I do sometimes feel like… how many times do we have to go through this cycle? The cycle: the British press says some sh-t which is only half true, then editorializes to a crazy degree to make the Duchess of Sussex sound like a complete jackass/diva/hypocrite, then spends a week adding more details to the half-false story, then when Meghan’s surrogates speak up in defense of her, the press goes “well, it’s not about race, it’s about this and this and this.” I’ve been covering royalty on this blog for more than a decade. There is a very real and noticeable difference between the way Meghan and Kate Middleton were treated during their courtships, their engagements, their weddings and their marriages. It’s not that “Kate will be Queen” and therefore gets treated with kid gloves. It’s that the toxic stew of the British press can’t help but show their asses repeatedly, and literally nothing will get them to stop.
The current rage-cycle is bashing the Sussexes for borrowing Elton John’s private plane and going on vacation in the South of France. Elton John has come out in defense of the Sussexes. Ellen DeGeneres has defended them. Pink has defended them. And now Jameela Jamil has some thoughts:
Ugh. Dear England and English press, just say you hate her because she’s black, and him for marrying a black woman and be done with it God dammit. Your bullying is so embarrassing and obvious. You’ve all lost your marbles. It’s 2019. Grow up. https://t.co/OMwwRU31p9
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) August 20, 2019
She continued her tweet-storm, writing:
I will never forget reading an English sh-t rag, writing the words, “Meghan’s exotic DNA shall certainly THICKEN the royal blue blood line…” (bangs head against table and throws up in own mouth.)…I too used to not understand that in this day and age there’s still such a distinct hatred/disrespect towards black women in the world, because I grew up sheltered and without personally feeling any negative way towards any race. But we have to open our eyes. It so prevalent.
And ALSO, it’s not safe for us to be on the same planes as royals or presidents you absolute muppets. They are prime targets for kidnap and sometimes assassination. It’s in the interest of us civilians to not be endangered by proximity to people in such powerful positions.
[From Jameela Jamil’s Twitter]
It was very clear months and months ago that there is a plan in place, a concerted effort to “bully” Meghan back to America. The British aristocracy, the royal family, the British tabloid press and the British mainstream press are all in agreement: they are going to harass, demean and smear Meghan until she “gives up” and leaves the country and divorces Harry. I realized at some point that the British tabloids can’t stop playing into those parochial, jingoistic, racist and bigoted world-views because those are their readers too. Prove me wrong.
Also: Jessica Mulroney retweeted Jameela, and Jessica – who is Meghan’s closest friend and one of her surrogates in the media – also posted this to Instagram:
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red.
I’m glad Jessica spoke out. Of course half the comments in response to hers are “its not about race” and the other talking points that have been hashed out here for DAYS, but there are still a lot of comments in support of the Duchess.
chris ship tweeted about a poll yesterday that said something like 48% of people think the British press is overly critical of Meghan (I cant remember the precise number, it was over 40, less than 50 lol), and he seemed genuinely confused by it. Like, he didn’t get why people would think that. Sigh.
Jessica had an unfortunate typo, underserved for undeserved.
In any case it’s just shabby and infuriating and Britain has way bigger problems.
It’s kind of disappointing that less than half said yes, too.
This are the precise numbers:
https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1163847634651684866
Only 9% said that the treatment is overly favorable and 23% said that is fairly. It’s clear that public don’t buy the lies of British media.
I think it’s a good number. A lot of us sometimes forget that majority of people are not paying attention to royal news coverage. It’s all amplified on social media, but people have real world problems and the royals are seen as a distraction.
@Margareth thanks for the link! I cant check twitter from my computer lol so cant always go back easily and verify a tweet.
@M – I agree that I think its a good number. It means that over 40% are following enough to think the coverage is overly negative. I think that’s pretty good. I’m LOLing at the 9% though who think its too favorable.
That’s good then. I totally misunderstood.
Only 2300 people were surveyed. The results do not represent what the “public” thinks.
@Toya all Radom surveys are conducted in this manner and the sample is considered representative of the population. What, do you think election polls survely or ask all 20+ millions of the entire population of a given nation? Of course not!!!! And yes, the random surveyed sample in this case is representative of the entire UK population.
@ Taneesha
It’s clear that a lot of people don’t have much of an understanding of polling, how they are conducted or even how to interpret the results which is a boot a she because it leads to so many people jumping to the wrong conclusions about so many things.
I guess it’s important to keep clarifying where necessary, as often as possible.
Then, there’s Omid Scobie’s tweet (thank goodness for him!):
“Some seem to be massively missing the point here. Friends aren’t “rallying around” the Sussexes to defend their carbon footprint, they’re speaking out against almost three years of unbalanced, provocatively worded and often racially-biased commentary/reporting.”
Richard Eden (I think his name is) tried to be thick and ask where’s proof of the press racially attacking Meg (really??? Proof???😂😂😂😂😂), and he is being mercilessly dragged with examples. It’s glorious!!
The press is squealing like pigs because they are getting pushback again for the crap. They don’t like high profile names coming for them. Keeping Harry and Meghan in thoughts and prayers because a divorce is a win for these jack holes. Keep it moving Sussexes.
The press will back off when the hit pieces will cost the papers revenue
Exactly, Aqua! Most of this vitriol centers around money. Find a way to cut that off and the Duke and Duchess might get some peace.
The irony is that I’ve always heard how England is not racist like America is.
What I love is Jessica Mulroney’s post which included family in it. I really have lost any respect for all of them.
And I went in Daily Mail this week and clicked on the comments section about Jamie and Katie’s breakup. I was floored with the racist remarks. I felt like It was a script for Django. Not only are they racists but cowards too. Too scared to openly admit their feelings so they do nothing or spew hatred sitting behind their laptops via aliases.
And as I said before, the more they attack Meghan due to her race, the we will see people beginning to stand up for her and it’s begun. This is going to be fun. Because the Queen in her silence, is creating a far bigger fan base for Meghan than anything they may have seen created for PDiana.
I loved Jamie and Katie together. Yes, tons of nasty comments on any article about them. Saying Jamie is a player etc.
Oh if they called him a player that would rated G. The nasty remarks about Katie because she was with a black man was just disgusting.
England is very racist. Only yesterday there were tons of racist comments about Pogba on twitter (people have even written that they were sorry that slavery no longer exists). Manchester United, other football teams, celebrities and now also twitter spoke about this and what did Prince William (President of the FA) say? Nothing.
Prince William would get roasted if he made a comment about racism while his sister-in-law is being treated like trash.
I don’t know why people equate Daily Mail comments with British people (not to say they’re not racist) but anyone can post there.
But the Daily Mail will keep posting article after article as long as they get clicks. Which is why I don’t understand why you would link a DM article when criticizing the media for their treatment of them. They thrive on the outrage and attention as they always have.
I was actually sad that Katie and Jamie broke up. I was hoping they would make it.
@Arnk, it’s not just us CBers that are lumping the British people and media into one group, the royal reporters themselves are on record stating that they voice the opinions of the British people.
@ Taneesha
Those cockroaches only represent their own shamelessly racist views.
As someone who is a Brit but not UK born I can tell you that England is also xenophobic, not just racist. It was so bad I moved to Scotland for a while. I got at least 2 decades of hearing “are you ever going home?” while home has always, and obviously, been UK. And I am white, just with a foreign accent that always stuck there.
