Harry and Meghan. Reason to pay attention

[cally]

I just finished the series and I am convinced that the two were targeted by the same misinformation, racism, misogyny, and hatred that has beset our own media. A few examples:

1. Stories about Meghan that were negative (she is performing when she touches her pregnancy) but same action is portrayed as loving when Katherine did it. Many other examples shown.

2. Appalling racist stories. Some of the cartoons shown are shocking.

3. The total invasion of privacy with little protection. Security breaches and assasination threats.

4. A report that the majority or negative twitter accounts link to to 80 plus originators including Meghan’s step sister. Sounds familiar to reports of some of our own anti vax reports and other propaganda.

5. The family institution did not try to protect them and instead tried to destroy them to protect William and Charles

As someone who has slightly followed the story, it was obvious to me that hey were being targeted by racists and the royal family. One time I most noticed this was when there were rumors that William was having an affair and the next day all the headlines were about Meghan. The DailyMail has a negative Meghan story almost every day. Somehow, I get emails from Quara and the stories about Meghan are ridiculous.

I think we need to follow this to better understand the same forces at work in our own country.

[onecaliberal]

1. I believe them too for many of the stated reasons and more.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Harry is experiencing something akin to what his mother suffered,

persecuted both by The Firm and the media.

[Trueblue1968]

3. and his own brother is dis owning him. how evil and sick. i hate charles and camilla

nasty despicable people. he i not fit to be king.

Make Princess Anne the Queen.

[Pisces]

4. They need to be quiet now. Victims of their own ignorance. She is the first mixed race, American

To marry a prince!! The first of anything has to be better and thicker skinned than everyone else.
She thought she was going to change an institution?? I tire of these rich, privileged people crying about nonsense. Live your life and get on with it.

Harry shocked that his brother yelled at him??? Poor thing. I have no sympathy for people who continue to put themselves in the public view for criticism.

[cally]

6. Wow

Did you also believe that Michelle Obama should have just shrugged and never written her book about what it was like to face the hatred and racism she faced? Or learning about what Nancy Pelosi faces and the hatred she has faced, or learning more about the ongoing campaigns against Hilary Clinton, or many, many others? All should just shut up and take the abuse or maybe those like me need to hear the truth to try to recognize the misogyny and racism in our media and political spheres so we don’t always believe what we are told.

I opt for knowledge and learning more.

[Joinfortmill]

11. Well said.

[mainer]

13. Agree. Victims of racism should not be quiet.

For too many centuries victims have been told to shut up and take it.

[Pisces]

20. Sorry I came off so poorly, my intention was not

Shut up about racism. I just feel they are acting too naïve and shocked over something most people know was out there.

[Bev54]

66. Just because it is out there, does not mean it should be accepted.

It is right that they fight and expose it. Nothing will change if everyone "just accepts it"

[Maraya1969]

68. Frankly I was shocked when I saw some of the things they have done to Megan. I read the

article where they showed the media's coverage of her compared to Kate Middleton and it is sickening. Someone mentioned here about how the media said Megan was "acting" when she was holding her pregnant belly and was very mean and nasty but when Kate was holding her pregnant belly they wrote about how sweet it was.

My problem is I thought because she is so beautiful that she would not get treated badly. Boy was I wrong.

[ShazzieB]

83. I'm sure they knew "it was out there."

Or at least Meghan knew. Harry may well have been taken by surprise, as white people often are shocked when we come face to face with racism. We know it exists, but we can nonetheless be quite comfortably insulated by our white privilege until and unless we are directly affected by it. And being a royal, I imagine Harry was even more insulated by privilege than most "regular" white folks (like me) would be.

As a poc, Meghan has of course dealt with racism her entire life, but I think the intensity and sheer viciousness of what she's been subjected to since her relationship with Harry went public probably took even her by surprise. As a royal, he is automatically subjected to a level of public scrutiny and judgment that I personally can't even imagine, and his marrying an American would have probably brought on a firestorm of public disapproval, regardless of any other factors involved. Add to that the fact that she's a poc, and that firestorm got jacked up by an order of magnitude.

In short, what they have had to deal with is, imo, something beyond just plain old, garden variety racism. I don't find it at all surprising that neither of them was able to anticipate the full extent of what they were going to be confronted with. He had no experience with having someone he cares about being the target of such ugly, virulent hatred, and she had no experience with being a member of the royal family or the massive public expectations that entails. I don't think anyone on the outside of that situation is in a position to make pronouncements about what they "should" have expected or been prepared for.

Lastly, making pronouncements of that sort smacks of "blaming the victims" and of the "just world" theory that says people bring their problems on themselves and therefore "get what they deserve," both of which, quite frankly, seem excessively judgmental and unkind to me.

