Global Prejudice Still Commonplace, Oprah Faces Racism in Switzerland

Some people would like to believe that we have progressed over the years when it comes to racism. But the sad truth is we have not progressed enough. Perhaps, it is now more subtle and in smaller numbers, but racism is still prevalent across the globe. Even those, like Oprah Winfrey, who have succeeded in an age where everyone is supposedly given equal rights, continue to face racism.

Oprah was in Zurich, Switzerland in late July shopping at a boutique when she asked an employee to see a purse. The saleswoman told her that “it was too expensive” and that she should look at some lower-priced purses instead. When Oprah asked a second time, the saleswoman said, “You don’t want to see that one, you want to see this one, because that one will cost too much and you will not be able to afford that,” according to CNN. The saleswoman clearly did not realize that she was speaking to one of the richest, most well-known women in the world. Oprah declined the salesperson’s offer and left the store, but not without tweeting about the incident, causing a social media anti-racism storm.

An argument in favor of the employee could be that she did not know about “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and did not recognize her. Maybe Oprah was not dressed in a way to suggest that she was rich and so the saleswoman had no notion to believe that Oprah could afford the purse. Such misjudgments can happen. Physical appearances, including what you wear and how you carry yourself, are the first things that people can judge you by. However, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Oprah said, “I didn’t have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and sandals.” Therefore, the only other obvious ground upon which the salesperson could have based her judgement was the color of Oprah’s skin.

Having lived in Switzerland myself for the past three years, I must say that this news did not shock me. Unfortunately, my family and I have experienced situations similar to Oprah’s while living in Geneva. By no means do I want to stereotype or say that every Swiss person is alike, but I must confess that during my time in Geneva I have observed a great deal of contempt for foreigners and people of color by the locals. Geneva is an international city with many expats from North and South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Despite this, most locals are not fond of foreigners, and politicians have even been suggesting a legislature to close the Swiss borders in order to tighten the acceptance of immigrants. As of 2012, Switzerland has over 10,000 refugees, most of them from the Middle East and Africa, according to CIA World Factbook. It is true that the poverty and crime rates in Switzerland have increased as more and more refugees and immigrants have arrived. This correlation between increased crime and number of foreigners is what the Swiss people object to and that is why some treat foreigners with disdain.

I am Puerto Rican, I have brown-pigmented skin, and, as some have told me, an air of Indian or Middle Eastern features. Many times, when I am in a restaurant, store, or supermarket and I try to speak with people in French, the city’s main language, they ignore me, pretend they do not understand, or treat me with contempt. They usually assume I am Middle Eastern. It is not until they find out I am from Puerto Rico that some, and only some, instantly brighten and treat me courteously. One time I was with my mother at the mall and she asked an employee if she spoke English, as my mother does not speak French. The employee gruffly said no. Not five minutes later, a white woman came in with her son and asked the same thing. The employee was all smiles and said, “Yes, of course!” and proceeded to attend to the woman in her sale. I wish I could say that these are isolated incidents, but the truth is, roughly 80 percent of my interactions with Genevans result in some sort of brush with racism.

I had this same conversation with family friends from Uruguay, where black people are the minority and have lower standards of living than white people. The majority of black people have low-paying occupations like gardeners, garbage collectors, and housekeepers. My friends have nothing against black people, whether it be upper class or lower class, and believe they have every right to live however they want. And yet, whenever they see a black person driving a Bentley they are shocked. They’re just simply not used to it. It’s a matter of culture and the environment you were raised in. This applies to people in Switzerland, too. Although Geneva may have a large population of foreigners, Switzerland as a whole is very much Swiss, and is not necessarily a “melting pot” like the U.S. This, coupled with the fact that most of the colored immigrants who enter Switzerland are from poorer countries come to better their lives, are perhaps less educated, and some even a factor in the increased crime rate, it is no wonder that the Swiss carry this kind of racist mentality.