However, post-referendum the hostility has become more overt and that is why many seem more racist, it is just that people like Farage and Trump have emboldened the racist tribes everywhere.
For the record, I also lived in the USA too when I was very young, I recall many were racist but not many were xenophobic and I wasn’t subjected to constant criticism for my accent like in UK.
England is extremely racist and anti-semetic. I was there a two years ago (I’m a Jewish not white female) and it was the most uncomfortable experience.
I think that calling her out for using a private plane is fair. But why don’t the tabloids also call out Kate and Will for taking a private plane to Mustique or Charles for taking private planes etc. That’s where it becomes racist.
Also I think Lainey said this, but why are they giving the same amount of importance to Megan and Harry flying private as Andrew being a pedo????? Shouldn’t the Andrew story be the MAIN FREAKING HEADLINE?????
I agree. If you are going to rip apart Harry and Meghan then do it to all the royal family members. Charles and William talk about the environment, conservation, and climate change while still hunting and flying private jets, but they don’t receive the same abuse as Harry.
The reporters and internet trolls are going to have to be honest about the fact that their issues are with Meghan and that they don’t want the biracial duchess to succeed. They’ve been attacking her nonstop for years.
Doesn’t Charles travel with an entourage of like 40 people when he is touring overseas? Think of all the planes and vehicles needed for his travels. A few private jet flights by H+M pales in comparison to the regular excesses of Charles.
Also, if I remember correctly helicopters are less fuel efficient than planes. So let us ask ourselves, where are the articles on excessive helicopter use?
“I think that calling her out for using a private plane is fair. But why don’t the tabloids also call out Kate and Will for taking a private plane to Mustique or Charles for taking private planes etc. That’s where it becomes racist.”
No, calling her out is not fair. And you yourself explain why with the rest of your paragraph. It cannot be fair to call someone out for doing what literally everyone else does – not just the royals but literally everyone. Every high profile person I’m aware of who campaigns for the environment, also flies on airplanes – maybe with the recent exception of Greta Thundberg. Eg.;David Attenborough, Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc. yet no one is all up their buts about it. We all know that pretty much no one is advocating that we not travel, just that we think about our general conduct in the world that impacts the environment.
I’m not attacking you by the way, I think your comment was balanced and reasonable, I just respectfully disagree. Any anger you detect is aimed at the tabloids who are nowhere near as measured in their tone.
Also someone said, “ when activists against world hunger get together they don’t go hungry, they eat”. People working to end homelessness don’t live on the streets, they often have very nice homes. Realistically Harry and Meghan should fly private based on their needs for protection and security. Obama was pro environment and still flew on Air Force One. This is all such false outrage and yes all because of her race. No one attacked the ginger prince for his stance before. Eff off, British press. And yes, I do feel that the RF is deliberately silence because they welcome these attacks.
That’s it exactly Lola! It is a false equivalence. It is biased as Will and Kate also fly private and also champion environmental causes. It is so obvious what they are doing. But they continue to get away with it. Racism is always excused away.
Elton John already addressed the plane issue and explained that the plane is carbon neutral.
The plane is not truly carbon neutral. That’s just greenwashing. I don’t really care if they fly private planes, but I do think we can call out this whole “paying for your carbon use” thing for what it is – greenwashing, and something only the wealthy can afford to do.
@Millineal, then be outraged at every environmentalist and the carbon print/air pollution regulatory bodies because not only do these environmentalists frequently fly private jet, they are the ones that state unequivocally, that paying into programs that offset this carbon print is the way to go. So, Elton John did what was needed, we don’t know what the Sussexes did for all their private jet trips, if they flew carbon neutral, all the outcry is just nonsensical at this point tbh.
Carbon offsets are extremely tricky and many are quite dubious. Like paying a landowner not to cut down existing trees can count as a carbon offset, when, in reality, it did nothing to mitigate pollution from a flight. Similarly, there is no time limit for many offsets. So if you pay for someone to plant ten saplings, the net benefits of carbon storage won’t be felt for decades.
I don’t think they should be offering any explanation about the flight. They are extremely famous people who require intense security and they will travel however they darn well please, just like the rest of the BRF.
Carbon offsetting is far from the amazing ‘free pass’ that is claims to be. It’s useful but as others have pointed out, you cannot really offset the damage done by flying a private jet by planting some trees or using solar panels as many of these things would take hundreds of years before they actually become ‘neutral’.
However that isn’t necessarily Meghan & Harry’s fault. We are assuming they’re aware of this but maybe they aren’t. They can’t be expected to know everything and they’re not perfect but maybe now this will be bought to their attention.
Carbon offsetting helps. It doesn’t make the problem go away, but it helps. You just have to be careful where your dollars are going when offsetting and it isn’t actually that expensive (when flying commercial, it is generally under $50 for a transatlantic flight). It IS definitely more expensive flying private because of the drop in numbers of passengers to “cover” the offset of the flight itself. When you purchase carbon offsetting credits, make sure the company is transparent, verifiable, real, additional (the landowners weren’t planning on never deforesting in the first place, as an example,) and permanent. But you really need to cut your own carbon emission as well: solar power, wind power, sustainable food/products, hybrid or electric cars, etc, in order for offsetting to really have any effect.
@Nahema and @Megan, good points. But assuming that Elton John, prince Harry, duchess Meghan, or even David Suzuki and everyone else (environmentalist, scientists etc) that contributes into these carbon offsetting programs “don’t understand and this criticism will educate them” is just….out there……I believe they DO understand and paying into these offsetting programs is a good thing and they should continue to do their part. The Sussexes are probably already paying to clean up their own mess, which is a good thing. Expecting them to travel in only ways that satisfies their critics is just silly and unrealistic. Expecting them to just be quiet and not “preach to us” if they want to continue using private jets is just plain ignorance.
@Paranormalgirl, very good points and ITAWY
Meghan has NEVER said a word about climate change!
Lola, thank you! All of this. People who say “it’s not about race” need to have all the seats. To those of you who only understand racism when it’s overt: the dog whistles, false equivalencies, and implicit shit is way more insidious. It has otherwise smart people fooled into participating in it because you don’t understand that racism isn’t just Trump rallies and white hoods.
That’s the RR position right now. Basically to them it’s not racist unless the N word is being used. So they play dumb and make ignorant comments on twitter. Or they pretend that the people defending Meghan and Harry are all American bots as opposed to people just tired of the dog whistling and unfair treatment as compared to the other royals.
Meghan is too good for that disgusting Royal Family. Yes, they’re disgusting because they’re protecting Andrew.
Well, the Queen is protecting Andrew, her favorite. When it’s Charles’ turn I suspect we’ll see something very different. In fact it’s already being speculated that someone in the family has leaked certain information to the press. Fingers crossed.
I have no problem with Harry and Meghan’s friends defending them. It’s quite obvious that Meghan is being held to a different standard because of her nationality and race. I remember when Kate was attacked by the media, the Prime Minister and few other notable public figures defended her, so I don’t understand why some people believe that Meghan doesn’t deserve the same care and protection.
This ridiculous fixation on tearing down Harry and Meghan is actually going to make them more famous and powerful. The Sussex’s enemies would have gotten rid of them quicker by just ignoring the. No press is worse than negative press. Now you have millions of people paying attention to Harry and Meghan who can’t wait to see what they do next. Another win for Brand Sussex!