[Withywindle]

91. Very well said, thank you n/t

[lostnfound]

95. Harry holds tight to the idealism that his mother bequeathed him

Idealism and decency. It’s the best part of her and he is not gonna give it up.
Good for him.

“The day we stop speaking about the things that matter..”

[Pisces]

16. No, but their naive shock that it was possible to experience

These things is tiresome. Michelle Obama never made herself to be a victim. She knew what she was up against. Michelle and Barrack expected the racism being the first and they never complained. Harry crying about William yelling at him for leaving the royal family is nothing. People have gotten into that and more for missing a family Thanksgiving!

I find them annoying, my opinion. They are doing themselves no favors with these shows. They are not going to receive sympathy or empathy from the majority at the public. This is more of the same from them. If they want off the public stage they should just live their lives. The backlash has already started.

PS Michelle Obama should never be in any way compared to Megan. The 2 live on completely different planets.

[wnylib]

27. Barack Obama did confront racism during his 2008 campaign.

When racism and rumors were going around about Obama because of Reverend Wright at the church that Barack and Michelle had attended, Barack gave a speech about race and his disagreement with Rev. Wright's comments.

Obama also addressed the birther BS by releasing his birth certificate and by ridiculing Trump at a Correspondents' dinner over Trump's conspiracy theory support of birtherism.

Some things have to be addressed. So Obama addressed so Obama addressed them.

When Michelle was criticized for wearing a sleeveless dress (or blouse?), Barack addressed it with humor that cut down the critics by saying that Michelle had the right to bear/bare arms.

[Pisces]

29. I don't find the 2 people comparable. I should never have

Commented on this topic as I don’t care about these people.

[Gruenemann]

43. I've learned not to comment on anything on DU.

No matter how innocent or well intentioned, my remarks would be misinterpreted and twisted into some sort of clusterfuck shit show.

[Disaffected]

56. It's a bit perilous alright.

A few years ago, I asked here if anyone had an email address or similar with which one could send good wishes to RBG when she was fighting cancer. I received a scolding from several for being a creeper or stalker or some-such.

[kskiska]

82. I hear you.

[niyad]

87. For someone who does not care about them, you certainly seem to have a

lot to say, all quite negative.

[calimary]

62. They ARE getting tiresome. AND annoying.

If you two don't like the spotlight, renounce your titles and royal privileges and go live the private lives you claim to want - instead of "poor me'ing" all over the place on the one hand, and aggressively seeking attention on the other.

Longtime royal-watcher here. The Sussexes don't impress me at all. Glad William was born first.

[Skittles]

90. THANK YOU

I cannot stand them.

[Bev54]

67. Let us know when you experience something similar and at the same level

[Dan]

52. Even now, I still fill bad about Hilary.

I think she would have been the best president that we ever had….she had/has it all.

[relayerbob]

60. Thank you nt

[niyad]

14. They do not NEED to be anything but what THEY want to be. Sit down and

shut up and just take it is the language of abusers and enablers, and it is distressing to see that here.

[MontanaMama]

64. Amen.

Same with the language of “you should have known better.” Nope.

[MustLoveBeagles]

71. Thank you

[Stinky The Clown]

79. Amen.

There is another thread here that is puke worthy for its uninformed bullshit worthy of FuxNooz

[NewEnglandAutumn]

21. How domyou expect things to get better

if people ignore what is wrong? When people at or near the top of the pecking order are subjected to vile and harmful attacks and the attackers get away with it' it is even more difficult for those without clout to be defend themselves.

H should be shocked and hurt his brother did not stand by him. Family should be there for one another those who chose it optics over family are not tore admired.

[pnwmom]

26. They need to shout their story to the rooftops. The UK isn't Disneyland, despite the pretty castle.

The UK's history of racism is even longer and more widespread than our own. How did slaves end up in America? Through the British slave trade.

The racism in the UK is widespread and deep rooted, and this is one of the topics of the series.

This is David Olusoga, discussing the Black British history that is not taught in UK schools. It's not taught here, either, though maybe it should be. I'm not surprised Meghan was shocked by the racism there. How would she have known about it? Many people here believe the romanticized view of the UK that the Royalty and its communications team (aka, P.R. people) want to promote.

[Pisces]

40. Just the fact that she was American she should have been prepared

For hate. If she were white she still would have received hatred for not being British. You don’t have to know much to know that the monarchy is very insular and laden with many spoken and unspoken rules that an American would have difficulty understanding.

[blue neen]

50. I wonder, how does one "prepare for hate"?

I don't get it.

