asked him if maybe he could turn his TV down just a tad after midninght, and if he could please take his garbage out like everybody else, NFH flew into a rage and accused him of being “racist” (Downstairs Neighbor is a devout Jew, btw, which makes this even funnier). DN tried to explain that it had nothing to do with race, but NFH would have none of it. I’m glad I never had to deal with this guy.
Somewhat clever, but I expect more caustic remarks from a someone like yourself.
Despite the fact that you think Hermes’ story is true, you have to admit it is all speculation at this point. Oprah hasn’t said anything about it. I don’t understand why everyone thinks it is more likely that Oprah would make up a story about being discriminated against and report this story to the tabloids than Hermes being discriminatory. Hermes says they have all this on tape, if Oprah tells the story the tabloids have reported she will tell, then she will be exposed as a liar once Hermes released said tape. At that point, Oprah would deserve all the vitriol you guys are spewing. Until then, it seems unfair to call her a liar when she has never done anything like this before, and would have zero to gain by doing so.
The Hermes story doesn’t make sense for a number of reasons. In the CNN article on Wednesday, June 22, the store says she was told by a security guard that they were closed and she was given a card telling her she could come back the next day. On Friday, June 24, the Washington Post reports that the store said the following:
No mention of a clerk in the first draft of this story. Also no mention of the manager Oprah’s “pal” claims was present. If the Hermes story is true, then all they have to do is release the tape. I admit I could be wrong, but their story doesn’t make sense to me. Unless all the things attributed to Oprah’s friends are false, you would have to believe that:
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Oprah’s people reported this to the NY post, despite having nothing to gain and a whole lot to lose.
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That Oprah’s people made up the North African thing.
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Oprah is so deluded that she thinks she can lie about something the store has on camera without consequence. In addition, this woman, who has no history of lying, or making race an issue is risking her reputation to stick it to a store that wouldn’t cater to her demands.
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That the Hermes clerk recognized her (a person who is apparently not very famous in France) as Oprah Winfrey, the influential billionaire celebrity, told her to come back the next day, and refused to let her speak to a manager.
I think it’s more likely that they Hermes is racist.
It’s also amazing how prevalent racism is, especially among the affluent. Sure, people accuse other’s of racism where none exists, but this claims are dwarfed by the legitimate claims of racism. You, like many others, hear one side of the story, and accept it as gospel. If you never met this neighbor, then you are not in a great position to know whether his claims of racism are invalid.
Just like people who claimed cops in NJ don’t/didn’t pull over black people for no reason, or that people with ethnic names don’t have a harder time finding jobs or housing, you assume racism is overstated because a few people make spurious claims. For every person like your neighbor describes, there are dozens that get screwed over because of their race. Maybe you should look at claims of racism as a serious charge that may warrant further investigation, rather than someone playing a “card”.
And they check your passport before you enter any store right?
Belowjob2.0, brickbacon-question: do either of you think that Oprah should have been allowed to enter a store that had been CLOSED for fifteen minutes? If so, why?
Lib, true, celebs do usually try to shop at off hours, but they usually call ahead and let the store know they’re coming so it can prepare to stay open.
From which perspective would you like me to answer the question? If I am the store manager at Hermes, I would let her in for a number of reasons. If you are asking whether she has a right to enter a store after closing, the answer is obviously no.
However, the situation is far more complicated than that. My argument isn’t that they should have let her in, it’s that their story sounds like bullshit, and that it’s unfair to dismiss her claims of racism without hearing both sides of the story. Her claim, as reported by the various news outlets, is more plausible than Hermes. Taking her history of philanthropy and strong character into consideration only strengthens her claims. She is not a reactionary or someone who makes claims like this without merit. It seems more likely that her story, if accurately reported, is more likely to have happened.
Something about this story just doesn’t add up. If they did not recognize her as a celebrity, then there is no reason to suspect racism as the store was closed (unless they always allow non-famous white customers to shop after closing). If they did recognize her as Oprah, and they don’t cater to black celebrities, why is the “North African” angle even mentioned?