This related to a critical article not long after the engagement announcement that basically said Kate hadn’t done much of anything prior to getting the ring. Factually they weren’t incorrect, but the level of outrage for that one article forced an apology from the writer. Meanwhile Meghan has constant race baiting articles and the RRs gaslight and refuse to even acknowledge that they are wrong. That’s why I won’t even pretend to consider that Kate faced the same criticism. She never has and she’s been protected since the engagement. The only time there was slight criticism was in late 2015 early 2016 about both her and William’s work ethic, which was based on facts and not their skin colour. That of course stopped once Meghan was known to be dating Harry.
@nic – the criticism from Hilary Mantel? That was ridiculous (the reaction.) someone who writes acclaimed historical fiction about ROYALS made a critical remark about Kate and she was lambasted for it. And she wasn’t wrong either.
Katie Nichol iirc. She had an in with the Middletons for years, Kate would update her about what was happening, and considered herself part of the set with William and Harry. William paid a visit to her and strong armed her to write something positive about Kate. The result was a good tongue-in-cheek twist, still mocking Kate for never working.
Mantel was attacked for excerpts for a speech around Bringing up the Bodies, taken out of context. She was being sympathetic towards the idea of being a royal, like an animal in a zoo. People freaked out, took lines out of context, and Mantel kept defending herself for her words. And she wasn’t wrong about mannequin Kate.
London Review of Books, Vol. 35 No. 4 · 21 February 2013, an article called “Royal Bodies” which is the text of her speech.
The British press would also back off if grandmama put her foot down. But she only does that for pedo Andy. Which proves Jameelas point……
I’m a bit curious if there are more sites that are pro Meghan or is it just Celebitchy and Lainley?
I don’t really get around to reading other ones…
We’re not pro Meghan you troll. Yes I name called. We are plain seers if you will. It is clear evidence of unfairness lobbied at Harry and Meghan. Go take your 3cents somewhere else with your cognitive disonance rubbish.
Does this person have a negative history of posts? I’m not understanding the attack. This site is pro Meghan and it’s a good, fair thing.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear.
I consider myself pro megan and genuinely admire her. From reading this site for years I came to the conclusion that most commenters here are like me.
Trolling is the farthest from my mind, just generally wondering if there aren’t more sites and communities like this one. Ouch.
This is a really aggressive response, Notpretentious. Especially in a thread about not bullying.
Wow, that escalated quickly. Why the somewhat vicious attack on My3cents for asking a perfectly fine and innocent question? We’re talking about abuse heaped on a woman and you turn around and do the exact same thing. Sheesh.
Hey guys listen. When I first read the comment I felt like the person was being sarcastic and it angered me. I guess I’m just lately in a constant state of agitation about the political climate and for all the obvious biases that I see directed at POC and no real changes on the horizon. I’m just over it all. I’m sorry My3cents, I didn’t recognize your handle so I became defensive, thinking you were a troll. I will take your comments at face value from now on.
Wtf?
I think overall, everyone needs to ease off on eachother. I’ve seen a lot of gate keeping posts about not recognizing handles or whatever, or where newer posters jump on someone for making a common ‘inside joke’ that has appeared in many posts.
At the end of the day- the vast vast majority of the posters on this site aren’t the same as those posting on the dailymail and places like that. It’s a pretty reasonable community for the most part.
And I think a lot of the attacks are based on assuming that someone’s completely innocent comment is meant in the same way it might be meant if it was posted on one of the sites notorious for garbage comment sections. And that’s a problem. Honestly? I think there’s a lot of people that need to block the daily mail from their browsers. I think there’s a genuine addiction of getting riled up over comment sections and getting a rush of adrenaline or whatever from getting into arguments on forums/blogs. And it’s not healthy.
And I definitely am not trying to single you out notpretentious – this has been a growing issue. At the end of the day everyone should REALLY stop giving trash like the fail clicks. If you hate their coverage why would you read it? And I honestly do believe it’s a case of people being kind of subconsciously hooked on getting upset. And I know I’m guilty of that too – my husband has had to ask me sweetly to not read so many depressing news articles because he can see my getting actually angry. And I’m not saying we should ignore negative stories and things like that – there are plenty of issue that NEED attention and not people who are ‘meh’ about it. But I also think there are healthier ways to go about it. Posting on places like this site where we see a much more fair take on things is a good start. Making sure the crap sites get less clicks is another. Maybe some people should start their own blogs to get more positive/defensive stories out there about people like Meghan who are getting targeted.
Complaining about the negative coverage/comments on another site on a blog isn’t really helping the situation. And of course it’s easier said than done. But I think time would be much better spent if there were more people putting their energy into creating actual positive content to counteract the negative – like how the writers here do.
TLDR – Let’s be kinder to eachother and stop giving the trash sites clicks when all it does is stress us out and make us angry. Counter it with more positive articles. Start a blog, whatever you need to do to do that in a healthy way where the other sites don’t profit from rage clicks.
Pfft, I’ve been around here for what seems like FOREVER and I still get accused of being a troll when I disagree with some people. Someone actually said “I know you’re new here…” yeah, I’m not. I get that it’s often a knee-jerk reaction to the climate surrounding us, but celebitchy is, in a general, a safe haven for a lot of us. It’s really the only gossip site I go to because it’s more than gossip here, there’s a sense of clam and a sense of camaraderie. That being said, we could all benefit from a little more kindness, myself included.
I have no problem with “real” trolls whom are not bots or paid poster trolls. Differences of opinion (supplied by so-called trolls) keep us all on her our toes and adds to diversity of the discussion.
I trust Kaiser & Celebitchy to get rid of posters who cannot follow the official CB posting guidelines and just trolling for the sake of trolling.
AHAHAHA… I said “a sense of clam.” I must be punchy because I can’t stop laughing at that. I’m in my office, waiting for a patient, laughing hysterically at a typo. Psychiatrist, heal thyself.
You could get one of those tacky, oyster shell prints made in China that are all over the place in summer. Or grab clipart of a crown and a clam, put them together, and write “Keep Clam and Carry On” on it.
Keep it in your desk for a quick laugh/reminder. It might be a good tool for you to have in your desk, between patients, to laugh off the sorrow and clear your mind for the next person.
Great idea!
@ Erinn
One of your best comments ever….thank you. As one of the “angrier” commenters on here, I needed that.
Saying that, I must congratulate myself (and puff my chest out shamelessly) on having almost completely avoided the DailyFail for almost a full year now. There have been one or two accidental brushes, where I’ve been inadvertently linked there, but I’ve rushed out just as quickly.
It used to be really, really hard, but now my default reaction to their lying, provocative headlines is mostly…..”meh”. If it’s especially enticing (rarely), then I’ll just find a less odious website to read the story from. Not perfect, but anything is better than a click on that site. I’ve conditioned myself to equating clicking there to sticking my finger in some unknown pile of sh-t on the road somewhere public. It’s working wonders.
A close friend of mine is a counselor. If she wasn’t able to reconnect with positive emotions throughout her day, she couldn’t do her job. Laughter is a requirement for her to stay balanced.
@Erinn – I think you’re spot on. Personally I don’t go on twitter and only tend to read daily mail articles that are linked directly from here. The material you read distorts your perception.