I have to admit that some things in Switzerland that I find rude or racist could just be a misunderstanding of their culture. In Puerto Rico, people are more open, loud, and friendly, and there is a great sense of community. If a person is lost, chances are someone will give them directions. If someone falls down, someone will more than likely help them up or at least ask if they are okay. In Switzerland, I have noticed that people are more reserved and keep to themselves. On buses, in doctor’s offices, and in airports, people would not strike up conversation with a stranger like they would in Puerto Rico or the U.S. And that is okay. It is just their culture. But there are moments when I question whether it’s just custom or there is something more behind their actions. For example, my mom injured her knee the first year we arrived in Geneva. She fell one day on the bus with her crutch and absolutely no one helped her. They barely even looked at her. To me, this would count as rude, maybe even racist if her color had something to do with their indifference, but to them it may be normal. Everyone is very independent and I don’t feel the sense of community I am used to.

Let me make this clear: I have nothing against Genevans or Swiss people. I even have several Swiss friends from the three parts of Switzerland: the French, German and Italian side. It is not right to make assumptions and to collectively label a whole country as being rude, racist, or insensitive to foreigners. But the number of experiences I have gone through is so overwhelming that I unfortunately have to say it is true for the many Swiss people I have encountered in my time in Geneva.

However, it is not only in Geneva where I have experienced such racism. Growing up in the Bahamas, a predominantly black country with many European, American, and Latin expats, my family and I have been insulted because of our nationality, even by the principal of my middle school. We had an International Day where we celebrated all of the students’ nationalities with a parade, games, and “embassies” where families could “visit” different countries and learn about their history and culture. My mother joined some friends in the Mexican Embassy because there weren’t enough Puerto Ricans at the school to form our own embassy. Everyone was dancing and singing and having a good time when the principal, who is coincidentally from Switzerland, walks in and says, “So I guess after this, you’re all going to go to a bar and get drunk?” In the silence that fell, my mother didn’t know what to say, because she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Everyone stood dumbfounded, but one of the women had the courage to say, “No, sir. We don’t need alcohol to have fun,” to which the principal merely nodded and left.

Such outright rude and racist comments were not uncommon, but then there were the subtler ones that I think shocked me the most because it showed how easily people assume things about you just because of your features. One day I was pulling up to a gated community in The Bahamas to visit a friend when the security guard asked me if I was the maid. I was barely 17 years old.

Nevertheless, it was not until I moved to the U.S. to attend the University of Tampa that I really understood the extent of what racism was. One time, when I was in Walmart buying a greeting card, an elderly white couple sparked a conversation with me over some cards written in Spanish, asking me to translate them. When I told them I attended UT, the old lady said, “Oh, good for you. It’s nice that people like you can go to college.” I stared at her blankly, not understanding what she meant, until they smiled and said, “Adios!” and started walking off. “Did she really just say that?” I thought. I got angry, and I would have said something, but I couldn’t tell off an old lady in the middle of the greeting card aisle, so I let it pass. But it was then that it dawned on me: I will have to put up with such comments for the rest of my life. It came so naturally for that old woman to say it. She wasn’t trying to be mean. On the contrary, she was smiling and seemed genuinely happy for me, but it amazed me how she had no idea that she had just insulted me. It’s the common mindset of many people.

I cannot count how many times someone has said, “But you can’t be Puerto Rican or Hispanic. You don’t have an accent!” as if having an accent is a terrible thing or that this statement is supposed to be a compliment. I’ve also had people jokingly or insultingly call me “Mexican,” because apparently, no other Latin country exists except Mexico and being Mexican is the worst possible insult one can give to a Latino person.

This animosity and racism towards people of color that I find so abundant in countries like Switzerland, Bahamas, and the U.S. really has me in shock and sorrow. Even now, I hate the fact that I have to specify whether I’m white, black, or Hispanic. It shouldn’t matter. Why can’t we just be “people?” Race should not be a factor. The next time Oprah, I, or even you go to a store to purchase something, we should not be treated differently because of the color of our skin.

Paola Crespo can be reached at paola.crespo@theminaretonline.com