and the wealthy wonder why we are unhappy with them?

 

Well.clueless clever-but-we-are-clueless

I could spew forth gobs of published information with regard to the widening gap between the haves <those who have money> and the have nots <those who don’t have a lot of money> as well as the decreasing overall wealth of the middle class in western countries <albeit their overall wealth is just lower off a generally high high>.

I could do all of those things to point out why even those in the middle class not only cannot relate to the wealthy segment of the world but actually dislike the wealthy … but I will not … instead I will share this quote from a recent story in the headlines:

 

“… clerk thinks I can’t afford $38K handbag? That is racism.” – Oprah Winfrey

 

Yikes.

Racism? Really?

How clueless can the wealthy be? Ok. Maybe it is simply skewed perspective on every day life.

 

Oprah … who is not a stupid woman … believes she is telling a slice of life story <supposedly a behind the scenes glimpse of her every day life drudgery> about how even she faces racism in today’s world … but … SHE IS TALKING ABOUT A $38,000 HAND BAG FOR GODS SAKE!

 

Oh. This handbag just happens to be residing in a quaint store … in Zurich Switzerland …  where she was lounging around going to a wedding. This hand bag was one of the higher-end models priced at 35,000 Swiss francs or $38,000.

 

The billionaire media mogul told the U.S. program “Entertainment Tonight” that a shop assistant in Zurich refused to show her black handbag because it was “too expensive” for her.

 

Oprah called it “a racist encounter.”

 

Well.

She may be correct.

 

But I have news for Oprah … I am a white semi successful 50something male … and the clerk would have taken one look at me <gulped> and he would have not only think I could afford that handbag … he would KNOW I cannot afford that handbag and would actually probably guess I was there to STEAL the frickin’ handbag.

Store security would have been eying me closer than they would naked pictures of Miss Switzerland.

 

C’mon.

Making a point about racism over a $38k hand bag?

 

Please.

 

Maybe she thought the hand bag was such a bargain that she wanted to share how she could slum it … and still face racism.

I mean a $38k bag is nothing in some boutiques <and apparently not to Oprah>.

Prices for a Hermes’ Birkin bag <described as a delightfully square, sturdy tote – insert ‘what?!?’ here … square? … sturdy? … – which is one of the most-coveted luxury handbags since it was introduced in the 1980s> start at about $10,000 but have gone as high as $200,000 <that one described as a delightful red crocodile skin Birkin>.

 

Look.

I am all for people making as much money as they want <as long as they do it with integrity>.

And I also believe that if you have earned the money you have the right to spend it as you please … you need not match my, or anyone’s for that matter, beliefs with regard to how to spend it … it is a personal choice.

 

I know Oprah makes something like $75 million a year.

I know she is on TV gabbing away as a personal expert on life for zillions of people.

I know she recommends typically horrendous books <but at least she encourages reading>.

 

But racism?

 

Oprah really thinks this story makes her relatable and makes a point about racism?

 

This ain’t about racism … this is about how clueless the rich are with regard to … well … every day life and us every day people.

 

This is about a $38k hand bag.

 

Why?

In America somewhere between 20 to 40% of all <ALL> households earn $40k or less.

Yup. That handbag represents let’s say almost a 1/3rd of all USA food, daily expenses and recreation.

 

Ok.

How about this <and that frickin’ 38k handbag>?

 

The median income worldwide — the amount that is dead middle between the least and the highest amounts — is $850 US Dollars (USD). People who have incomes of $41,000 USD are in the top 3% in terms of the richest people in the world. If the trillion dollar worldwide economy were evenly split up between Earth’s 6.7 billion people, the average income would be $7,000 USD. <source: wisegeek.com>

 

Countries that have average incomes of about $7,000 include Chile and Mexico.

 

Three billion people in the world live on less than $2 per day <note:  for those math challenged that is less than $1000 a year … so that handbag could provide a life for a community of say 40 people>.

 

Racism?

 

Please.

 

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Written by Bruce