I mostly read articles from here and then my perception of the Meghan & Harry situation is that everyone goes overboard to defend everything they do, which makes me mad because it doesn’t seem logical. I know the DM, The Sun & Twitter can be crazy places, so to some extent I understand where people are coming from but in my Celebitchy bubble, it feels like critical thinking goes out the window when it comes to the Sussex’s. I could read the other sites to get a more balanced view but I don’t want to fill my mind with what I know is propaganda and tbh I don’t know why other people do if they know it’s toxic. In my mind you’re a part of the problem if you insist on being a part of their audience.
Most of the royal forums have gone off the deep end and are allowing the coded language, openly-racist posters to have free reign. You might find some sympathy, but not completely, on The Royal Forums. There are some pro-Meghan posters on there, but TRF also has people who *believe* there is such a thing as royal blood. Plenty of anti-Meghan commenters on there, but there are some level headed ones to counter them.
People used to recommend RoyalInsight as a balanced forum, but I see little balance on there when I bother to check on them.
Or you might find the right group on tumblr. You could start with places like duchessmegs, milliek, the-sussex-sweethearts, and see who they follow.
One place that is really weird but to a larger degree than most is even handed is the DataLounge. Royals and the BRF (along with every other topic in the world) are covered in an “Open the Flood Gates” manor. This site is not for the faint of heart. There has been a metric-fo!k-tonne of coverage on Randy Pedo Andy, Pro/con on Meg/Cathy is about 50/50 split with the majority of poster not caring for either Duchess, the split on Royalist/Monarchist is about 50/50, socialists, progressives & lefties are welcome, lots of LBQT and racism is minimal for a site in operation since 1995. I find it interesting. Again, let me state” DataLounge IT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
My3cents…you can check out SussexSquad Podcast, My Duke and I and Meghanpedia. They try to balance truths against the negative vitriol coming from British media. Hope this helps.
This is exhausting. 2019 is exhausting. It’s all sensationalism and hot takes and tiny attention spans while the world is literally burning and the rich get richer. The racism and misogyny and stupidity are just exhausting.
Amen
Absolutely. I’ve actually found myself hate-watching “Bachelor in Paradise” and “MasterChef” to escape.
I take refuge in my CuriosityStream membership.
I don’t know…I find the criticism of Harry and Meghan with respect to the private plane usage to be quite warranted. The same criticism was leveled at all the celebrities who attended the recent google summit as it’s completely hypocritical and tone deaf.
Criticism in this situation IS fair, but why the huge media spectacle over this and everything else they do on a daily basis? There is a point where criticism becomes straight up bullying and the line has long been crossed.
Like I said in another comments section earlier, it’s extremely likely that private is the only way their protection officers will let them travel right now. People are nuts when it comes to these two and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the RPOs severely limit their interaction with the public at large for a time.
Bah I just wrote an essay and it got eaten. Sigh.
anyway – in sum – the criticism of Harry and Meghan is NOT warranted.
Criticism of private plane usage by rich people in GENERAL is warranted. But you shouldn’t start with Meghan and Harry.
This has been, what, a week now? Of unrelenting criticism towards them because of these flights. Its enough. Will and Kate routinely use a helicopter, and they have taken private planes before to France, Switzerland, etc. Charles uses a private plane. Andrew literally just took a private plane to escape to Spain. People say “well Harry and Meghan should practice what they preach” but Charles and William are both big advocates for the environment. And yet somehow its just Meghan and Harry that are getting eviscerated for this.
Also, in my opinion, what it actually boils down to is that people are pressed that the black duchess is enjoying a nice lifestyle. Its not the carbon footprint. Its that she dared to take a private plane. Its that she dared to spend time with Sir Elton John. It’s that she dared to take a nice vacation. That’s the crux of it.
“people are pressed that the black duchess is enjoying a nice lifestyle” thats exactly what it boils down to. Everyone was fine with the BRF and their aristo friends doing these things when it was reserved for the white and elite because “thats just what they do”. Meghan coming in working her butt off and enjoying the perks of being a royal shows people theres nothing special about their last names or stuffy titles that makes them more deserving of their lifestyle. That’s why these stories are often riddled with constant otherism.
Criticism about private jets is not warranted if only Harry and Meghan are being called out for it while the other royals who do the same thing are not.
@Becks1 you’re right. In what you’ve just said there are lots of things which we genuinely should be calling out. The privilege, the excess, the wastefulness and the hypocrisy. ALL of the royals are guilty of this. If they were treated equally then maybe we could address things that matter. Instead it gets lost in all of the noise
@Becks1 ——-
“Also, in my opinion, what it actually boils down to is that people are pressed that the black duchess is enjoying a nice lifestyle. Its not the carbon footprint. Its that she dared to take a private plane. Its that she dared to spend time with Sir Elton John. It’s that she dared to take a nice vacation. That’s the crux of it.”
I have been saying the same thing……..the Black duchess is enjoying the privilege, please call the cops, she should be sent back to the US………people are fine as long as only some type of people have those privilege. See the outrage at Serena W, Venue W, Amal C., Michelle O., should I continue???
Agreed. 100%. The rest of BRF isn’t called out for private planes because a month ago they weren’t touting the need to make smart choices and defend the earth and how it’s everyone’s responsibility and matters so much to them.
Is Megan unfairly attacked sometimes. . . you betcha. Are multiple private planes in a week part of an unfair attack? Not at all. It’s warranted. Just like the entire Google climate change summit should be mocked and called hypocritical. So too shall Meghan and Harry’s hypocrisy with regards to climate change.
And for everyone saying they can’t fly commercial, they can. Or they can not fly home for one day, take a private plane somewhere else again and have that plane then fly back to England. Or you know. . . shocking. . . . they could car pool, they could chose to go somewhere not requiring a private jet. . . they could make a TON of other choices.
Once more, for the cheap seats:
William.took.a.private.plane.to.Davos.to.lecture.about.climate.change.
The onslaught from the press has nothing to do with actual outrage at any “hypocrisy” and everything to do with the fact that the press is out for blood.
ETA I would apologize for being snarky but I don’t know how many times the point can be made that M&H are not the only royals who are advocates for the environment, and they are not the only royals who take private planes.
Charles has been touting his save the environment line for over 20 years whilst taking private planes everywhere. Imagine what his carbon footprint is.
@Betsy, are you kidding me right now? Seriously, are you turning another thread into another H/M bashfest over why didn’t they fly commercial? WTF, where was all this “deserved criticism” and outrage towards William and his private jet flight from London to Davos to attend a conference on climate and the environment? Like, c’mon now!! ALL participants in that environment/global warming conference flew private jets, not boat or commercial flights, why weren’t they adv neueum headline news? Where was all the “hypocrite” warriors/police to “deservedly criticize” everybody?
OK, transparency here. We have a second home in the Bahamas (it came with the marriage) and often take a seaplane from either Miami or Nassau to get there. We do purchase carbon credits, combine the trip with supply loading, ferry people for a local resort, etc, so that the plane never flies empty. And our home is primarily solar with a gray water reutilisation system, rainwater system, composting area, and we grow a lot of our own food (modern day commune, if you will). I’ve hesitated to comment on any of this for the most part for fear of being labeled a hypocrite because I AM environmentally conscious but fly private at times.