[ShazzieB]

84. Interesting.

You don’t have to know much to know that the monarchy is very insular and laden with many spoken and unspoken rules that an American would have difficulty understanding.

Which is exactly why I think it's unreasonable to expect that she, an American, should have been able to realize the full extent of what she was getting herself into. Funny how that works.

[mcar]

28. She's rich so she should just suck it up and STFU?

She was nearly driven to suicide and members of her own "family" were responsible. But yeah, she should have just STFU because she was the first?



I cannot believe I'm reading this here on DU.

[Pisces]

32. Poor wording on my part. Again don't care about these people

I don’t think I will be alone in thinking they should be prepared for public backlash. I could be wrong but I don’t think so

[mcar]

34. Why should they accept public backlash?

What did they do wrong? Why was Meghan cradling her baby bump offensive, while Kate doing same was maternal and nurturing?

[Pisces]

37. They don't have to accept anything but the fact that people

Are getting tired of them and the perception that they are whiny and complaining( Howard Stern telling millions the same thing) is out there.

[Evolve Dammit]

48. Howard Stern? Seriously. I give a fuck about Harry and Meghan but zero about an asshole like Stern.

They were treated horribly due to RACISM. It is endemic in UK and USA. Sorry you don't get it.

[Pisces]

54. I get it and have felt it myself. I would never have been naive to the fact that it exists and that

As a person of color marrying into the Aristocratic royals I definitely would have been expecting the worst. This whole conversation is tiresome. Racism exists I know it first hand and don’t pretend it doesn’t. Sorry if I commented on how it seems far fetched they didn’t anticipate racist hatred to be directed at them.

[Evolve Dammit]

57. So they should have expected it and you don't care about them. Yeah, I get it.

[Tree-Hugger]

74. There is a big difference...

....between expecting criticism and accepting it. They've both been in the public eye prior to their relationship. They know criticism happens. That doesn't mean they are required to accept it. They are allowed to speak out about the awful things that have been said about and done to them. No one is required to read their stories or watch their documentaries.

[mcar]

51. Who TF cares what Howard Stern thinks?

What "people" are getting tired of them?

[Tree-Hugger]

72. Oh...well..

...if King Howard Stern says so then we must all feel the same thing.

[Tree-Hugger]

75. These H & M threads

...devolve into casual racism and victim-blaming. It's constant here.

[mcar]

76. It is and it's shocking

that it's not recognized.

[betsuni]

77. +1

[BonnieJW]

35. I disagree

You can't be quiet and fade away. You stand and speak your truth. I think this young couple is very brave and what they did was not easy. I think Prince William is going to be crying some bitter tears one day for breaking with his brother.

[SheilaAnn]

39. He and his wife are both such snobs. Cannot abide either one of them. n/t

[Evolve Dammit]

49. Stupid is forever; read your own tag line

[SheilaAnn]

55. WTH does that mean?

[Evolve Dammit]

58. "Can't abide either of them" suggests that you have zero ability to relate. "Snobs" is a slur. n/t

[SheilaAnn]

59. So be it. Chill. n/t

[Evolve Dammit]

61. I hardly need advice from you. Thanks

[SheilaAnn]

63. Awwwww, have a nice evening.

[catbyte]

46. Seriously? Harry couldn't help who his parents were. He happened to fall in love with someone

"unacceptable" and he's being punished for it. It happens all too often in all walks of life, but you think they should just shut up and take the vile racial slurs and abuse because they're "rich and famous?" Should poorer people just "shut up and take it" too?

Being called vile names, and being harassed for your heritage hurts just as much when you're rich as it does if you're poor. In many ways, it was worse for them because the press was constantly hounding them.

Wow, how compassionate.

[betsuni]

65. I'm seeing a lot of that.

That they're rich and rich people only care about money, this series is to make money and keep them in the spotlight to make more money because money can be the only motivation for rich people.

Some kind of cynical populist anti-capitalist demonizing thing, that no wealthy people can be progressive or understand inequality and even a few hundred dollar campaign contribution from them to a Democrat is corrupting. No such thing as a progressive lobbyist, CEO, or billionaire. All corrupt enemies who are evil. I knew if I went to Jezebel I'd see them, and there they were.

[FakeNoose]

5. The Brit aristocracy is appallingly racist and misogynistic (probably anti-semitic too)

A lot of the horrible racist, misogynistic crap that carried over into our American psyche came from Britain. Let's face it, we need to deal with it. We need to end it with the current generation. I don't want my grandchildren to have to deal with the same crap that I grew up with. I'm guessing that we ALL feel that way.

End racism/sexism/antisemitism now.

