What did Michelle Obama mean about Meghan & Harry Intervire

[Mummyozzi]

Just watching the interview with the Bush first daughter and Michelle Obama. It's on youtube 'Michekke Obama Weighs in in Meghan Markles Interview...'

Michelle Obama says that public service should shine a light on the people being served. She also says race isn't a new construct to people of colour. She says it's not surprising and expected.

I was surprised that a democrat wouldn't be more sympathetic to Meghan and Harry. It almost sounded like she wanted them to get on with it. Even on the issue of race it was as thought she was almost saying that MM shouldn't have been surprised and no should we. Almost as though the fact it's a news story and taking away from other stuff bothers her.

I was surprised by this and know she's personally met Kate and William.

What is your take ?

It’s a radical concept, but maybe she’s recognising that Meghan Markle’s race probably has negatively affected some media coverage of her, and that she understands that experience - but doesn’t necessarily agree with every personal decision she has made or her current stance.

If only more people could take such a stance. It’s not a straight choice between despising MM as a publicity-grabbing harpy or being a vocal supporter who thinks she’s a wounded angel - whatever some people would have us believe.

I think it is more probably that the Royal family although politically neutral (officially) are state representatives that mix with world Governments at the highest levels and to publicly take sides on unsubstantiated (as yet) allegations would probably be a step she would want to avoid.

Michelle Obama says that public service should shine a light on the people being served.

That's a very fair point. Much of the hatred directed at MM and PH is rooted in the perception of hypocrisy they live by. They speak about using their privileges to help others, yet the "show" always seems to be about them individually. They speak about media intrusion whilst seeking out and doing lucrative deals with the media. They say they don't want public funds whilst arguing that their child should be a prince so that they get their security funded.

If they just quietened down and got on with helping people - with charities, like William does, or directly meeting AIDS patients and walking through landmine sites like Diana did - and stopped this slanging match with the media, people would come to respect them more.

Michelle Obama knows william and kate???

My take is that I’m absolutely sick to death of Harry and Meghan threads.

If only more people could take such a stance. It’s not a straight choice between despising MM as a publicity-grabbing harpy or being a vocal supporter who thinks she’s a wounded angel - whatever some people would have us believe

Agreed.

And I think Michelle Obama might have advised them "when they go low, we go high."

@AngeloMysterioso

My take is that I’m absolutely sick to death of Harry and Meghan threads.

Then avail yourself of the hide button.

Yay, another Meghan thread 🙄

I read that the Queen and Prince Philip have always understood that when people are cheering and waving flags it was not for them personally, it was for The Crown, and that they felt Diana thought it was for her personally, which they thought was the wrong approach.

But I feel that in the end, it was for Diana personally actually. Maybe not at the start, in 1981/2.

@Hadjab

Yay, another Meghan thread 🙄

Thank goodness you won’t have to see it in your watch list, as you would if you commented on it...

I don't think it was necessarily a dig at M and H but just a reminder that in the big scheme of things their problems are quite ordinary and maybe she felt it didn't warrant all this uproar.

@Number3BigCupOfTea

Michelle Obama knows william and kate???

Yes, they have met several times during official visits (including with DC - there were fairly relaxed looking photos released - eg Prince George in his dressing gown) and as far as an outsider can tell they were on cordial terms

Yes they were photographed in their kensington palace home. It was in a living area and there was a rocking horse the Obamas has gifted to George.

Hmmmm it did seem an unusual stance from Michelle. Can't quite get my head around it. She did say same interview that our priorities should be on vaccines/ jobs etc.

I wouldn't say that Michelle Obama is entirely selfless, she did cooperate on a documentary about herself.

She also said for healing in this rift there needs to be honesty.

It was strange. Neither supportive or critical entirely. I wondered if maybe Michelle and Meghan will run against each other in an election. Hence keeping a safe distance l.

Also I get M Obama is big on the 'they go low we go high' dignity and diplomatic thing but would have thought she would be empathetic to mental health issues and the rest.

To me it felt as though she didn't find the interview honest.

She probably finds MM to be insincere and hypocritical, as so many of us do.

She is an intelligent woman and a skilled diplomat, it sounded like she was dismissive of the whole circus rather than blatantly critical of either M and H or the RF

She probably finds MM to be insincere and hypocritical, as so many of us do.

This. Why should MO wade in to defend MM just because she’s the same skin colour? Maybe MO thinks M & H should stop whining and being so entitled in the middle of a pandemic when people are losing their livelihoods left, right and centre and we are about to enter the biggest economic recession we’ve ever lived through! I’m sure it makes her want to roll her eyes that she’s expected to comment on these two non-entities when she is actually doing y’know, important stuff.

I don't understand how MO's comments are unsupportive. Or how they mean anything.

Probably thick. I will appreciate the humility conferred by my thickness & hide thread coz not that interested.

I thinks she’s trying to stay neutral and not give an opinion.

Or by not showing support outwardly wants to be distanced.

I do wonder if M&H are being viewed as Mavericks or left field and possibly becoming more celebrity rather than altruistic servitude people (which I think is how they want to be viewed).

I also think this plus her separate comments about hoping there is forgiveness in the family (not specifying who deserves forgiveness!) show she thinks they shouldn't make it about them as individuals.

I don't necessarily agree though. Her period of "public service" was 8 years as First Lady. I don't think you can expect a whole family to keep their affairs out of the media for their entire lives because they should be concentrating on us minions. Half the point of them is a tourist attraction and big garden parties for weddings, jubilees and so on.

Complete waste of my thinking time but I do wonder how H&M are also viewing/processing MO’s comments.

It’s a radical concept, but maybe she’s recognising that Meghan Markle’s race probably has negatively affected some media coverage of her, and that she understands that experience - but doesn’t necessarily agree with every personal decision she has made or her current stance.
I agree.
Michelle Obama is an intelligent woman, accomplished in her own right, and has experience being a first lady.
It sounds like she's come to the fairly measured view that whilst racism played a role in some of the media's treatment of Meghan, it doesn't mean the wants to get involved in what can best be described as upper class Jeremy Kyle.

What did Michelle Obama mean about Meghan & Harry Intervire[sic]
You'd have to ask her.

If you read the full thing, it's obviously pro-Meghan. The tabloids are desperate to take bits out of context to make out their jabs at Meghan.

William and displayed a racist painting with the word "Negro" written on it during Michelle's visit, so I can't imagine she's a big fan of them.

This. Why should MO wade in to defend MM just because she’s the same skin colour?

Well, she's not.