@paranormalgirl, no offence, but what exactly are you supposed to do in this situation? The house is in the Bahamas. It’s not like you can get a train service out there. You could maybe catch a ferry, but I highly doubt that would be any better than the seaplane in the long run.
I sincerely find a great deal of this criticism of airplane travel to be quite silly. This includes criticism of people who travel by private plane. Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, I don’t know. But take a look at the world around us and how it’s set up, and explain how some of us are supposed to get around without air travel. There are far, FAR bigger sources of greenhouse gases and pollution in the world, and yet people will settle for criticizing the most bizarre extraneous details. It’s a severe lack of perspective, if you ask me.
@Betsy, has it ever occurred to you that maybe they’re not flying commercial bc doing so is seen as a security threat right now? Harry has been called a race traitor on white supremacist websites, and the British tabloid press are baying for Meghan’s blood. Maybe there are legitimate reasons for flying private.
In any event, if you’re outraged, include Beatrice, Eugenie, Bill, Cathy, and the whole lot, who also fly private planes.
I agree, the proportion to which this criticism has been leveled is completely out of hand particularly since the other Royals take planes as a matter of course. There hasn’t been this level of hubbub for any other members of the RF for the same kind of accommodations. It’s exactly the same kind of dust up over nothing, like Meghan wearing an off the shoulder dress, or nail varnish. I mean, they criticized her for holding her own pregnant belly. It’s super absurd and those who don’t see the inequality, don’t want to.
Honestly I don’t care that much about them using a private plane. Is it bad for the environment, 100%, but I also can’t figure out how else they would travel. They are two of the most recognizable people in the world flying commercial isn’t really an option. To be frank Im sure some of the other royals do fly commercial but they don’t have the profile of HM. They would be hounded by press and people and probably be put into unsafe situations. We don’t get alarmed(didn’t used to when done responsibly) when the president(term used loosely) flies on Air Force one for events, and that is a private plane.
Yep! And with a baby to protect – even more so.
Does anyone know what happened to the woman who traveled from London to NYC during the baby shower for the single reason to prove Meghan was not pregnant? Was she charged with a crime?
No. She showed up again, tweeting live from Windsor Castle the day Archie was born. Gloried in how close to Frogmore Cottage she could get and posted photos.
That woman was terrifying to me and one of the reasons I’m sure Harry and Meghan choose to fly private when possible. Can you imagine someone stalking you across an ocean to prove you’re not pregnant?
Whitney Phillips is an US-Author and expert on Trolls and hate/smear campaigns, she wrote a book about it. She recently gave the German magazin Der Spiegel a very interesting interview, of which I could not find an English version. She said that a smear campaign to which nobody reacts is considered as failed.
This interview made me stop to read these nasty articles and the tweets. I try to ignore it and realise, it is very hard not to say anything, but I tried everything else and it did not work.
Harry will get the press, I really believe in him. And!!!! these reporters are old while Meghan and Harry are young in comparison. They will win in the end.
I wonder which reporter will accompany the Sussexes on their Africa trip.
Thanks for the book recommendation, I’m going to buy it.
British media and Royal Reporters are pressed when the biracial duchess does the same things that the white members of the RF do. They cannot accept that in their super white RF there is now a biracial woman who enjoys the same privileges. Hence all the uppity and interloper articles. I have the impression that they would like to forget about her, pretend that the RF is still whiter than milk so they would prefer that Meghan did nothing, not talk so as to go unnoticed. Practically for them she should be grateful to be there, to kiss the feet of the RF members every morning and to live a life as a servant.
I’m sorry but that’s what I get after these 3 uninterrupted years of racist and misogynistic abuse.
This is what it all comes down to. How dare the biracial duchess enjoy the same luxury and privileges as other royals. It’s not just the royal reporters that hold Meghan to a different standard, it’s everyone who believes Meghan is undeserving of the royal life she married into. Whenever Meghan leans into the privileges of being a royal wife the criticism raises to a fever pitch. Every time.
I can’t get over how unrelenting the criticism of Meghan has been. It’s going on nearly two years now with no break for her pregnancy.
Rupert Murdoch could put a stop to it, say his name.
He’s too busy kneeling before Dolt45.
I’ve lost all respect for the Queen and also the UK press is disgusting. You could have balanced their criticism of flying by comparing how the other members vacation or travel but not a peep from them. Sorry, Meghan receives unfair treatment. This is a fact. Nobody is an angel but the fact is Meghan is singled out. I wouldn’t want the same disgusting treatment for Kate or Diana or the York sisters or Camelia. So what now? Harry and Meghan should just stay in the UK and ask everyone else to travel on their behalf. Sheesh!
Jameela is on point in her tweet. Clear naming of what’s going on and what Celebitches have been saying for a year now.
What I take from this (& I may be wrong) is that Meghan is hurting privately. Friends wouldn’t speak out otherwise.
I’m not sure speaking out is a good idea.
There may well be a campaign to overwhelm her & speaking out just lets people know it’s working. It adds fuel to the fire.
Also, I’d venture to say this is about MORE than race. Meghan is an outsider in many ways. Don’t underestimate the american/actress thing. (“One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them.”) It plays a role.
Remember, a key issue appears to be the distinction between royalty & crass celebrity & the impression that, as an American, this isn’t something Meghan entirely understands. I’m not sure I entirely understand it. There are nuances.
I think the campaign will backfire, but she needs to understand what they use against her so she can stop giving them ammunition.
Reaction to the baby shower & her Wimbledon appearance revealed a lot.
I feel for her. She’s in for a tough ride.
They think she sees herself in the mold of an Angelina Jolie type global humanitarian (making political statements, progressive), reliant on her own star power.
They want deference to the crown & the established order. They’re not seeing that. She’s independent.
Remember, “the crown always wins.” She can be a tremendous asset to the Crown. She should remind them of that.
I don’t necessarily think people who are using the fact that she’s American or an actress against her are all that upset about it, it’s just a cover up for their racism. What part of those two things realistically separates her from the BRF more than Kate who was a commoner? She’s not stereotypically loud or obnoxious, nor was her career scandalous. The press tried to use racism early on with the Compton headline and realized in this day and age that wasn’t going to work well, so they blanketed their racism with xenophobia and distain for her profession as a way to still make her look like an outsider and undeserving of being married to a prince. As for the fact that she doesn’t understand how to be part of the monarchy, she’s learning, just like Kate and Sophie had to in their first few years. The difference is while she’s learning the press are constantly hounding her every move and amplifying it ten fold even when she does good.
But they ARE making distinctions like that (American!! ACTRESS!!!). Even Madame Tussaud’s put out a statement that they’re separating their H&M figures and putting Meghan in with the “celebrities”. It is TRULY insanity!
Also, I don’t think the “its not race, its bc she’s an American” argument is a good one either. so its not racism, its xenophobia or anti-Americanism? I don’t think that’s much better.
@ (TheOG)@Jan90067 Oh they absolutely are not because they care, but because they don’t want to come out and say they don’t think she belongs because she’s biracial so they use those words instead. As for her wax figure wow, I had no idea they were doing that! What on earth was the reasoning behind separating the DUCHESS from her husband??
I agree with this completely. There is racism in Britain but Britain is different to the US. I’m mixed race & British but have lived in the States. In my experience, Britain is MUCH more xenophobic than it is racist (remember I’m not saying there isn’t racism). I have never faced what I feel is discrimination based upon my skin colour. I hear almost daily though about immigrants and horrible xenophobic comments.