[phylny]

7. I totally agree.

Someone has a huge Twitter thread about the differences between what was written about Catherine versus Meghan. It's utterly appalling.

[Arazi]

92. Christopher Bouzy of Bot Sentinel has documented the coordinated attacks

It’s brutal reading. It’s directed at many women of color but he didn’t really begin to delve into until Meghan.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/twitter-slow-to-remove-racist-sexist-tweets-targeting-vice-president-kamala-harris-report-finds/#app

The linked article is about VP Harris as another example of how she’s been the recipient of a massive campaign that never happened to Pence.

[tiredtoo]

8. If you watched the series "The Crown",this all makes sense. EOM

[SheilaAnn]

38. If "The Crown" is to be believed and I believe it is, these are hateful people. The royalty are con-

sidered to be "the system" and going back to Margaret and the Queen's treatment of her, whether she wanted to or not was just awful. The cousins put away in asylum so they wouldn't embarrass the crown. The treatmet of Diana, whether you liked her or not was appalling; the whole group needs to be brought down and rid of.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

69. Just like with the Sopranos, though, many people will admire them.

Putting people (or actors portraying them) can cause the opposite effect than what's intended.

[muriel_volestrangler]

94. No, "The Crown" is not to be believed. It's fiction designed to keep you watching,not a documentary.

The Crown is no more trustworthy than the UK tabloids. They may base it on reality, but it's an entertainment product, not informative.

[Samrob]

9. I agree with you. Just know the haters will not.

Their truth is out. "So let it be written, let it be done." All the best to them and their little ones.

[Joinfortmill]

10. It was a fascinating series. About the media...

I wondered if some of the focus on Meghan was to divert from stories about Andrew.

[NJCher]

12. eh

I don't like or care about any of them.

I do tend to agree with the OP, but won't watch them on N'flix. I did not watch The Crown.

[Deuxcents]

15. Im not following their documentaries.. I will say this.

I think they are putting it all out there as best they can. Let them live their lives in peace.. if they ever can

[Hamlette]

17. Why the low ratings?

I checked the imdb rating before Harry and Meagan was even released and the rating was 2.6 out of 10. It is now up to 3.4.

I have never seen ratings for a show or series that low. I usually won't watch anything without a 7 or higher but I've watched most of this and the rating is way off. I don't get it and find it very odd.

I wouldn't call myself a royal watcher but I find it interesting enough to catch all the big stuff. The Queen is one of my fav movies.

[progressoid]

25. Those are easily manipulated.

I haven't seen the series but I have heard right wing AM radio. They hate Meghan with a passion. I suspect these people are giving it bad reviews just out of blind hatred.

[Hamlette]

30. that's f-ed up

I haven't seen all of the episodes yet but from the first three they were brutal on the press. I would expect media types would be the most pissed off. Maybe they are all racist too.

[pnwmom]

33. The Royalty-lovers instantly rated it down, as soon as the first episode dropped.

They don't like the P.R.

[mcar]

36. It's like online polls

those numbers mean nothing.

Netflix's series about Prince Harry and Meghan has become the streaming giant's biggest documentary debut yet. "Harry & Meghan" racked up 81.55 million viewing hours globally in its first week of release

[Srkdqltr]

19. Would be cool to see all this bring down the monarchy. Won't happen but the fall out will be

Interesting.
They are ugly people.

[llmart]

22. I absolutely agree.

I like Harry and Meagan because they seem so real to me as opposed to William and Kate who are just playing the roles that are prescribed for them by a very outdated system.

The British media are and always have been ridiculously intrusive. And as someone else on here posted, I have never liked Camilla and Charles. He's creepy to me. How Camilla could even be so infatuated with him is beyond me.

[onetexan]

89. This!

[milestogo]

23. Well the media wasn't very kind to Diana or Fergie either.

And I don't see how following their shit helps explain our shit.

[pnwmom]

31. Listening to David Osuloga, the Black historian who appeared on the series,

explain their history of racism does help explain our history of racism -- since the American history of slavery began with the British slave trade.

We have that problem in common with the UK.

[dawn5651]

44. the british abolished the slave trade 33 years before

the united states....the fact that the slave trade happened at all is disgusting. i was doing some research and discovered we had slaves here in canada,,, i don't condone any of it. and i believe that canadian kids should be learning about our connection to slaves...here it wasn't just black people it was indians and others as well.

[milestogo]

47. I was talking about the media problem.

[Tetrachloride]

24. As a student of verbal warfare, i found The Crown to be

quite worthwhile. cf., The Bridge On The River Kwai as well

[LakeArenal]

41. Lots of judges out there. Even ones that say they don't care about them.....

No one knows everything about anybody. I feel for anyone getting constant hate mail when they really have done nothing wrong.