I suspect this is all based on shoddy gossip-style reporting, and that Oprah isn’t really going to cause a stink about it. (Bonus prediction: Hermes will have record sales over the next few months).
Pash
That’s probably true. I’m not familiar with the logistics of it. But I know that, for example, Elton John routinely shops after hours. It isn’t that he’s a snob. It’s just that he can’t get anything done otherwise. But I can see where his man might call ahead and arrange it.
Yeah, that makes total sense-he’d get mobbed otherwise. I just think they’d naturally arrange it first, otherwise he might arrive and then they would have already started closing up for the night, and he’d have to wait.
And of course Elton’s a snob, that’s part of his charm. 
I promise to put more effort into it next time.
And there you have it in a nutshell. “Oprah hasn’t said anything about it.” So I think Oprah is a little pissed because she wasn’t recognized as a celebrity and admitted after hours. Then others (journalists?) took it and ran with the racism nonsense.
If you look at it from that standpoint, Hermes’s story makes perfect sense.
I find it extremely unlikely that a major high-end shop in Paris is racist. Where’sthe profit in that? The fact that they don’t admit customers after hours unless an appointment has been arranged doesn’t mean they are racist.
brickbacon, I think Oprah’s friend Gail has indicated that nothing was said to them about North Africans. The differences in the two accounts are not substantial. (The shop is fairly small and it is possible that a clerk or manager stepped outside to see what was going on.)
You do have a point that Oprah is not one to scream “racism” very often, but then she probably hasn’t been exposed to this kind of treatment in a long time either.
I do remember a time when she could handle bigots without missing a beat. She was a reporter for a local television station here when she was just 18 or so. She went to do an interview with a local businessman. She put out her hand to shake hands with him and he said, “I don’t shake hands with niggers.” She quickly responded, “I’ll bet the niggers are glad.”
(Please pardon my language.)
So I will listen to what she has to say in September. She has my interest up now.
belowjob, thanks for the insights – and clairobscur too. It was so tragic when the hotel near the Opera House burned in April.
We Gibson County girls were known for being able to melt doors.
It’s funny, then, how I’ve heard horror stories about this person not just from our neighbor, but from others in the building (perhaps I should have mentioned that, but I’ve heard the majority of stories from the neighbor, since he lived closest to this guy). Coincidentally, also, there’s a pretty multicultural group of tenants here who coexist peacefully.
Think I don’t know about racism? Think again. I’m part Cree Indian, and I’ve had my share of discrimination, like sitting on the porch of the local Anishnaabe center with some friends, and having a group of drink skinheads walk by yelling for us “dirty Indians” to “go home” (the sons of European immigrants telling aboriginals to go home??? Anyway…) I’ve also had some nice bystanders at fesivals loudly comment that our women’s drum circle is just “a bunch of wailing and noise”. Visit any Reservation and you’ll see people “getting screwed over” for their race every day, I can tell you that. So, do I assume racism is overstated? No way in hell. But when a lot of otherwise kind, accepting and multi-racial people all claim that this one guy was a jerk, it’s probably true.
That Fayette County girl, she melted my heart then stomped that sucker flat! :smack:
Why do I get the feeling that Belowjob would agree with this article?
asterion, I don’t know about BJ, but if I understand the article correctly, I certainly agree with it. How can you not?
Because in some ways it’s spot on, and in some ways it’s way too vague. I, for one, would be very wary of any behavior that “cannot be hidden from trained observers.” Psychologists often differ about diagnoses, and that’s after personal consulation. How a ‘trained racism investigator’ would have a 100% sucess rate seems like pseudoscience to me. In some situations, if you look hard enough for something, you will find it.
Is there a particular reason why you’re mentionning this fire in this thread?
Also, how did you hear about it? It was reported over there?
I believe it’s suspected that Oprah had a hand in it.
Of course it was. In pretty much every newspaper and most television and radio news broadcasts. I remember mentions of it and I don’t even watch TV news.