In the states I rarely heard anything like that but experienced my racism that made me decide I couldn’t stay there long term.
This is why I often feel like Americans views of the press treatment of Meghan is distorted. They’re seeing it through an American lens, where race is a bigger deal than nationality. In GB, I really think it’s her nationality that pulls in a lot of the hate
Once again, the British ARE the authors and teachers or racism, it originated in Britain and spread else where. I’m not going into any semantics but comparing yr life experiences to what Meghan is experiencing is just absurd. Even if you are biracial, you still are not a public figure and therefore are not subjected to the same racism as them. Just ask the soccer player POC in the UK and they’ll tell you, British people are equally as racists AND xenophobes AND classists just like in the US, (and elsewhere European white people claim to be their spaces) even tho they came in and stole some of those lands from the natives), all of which they’re subjecting Meghan to. Ignoring the fact that Meghan is being subjected to racism and claiming it’s just xenophobia and claiming that Brits are not as racist as Americans is just being purposefully ignorant.
Kate literally puts out press releases about how she’s still learning about her own patronages and the media says nothing about it whereas Meghan gets accused of breaching protocols that never existed in the first place. The UK media looks really bad here and deserve to be called out.
The real story about the royals is Andrew but they are too cowardly to make the same type of criticisms that they feel free to make against Meghan on a daily basis.
I wish people would stop telling me who I am and who I should identify with. That to me is racism. I decide who I identify with based on my experiences and the way people treat me. I have one black parent and one white parent. I am light brown (a little darker than Meghan if you need a reference point) but I feel racially ambiguous. I haven’t ever felt black before I visited the United States and that’s just my experience and I’m not saying that racism doesn’t exist in the UK but it is very different.
I stand with anyone who is being discriminated against based on their race, nationality, gender or sexual orientation but I’m not going to say that I am something that I don’t feel is true to me. Saying I’m mixed race does not feel like some magical pass with white people, a way to be accepted or a way to deny my blackness. It feels like I’m accepting the real me and taking into account both sides of my family who I love and identify with equally.
Nope, it is about race. I am British – there is nothing to understand. Our tabloid media is second to none when it comes to bullying, harassment and dog whistle racism. There isn’t some nuance that either she is or you are missing.
@ADS Thank you. @wishingitwas Please go and read about internalised racism. You began: “I’m mixed race and British”. Lol. Racism is the same everywhere. In America they let it hang out. In South Africa they let it hang out. In the UK and on the Continent they let it hang out— but they have convinced the Black people in the UK and on the Continent that what they experience is no different from what any one else would suffer. Lies. 13 years living in Europe and the Black people on the Continent and in the UK are usually the first to deny racism or refuse to speak out about it out of fear or they call it by another name like Xenophobia. Rubbish, it is Racism. I dont know when but the White Europeans have convinced you that a million other reasons justify your discriminatory, demeaning, indignifying treatment. Reject that lie. Reject the lie also that your light skin, curly hair or light eyes will earn you a space at their table. Not for long. First they come for the Lupitas then the Meghans…
And I see responses to Jamila on twitter that she is to stop calling Meghan Black. Mercy. Read up on internalised racism. Then stand with Black women like Meghan and fight like hell against racism in the UK. Be brave. Talk.Dicsuss. But know that you must be unified. You are homogenous. ONEBLOOD. No more about this “I am mixed race”. “Meghan identifies as mixed race.” “It’s the American thing”. “It’s a class thing”. Lies. Trickery. They are brainwashing you! You can claim your individuality but not today when we have racist world leaders working to get us murdered. From the White man’s perspective you are one and the same. Black=Mixed Race=Dark Skin=American= Jamaican=African=Nigerian=Black British=Lupita=Halle=Meghan=One Community to be demeaned, otherised, oppressed, bullied into submission. Stop for the love of God saying your are mixed race as though it gives you special status in the eyes of racists. It does not. It simply conveys a message that there is something wrong with identifying and standing with the Black girl who has traditionally been treated as ugly, slutty, dunce, less than. It says you believe the racist White man. STOP!!! You think it denies your individuality as a mixed-race woman to stand with your Black sister and defend her? We celebrate Black girls of all hues but this discussion is about racism, the part where they see you all as BLACK no matter how little or how plenty the Black blood in your veins!!!! It is oppressive speech used by nutcase Blacks to say that Meghan is not pure Black. You are oppressing little girls like my daughter who have a White father/mother but who will no doubt suffer racism the same way her Black father/mother did.
I see this thing on twitter where a few Nigerian women push this negative message that Meghan is not to be defended by Black girls because she is mixed or where mixed race girls are saying don’t call Meghan Black!!!. Those women have lost the plot. Who do they think is going to come to their defense when they are inevitably subject to racism— even as they thought that they could pass as White in majority White spaces??? So what, you want to identify with a White race that has exploited, rejected, demeaned and devalued your Black sister so much that you find it offensive to be called Black? Because Black is ugly? Your individuality means so much to you that you can’t set it aside and stand with your Black community and fight against racism which we suffer collectively? This talk is oppressive because—believe it or not– it is also oppressing mixed race girls. So if you are mixed race do not internalise that bull. You are seen as Black and will be subject to racism the same as Meghan the same as Lupita. Same in America same in the UK same in South Africa same in Australia same in France. Do not help the racist White man to divide, conquer, stir unrest, and distrust and division among Black people as it only gives them greater power and ammunition to further dehumanise us.
@FredsMother Your comment was one of the best things that I’ve read in ages.
There are a lot of mixed-race people in Great Britain (I’m related to several) and they always lead with that, as if it’s going to give them some sort of exemption from garden variety racism that regular Black folk have to deal with. I always want to pat them on the shoulder and then scream in their ear THEY DON’T CARE. British people claim that they don’t have the ‘one drop’ rule when they’re the people who created the one drop rule to justify treating their own children (the product of rape) like property. If the child had ONE DROP of Black blood, they could be bought and sold.
England doesn’t practice the SAME racism as the US but it’s no slouch. I lived in the US for 15 years, but I had to return to England (where I was born) to have someone spit in my face.
@FredsMother – spot on. My BFF’s daughter is half black/half white and she’s been picked on by both sides. She’s been told she doesn’t speak and act “black enough” by blacks and she’s been marginalized by white clients and colleagues (she’s a nurse and cosmetologist) for not being “white enough”. What she is a smart, funny, gorgeous, kind and wonderful human being and I love her to bits because she’s got the strength of character to look past all this nonsense and choose people to be in her life who love her for who she is, not what she is.
I recently started saying Black-biracial because a bunch of Black women jumped down my throat for DARING to call myself Black and identify as such. They insisted that it was only fair to them that we used the term biracial instead of Black. So, just saying, people with that attitude need to do some thinking as well…
@Wishingitwas I’m not going to discount your experience as a biracial woman, however xenophobia and racism are not mutually exclusive ESPECIALLY in Britain. I 100% believe that some people don’t like her because she is American which makes no sense. However, the majority of those arguments are often disguised and rooted HEAVILY in classism and racism and they are getting worse. The media is showing people they can bully her for any little thing and get away with it, often times those people will go for the most obvious thing to bully her for.