[dawn5651]

42. haz and the wife lied when they said canada refused to pay

their security...we as canadian citizens paid for their security until they stepped down as senior royals and lost their internationally protected persons status.

they were told by her majesty they could not be half in and half out. they were told they couldn't use the sussex royal webpage to sell items and make money off their title.

they also claimed that the commonwealth is empire 2.0. as a citizen of the commonwealth that is bs. membership in the commonwealth is voluntary. any country is free to leave anytime they choose.

the queen invited haz and the wife to balmoral for a visit before her majesty died. they told her

they couldn't accept that as non working royals that they would not get the same status as working royals. that is why they were sat on the other side at st. pauls away from the senior royals. that was on the orders of the queen...her equerry is the one who told haz and the wife that.

here in canada she claimed she was being stalked by the paps.....funny i never saw one article on any of the sites that i visit that this was happening...she called the toronto police demanding police protection based on who she was dating..the police said no...was not their responsibility.

right now they are blaming king charles and the prince of wales for their woes.. up until the queen died in september the queen was in charge and make no mistake the queen was no pushover. if the queen thought that any of the crap they are spewing was true she would have stepped in.

[niyad]

78. "haz and the wife"??? What is that supposed to mean?

[Iggo]

81. Straight outa The Telegraph, and can and should be ignored.

[ShazzieB]

85. Ah, I see. Thanks for this. 😉

[niyad]

86. Thank you. It had struck me as very odd.

[NewHendoLib]

45. Well said, cally. We just watched the first of the three newest episodes.

Wow. Remarkable -but sadly - and of course - not surprising. Just sad.

We watched the Crown (all that have been released so far) - and once again, Wow.

The bubble that the "system" aka "institution" lives in is pretty grotesque - and the royal family is certainly toxic and dangerous to anyone who doesn't fit into their microscopic mold - and just sits down and shuts up.

It is clearly beyond, well beyond, obsolete.

I respect Harry and Meghan for breaking away and taking their lives into their own hands - that takes great courage.

And to take on that twisted, sick tabloid media - loads of courage to take that on. Those people are simply scum.

But we know about that in the US - having experienced Rush, and Tucker, and Faux.

[Evolve Dammit]

53. well said and agree.

[BannonsLiver]

70. This is a pretty base level take.

Not terribly insightful. But as you said you don’t know much about the family. The racism stuff in the media is pretty straightforward. But the familial relationship element of the story is more nuanced. Real life usually is.

[HipChick]

73. Scandal of Windrush generation already showed how racist the UK is...

Haz is finishing what his mother started...

[niyad]

88. Who is haz?

[Ilsa]

80. I heard the same thing about point number one

Total hypocrisy by the media.

[betsuni]

93. K&R

[Sympthsical]

96. It's depressing to witness how well PR works

I'll just drop this Reddit comment here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/entertainment/comments/zmj54t/comment/j0cp1m2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

And the point about Princess Mako is particularly salient. There was someone who wanted to move on from being royal and just live her life. No media promotion. No cash grab.

That's what wanting privacy and wanting to live one's life with a partner looks like.

This circus is by design. Plug in some words intended to press sore cultural points, sit back, cash the checks.

It's interesting how some people can so clearly perceive how taken in MAGA types are with Trump then simultaneously watch these two with complete and utter credulity.

Interesting to watch, though. Humans are ever a thing.

[musette_sf]

97. Good piece on this in today's WaPo

This is a story, at a basic level, of what it means to marry into a family. There’s a sister-in-law who got there first and who isn’t a hugger and who brought her own shiny pantyhose. There’s the brother-in-law your husband used to be close to, but with whom things are now awkward — and everyone is acting as though that’s your fault. Things are also awkward with your father-in-law, who married his mistress, and we haven’t even gotten started on your new uncle, the one who had been pals with Jeffrey Epstein. The person you like best is your mother-in-law, whom you never actually got to meet because she died 25 years ago.


Do you suck it up? Christmas after Christmas, christening after christening — through casually racist conversations (how light-skinned will your baby be?) and uptight dinner parties? Through the relentless scrutiny of those watching to assess whether you were having a good enough time at those dinner parties? (Every time Meghan didn’t quite fit in, the paparazzi made a slide show about it.) Do you grit your teeth and then go home and breathe deeply into an empty Lululemon bag?

 Or do you turn to your new spouse and say, “I’m out. You coming?”

The link is a gift link from my WaPo account, so hopefully no firewall

https://wapo.st/3uUhYJ0

[Cha]

98. Stupid Racists.. TY Cary nt