Today, I learned that Oprah had been turned away from Hermes in Paris. Hermes tried to make nice and say that they were closed because of a PR event, but I don’t think Gayle would have said that Oprah (mind you a woman who grew up poor in Mississippi, a woman who was sexually assaulted as a child) had suffered one of the biggest humiliations in her life, if there was not more to the story. She has even said that she won’t shop there any more. I really had my heart set on a few Hermes items (scarves, a watch, perfume and a really beautiful bag), but I guess that if they don’t want Billionaire Oprah’s money, they surely don’t want my regular brown-skinned African American cash or platinum either. Oh well. Another merchant on the do not shop list. It looks like the only thing that has changed is the year, and how sad is that?
It is amazing how things in my life sometimes come together at the same time. Almost like it is a season or something in the air. Must be my Louisiana roots or something making me extra sensitive. Just the other day, my friends and I were having this conversation about the use of the n-word and how it is becoming more commonplace and even accepted despite its repulsive and brutal history.
We all came to the conclusion that there is just no good reason to use it for anyone. No matter what. Its history is what it is. I also feel the same way about the antiques that were created to make fun of blacks. I know that some rich African Americans collect them, but I see nothing but pain in those images. They were created for the express purpose of insulting my people. And now they are worth a lot of money. Strange fruit, indeed.
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