Nice how Jessica Mulroney used this to remind everyone she’s Meghan’s friend. Didn’t know she was “family” but okay.
Is that really any different from someone like Nacho speaking out?
In my view, the “family” line was a direct dig at the royals, same as when Nacho said it. The BRF could issue a statement in support of Harry and Meghan. Hell, they could even just have Meghan ride in the car with the Queen to church, much like the queen did for Andrew. But they aren’t doing that.
“In my view, the “family” line was a direct dig at the royals…”
I read that the same way.
I consider many of my friends to be family. *shrugs*
Same, in some cases I have totally disowned blood family members in favour of my ‘real’ family.
That’s how I read it too.
I don’t have any family except for my husband and the twins, so the friend/family thing is super important to me.
That’s a rotten thing to say, especially since Meghan’s “family”, with the exception of her mother, have turned on her. My friends are my family as my parents and sibling are gone. Think about this.
Agree. The OP’s comment sounds resentful and naive. There is no self-awareness or mature reasoning in so many of these anti-Meghan commenters. Hypocrisy, hate and/or envy seem to guide most of their thought processes where Meghan is concerned.
The constant negative articles about Meghan are totally unfair because she and Harry indulge in the exact same lifestyles as the rest of the BRF but the media is usually silent about that. They should *ALL* be called out for their ridiculous behaviors, it’s the focusing on Meghan only that makes its racist, classist and frankly, bullshit.
Take the private jet thing – there is a much bigger discussion to be had about the wasteful lifestyle of the BRF but why is the media only focusing on H&M? They should be digging around to find more info about how the BRF in general use and abuse private jets and helicopters and hide that from the public. But instead they focus on Meghan, and Meghan only… ugh
Yes to all of this. Especially Jameela’s point about about royals flying commercial. They ARE targets – especially Meghan and Harry.
And anyone who wants to keep saying this isn’t about race you are either willfully ignorant or racist yourself.
If her friends are speaking publicly then I guess the “journalists” are finally hurting Meghan. That is awful. Im repeating myself, but being in a foreign country as a new mother with people constantly attacking you must be awful. Hopefully more people will see that and stand up for her.
I think her friends are the ones who are upset. They’re fed up with the bullshit. They all probably kept quiet at first because they didn’t want to make the situation worse but now they realize that it CAN’T get worse and they’re speaking their minds. Also, most of them lives a similar lifestyle to her and realize that an attack on her is an attack on them.
The whole family talks about the environment & conservation efforts. They all take private planes when they travel. Yet H&M are the only ones being called out on it. And some of y’all want to act like that’s not based on racism…okay. You know who else travels private? Prince Andrew who is a pedo and associated with a known sex trafficker, rapist & fellow pedo for years!! HE SHOULD BE THE MAIN HEADLINE.
Yup and yup.
Once more and a little louder for the racists in the back!
Andrew not only takes private planes, most notoriously when flying around with Epstein, but also has been criticized in the past for his frequent use of the royal helicopters to get around to places that he could easily travel to by car or train. He is the epitome of royal excess and entitlement.
I’m just going to follow @taryn around nodding and agreeing with her posts.
All of the criticism is racially based. As others have stated Meghan is guilty of Duchessing while Black. Things that the white members of the BRF have done for years without much criticism is suddenly the worst thing ever when don’t by Meghan and Harry. Miss me with that bs.
Good on Jameela and Jessica for calling out the family for their silence. It’s embarrassing and shameful.
I blame Harry for this. He grew up royal, he knows the ropes, Meghan grew up in the real world. She could get in a plane whenever she wanted. He should guide her and help her with how his world works. My 2 cents!
What makes you think Harry has not been guiding Meghan from the start? Harry and Meghan aren’t doing anything different from any other royal and their spouse. Instead of blaming Harry, blame the royal reporters and British tabloids for being racist, xenophobic assholes.
What can Harry teach Meghan? He’s been one of the most rebellious royals in history, and everyone loved him for it until he grew up and married Meghan. Harry doesn’t even like the formal and traditional royal life. I don’t know why people pretend that Harry was some proper aristocratic gentleman before he got married.
Blame Harry? He’s been nothing but supportive and protective of her and now Archie. If anything he should be acknowledged for his willingness to marry the woman he loves for all of her stellar qualities despite knowing the backlash that would happen.
Until the majority of White folks can handle learning about how socialization is tied to implicit bias racism, this will continue. Many of us have said it a thousand times already: This is how Black and Black-biracial women are treated everywhere — and have been for centuries. Now, most White people don’t want to believe it or look at it, because they don’t want to do the hard work of unpacking their own bullshit. Heck, they have been taught NOT to see their own bullshit. It’s just much easier to brush things under the carpet like we, as a society, have been doing since jump. The only conversation the overwhelming majority of White people want to have about racism is: “But not me!” Until that changes, this will continue.
What’s happening to Meghan is PROOF that there’s a lot more racism out there than people want to admit to. I would have thought that the Duchess of Sussex would have been the PERFECT Black woman for the Royal family. Bi-racial, looks racially ambiguous, isn’t ACTIVELY Black. But the way she’s been treated, you would think she rolled up to Buckingham Palace wearing a dashiki, with an ‘Angela Davis’ afro. The ‘Straight Out of Compton’ headline was the first salvo. Meghan might not have LOOKED Black, but she’s Black enough for all the racists out there to lose their shit.
The Duchess of Sussex has brought the secret racists out of the closet and it’s a good thing. She knows who they are now, including the ones in her husband’s family. She’ll be able to protect and prepare her son for the hard times he’s going to endure when he gets older.
ALL OF THIS.
Agree with everything you say! I’ll add that Black-biracial women also experience racism daily. Yes, there is privilege attached to being “lighter skinned,” but to a lot of White people, Black is Black; the one-drop rule still…rules.
@kerwood: The Duchess of Sussex is a wonderful gift to the UK’s gap in racial discourse. She has made it so that mixed-race girls understand for the first time that they are viewed as Black. Even as the White British woman must now grapple with her role/lack thereof on bridging the racial divide, the mixed-race girl has to grapple with her “Blackness”. They must grapple with the fact that Black was never ever a bad thing and so they should embrace that part of themselves rather than reject it. They are over on twitter having some real breakdowns now. They need Meghan to claim mixed-race (as opposed to Black) in the same way they need the British government to include mixed race on government forms. Because right now, right now the poor young, mixed-race girls realise for the first time they fear being labelled Black.
@kerwood: what does actively black mean? I am black (Canadian and Jewish). I get shit from both sides. Canada is more polite about its racism it it’s here. Recent studies show that black Canadian women (a lot of us/them) are on anti depressants due to daily grind and burden of racism. The issue of not getting jobs you are qualified for and or less qualified counter parts getting jobs. I live back and forth between California and Canada…it’s interesting to experience American racism. I haven’t been to the UK yet..
I’ve travel all over South America and felt very very comfortable to date and I think I am obviously black though some folks thought I was Cuban. Hondurans think I am Honduran. It’s been interesting to observe black lives in Central & South America. Mostly I’ve been thinking, where can I/we go? Definitely not Israel…blacks Jews are also ostracized there…I digress.
Honest question above about ‘actively black’. Never heard the term
@Fred’s Mother
I understand what you’re saying, but please know that many Black women get pissed off at biracial people for calling ourselves Black. I never used the term Black-biracial or biracial until Black women jumped down my throat and told me I had no right to claim “Black.” So, as a compromise to their feelings, I started using Black-biracial. Heck, they even jumped down Kamala Harris’ throat for referring to herself as Black.
@intheknow. ‘Actively Black’ isn’t an official term. It’s just something I came up with. What I meant is that my understanding was that Meghan didn’t necessarily identify as BLACK but as ‘bi-racial’, which a lot of people use as a sort of ethnic ‘get out of jail free’ card. I think she preferred moving between both worlds until now.
Meghan became ACTIVELY Black the second she was outed as Harry’s girlfriend. As I mentioned before, the ‘straight out of compton’ headline was proof that the world didn’t see her as bi-racial, but BLACK BLACK BLACK. When it comes to hate, the ‘one-drop rule’ is always in effect.
“As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.”
—Marian Anderson
It’s so damn tiresome. We as people should be far past this. None of us can move forward because of this racist dogma. The world would be a far better place if Europeans had stayed in Europe. Instead the genocide of indigenous people, enslavement and dispersal of Africans, colonization of numerous cultures and people is the European’‘s legacy. And their descendants continue their reign of terror and refuse to accept/acknowledge their actions instead of trying to move forward and help improve our societies.
That quote reminds me of what the late, great Toni Morrison said. “What are you without racism? Are you any good? Are you still strong? Are you still smart? Do you still like yourself?” I feel like white identity (and I use these words deliberately) has specifically constructed itself around the notion of black inferiority in America, and this has gotten exported elsewhere.
Identities are malleable. They are not set in stone, they are constructed to serve a purpose, and this is especially true for white people. This is what people always miss in conversations regarding racism and antiblackness. The sooner people learn to interrogate these ideas, the better.
Hi @A — While I agree with much of what you say regarding the nuance of identity, racism against Black folks didn’t start in America and then get exported elsewhere. America is not the root of all anti-black racism. It’s been a characteristic of homo sapiens sapiens society for millennia.
@Ader, except it really isn’t “a characteristic of homosapien society for millenia.” Please see my point regarding the construction of identity. We are not born with these types of prejudices. They are created, for reasons. Antiblack racism as we know it today hasn’t been passed down for thousands of years, it’s a creation and a response to a very specific set of circumstances starting with the discovery and the colonization of the Americas, and it has been shaped significantly by the creation of chattel slavery in the USA. This, coupled with the fact that America is the biggest exporter of culture and media in the world right now means that American understandings of antiblackness have in fact become global. There is a great deal more here than I can get into, so at the risk of typing out an entire dissertation, I’ll stop, but this is exactly what I mean when I say that people NEED to start interrogating their popularly held ideas about race and racism, especially in America.
The US imported slavery from the UK, back in 1619.
The UK outlawed it in 1833. The US didn’t catch up until 1865.
I don’t put much stock in folks claiming mixed ancestry or claiming to be bi-racial. Anyone descended from slavery is a mixed race person. That’s the legacy of slavery when women were at the mercy of their enslavers. Take a DNA test and see how many white cousins pop up. My children look more “bi-racial” than their cousins whose parents are Italian and African American. It ain’t nothing but a word cause they treat us all the same if you have any melanin in your skin.
Yup. I agree. I hope it didn’t come across like I don’t agree with this sentiment. But yeah, a lot of people think Black-biracial people are treated like White people; we’re not.
@Ader. I understand what you’re saying and I’ve never understood the craziness some black folks have. No one gets to tell you or anyone else how to self identify. In my family we have a rainbow of skin colors. Some light skinned, some dark skinned. My complexion is light and even though both my parents are black, I’ve received some nasty comments as well. It’s stupid and crazy. Black folks need to come to grips with the issues of colorism we have cause it impacts us being united and moving forward. If we have melanin in our skin, we all suffer together.
racist and misogynistic. Same to the many female reporters. Shame. Seriously, shame on them for all of this hate campaign for three years, against M’s mother as well, and shame on them for ignoring and pleading ignorance to what they know they are doing.
She has my love and compassion for enduring this and putting on her game face when having to stand on a balcony with a bunch of racist twats and pedophiles. Tearing her up and throwing her to the wolves when the real story is about the disgusting hypocrisy and backing a pedophile. F You Royal Reporters. And F YOU Royal Family for not supporting her, all the while sitting in cars with Andrew and smiling. PUKE. The future is bright, and my hope is that all the next generation to accept and move forward, if there is a Royal family then.
It would be amazing if harry took meghan and archie and left the royal family. I know it’s a long shot but that family deserves all the karma they get. Hes still the most popular royal, at this point I dont count the queen, she can defend andrew until her last breath for all I care.
Guest…I honestly believe the Duke and Duchess has an exit plan if need be. Not having a royal title for baby Archie has mostly led me to this conclusion.
As glad as I am that people are speaking up, the fact is that as long as they’re celebrities, it’ll still be a tough sell. I know it shouldn’t be, but I feel like it is. What I do hope is that this encourages more people, preferably those who carry some “weight” (UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!) in the eyes of the British press to speak up against this crap.
But I do not understand where the reticence on the part of the British press to speak up comes from. I mean, I get why the tabloids have no reason to do the right thing, they make money off this crap, of course they’re gonna keep doing what they’re doing. But the regular old British press? Seriously? These are their colleagues, for better or for worse, and none of them care enough to push back??? This is the part that’s baffling to me, tbh. What is even happening.
If I am not mistaken, Kaiser said once in a post here on CB that in a few generations we will all look like Hale Berry (because of mixed couples and all that). I can’t wait for that day. Enough with racism.
I would be super happy to look like Halle Berry!
I remember when the engagement was announce we got all of these PR article about how they were going to change the world. I think Meghan was thinking this union was going to provide her the platform to be like the Angelina Jolie or even the Amal Clooneys of the world, That’s why Amal was one of the first people she became friends with when she got to London. She was too low on the Hollywood scale to be view as such, She did try tho. What she did not factor in was that she was getting herself into THE colonizing family in the world. These people don’t want change to their class system and their tax funded life. They want her to show up, look pretty and shut up. Now they control all of financial and other decision making , she can’t even put out a statement to defend herself cause it’s not up to her anymore. front my point of view i feel like lots of high ranking family member don’t like her and i’m not talking about Andrew or the couriers. she would have been better off getting with some rich tech guy and even high profile producer and directors.(at least that what i would do lol) . She would have been living the high life and no one would not have much to say about it. As long as she is part that family and depend on them for her livelihood, nothing will change cause like they have shown they could care less about her or her family and friends. Please Meghan the stan don’t come for me just my opinion.
I agree.
And in addition I would like to add that the job description is: representing Britain on behalf of the Head of State aka the Queen in the United Kingdom which is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy (see wikipedia).
I’m with Jameela, Jessica and others. Leave Duchess Meghan alone! Oh, and shout out to Bill Withers for lending “Lovely Day” as opening song for Smart Works.
Once again Meghan makes the RRs look foolish by showing up to Smart Works and supporting her patronage. In August too.
Bill Withers is awesome. There’s a fantastic documentary film about him – well worth a look!
“Meghan’s exotic DNA shall certainly THICKEN the royal blue blood line…”
Can’t find the article where it was published. Did somebody find it?