Page 3 | Polo, the elite and mysoginy

CrackersAndMarmite · 2024-12-10T16:57:37+00:00

So I sat down to watch the new Haggs and Merry Netflix show 'Polo'. I managed about 25 minutes I think before I was sooooo bored I had to turn it off. Anyway, when watching it all I kept thinking about was how mysoginy is just so massively perpetuated by the elite. The programme was all about the rich male oligarch/oil tycoon/CEO types. No women's team represented - future episodes seem only focussed on male teams too from my brief look at what's to come. The men all have their picture perfect little blonde wifey's who look after the babies and children and home and are expected to fawn over these men's (not as nice as they think) bodies. Meanwhile, these men pour millions into a sport that seems to be about appearances more than actual passion. They use horses as their play thing. I just felt a bit sick watching this programme as it really made me think about how the upper classes/elite are everything that is wrong with the world, yet they run it. The mysoginy, the arrogance, the splashing of millions on a sport when there are people starving, the expensive cars and private jets guzzling fuel and gushing out pollutants. I don't often give much thought to the super rich, but watching this made me feel really really angry. While millions of people around the world are suffering famine, war, death, cost of living crises, homelessness, struggling to put food on the table, these rich men are prancing about spending millions on simply having fun, while wifey attends to their every whim and they do what the hell they like regardless of climate concerns, animal welfare concerns etc.. AIBU to think the elite are everything that is wrong with the world. If they could use their millions to support homelessness, support those undergoing war and famine, raise awareness of women's rights (instead of walking about with the trophy wife attached to their arm leading us back to the 50s), and take action on climate change, the world would be a far far far better place. ... (Sorry I don't know if I spelt mysoginy right!)

RingoJuice · 11/12/2024 12:11

Scentedjasmin · 11/12/2024 11:18

And who do you think is buying all the goods that fuels China's huge manufacturing emissions. It's called 'exported emissions'.

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If you look at the breakdown, export oriented emissions are a small
portion overall.

Much of Chinese emissions is used for heating and electricity, heavy industry and the like. So maybe stop flagellating yourselves over it

XWKD · 11/12/2024 12:13

People who aren't rich also walk past the homeless and hungry, buy clothes and tat they don't need without any regard for the people who made them -or the environmental cost, and think everyone else is to blame.

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CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:23

WeArentInKansas · 11/12/2024 11:46

based on past performance, the chances of Meghan and Harry producing anything interesting or engaging I'd assess as very low.

they are out of touch and desperately clawing to stay in the public eye to generate money. so it's no surprise to me that they are making a documentary that is elitist and misogynistic.

It fits with the criticism of them in this German documentary that has had a lot of publicity:

Russell Myers told the documentary: "If you're going to places like Nigeria, like Colombia, which have huge socio-economic problems, some of the world's poorest communities in these countries, and you're turning up wearing tens of thousands of pounds worth of designer clothes - it really doesn't send the right message."

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1985944/royal-family-live-prince-harry-meghan-markle-hypocrisy

Indeed. It's this that I don't like and don't understand and I'm sure it's not just Megs and Harry who do things like this. I can't understand how they can know they are wearing clothes worth this much when talking to people who have nothing, yet seemingly do very little about it. Why does anyone need a 10k pair of jeans? Just think what some people could do with that money and what a difference it would make to them. I guess I just struggle massively with inequality and always have. But there's nothing can be done about it I guess. Sadly.

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Original poster

CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:25

BMW6 · 11/12/2024 11:27

I think OP is not long out of puberty. If that old.

Ah bless you! Nicest thing you've said! I'll take the compliment, thank you! ☺️

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Original poster

CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:30

RingoJuice · 11/12/2024 11:11

The money spent on a high end yacht could probably end rough sleeping in my city by providing more affordable and safe hostels and staff to walk the streets guiding people to secure accomodation for the night

The problem here is that you think money is the root of these issues. No amount of money is going to end rough sleeping. Look at California spending 20 billion on ending homelessness and the problem only gets worse.

Money alone solves very little. So you stripping money from a small amount
of people accomplishes nothing.

No. Money isn't the root of the issue. So many factors contribute to rough sleeping from substance use difficulties to learning difficulties and more. Most have their roots in trauma. However, it is very clear that in order for these issues to be addressed and people to be supported, more money is needed. Those that sleep rough on cold nights often don't have anywhere to get shelter for numerous reasons and money would help those issues to be addressed.

I've spent my life working with homeless people, offenders, people with mental health and substance use problems. In every service I've worked in there bas been massive underfunding. Probation services being amongst the worst. Saying goodbye to someone as they leave prison, knowing they have no money for the week and nowhere to stay breaks my heart. Meanwhile across town, the super wealthy are drinking 10k bottles of champagne and wearing 20k designer tops. It feels so wrong to me. I don't understand it

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akkakk · 11/12/2024 16:38

CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 10:32

Thanks. Your posts are very interesting.

I am curious - what do you think these v rich people feel when they walk through central London (or wherever) and past a homeless person, into a restaurant. Do they just detach from the fact that they are wearing a warm fur coat that could save the life of the the person outside? Do that have guilt eating their 3 course meals and probably leaving some because they are so full?

I appreciate that there will be many wealthy people who quietly put aside money to support various charities etc.. That is good. But it does feel like there is so much wealth that not enough of the super rich are helping enough.

The money spent on a high end yacht could probably end rough sleeping in my city by providing more affordable and safe hostels and staff to walk the streets guiding people to secure accomodation for the night. If I knew I could do that for people, I would do that and not buy the yacht.

Rishi Sunak used to annoy me because he and his wife have literally billions. I don't know how he could lead a country, knowing his people are sleeping rough, kids are living in poverty, and yet he didn't spend an ounce of his own money on helping them. If I led a country and had billions in the bank, I would use some of my wealth to provide services and support to my people. He could easily have opened a homeless shelter, built childrens centres etc.. but instead he lectured us all on what we should do, while he sipped the whisky and rolled around in his millions.

I think to become super rich you must have to also become heartless and cut off. Like you say, I guess if you mix with others with wealth you can kind of cut off from and forget the poor exist and live in your own bubble without the guilt. But that seems like a rather inhuman way to live, to me...

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As others have mentioned, I think we all have ways in which we disassociate from a certain situation in order to avoid being challenged personally - I am a Christian, and one of the biggest challenges members of the church in our country / the west face is that we are called to give sacrificially - if only people did... equally there is a difficulty in that you walk past someone homeless, and give them some money - for many their worry is that it would be spent on alcohol / drugs, not on shelter or food...

Maybe it is better for those with wealth to think about how they can use that wealth to influence - maybe the Gates Foundation is a good example of using uber-wealth to push international programmes...

Rishi Sunak was not personally at that level of wealth - the wealth reported was mainly his wife's and that only in terms of her owning a % of her father's business - so that is a long way from billions in cash (and they are not at that level quite anyway).

I think though there are some superb examples - JK Rowling gets a lot of exposure on here for her gender-critical views, but also she is someone who seeing the state of the sector for rape centres in Scotland, spent her money founding one - so that is a good example of putting wealth to use...

I am not sure you can challenge the wealthy to give away every penny - where do they give it? Charities often misuse donations / government is terrible at handling anything to resolve any issue - giving directly to those who are poor doesn't necessarily fix things - so actually there is a big issue in how you co-ordinate and encourage spend to help others...

but agree - I understand the feelings, and agree that there is much more that can be done, but equally think there are many complications and subtleties which not everyone is aware of...

slightlydistrac · 11/12/2024 16:38

It is telly.

The production company and the editors will want to produce a show that people want to watch. They are not going to make a programme leaving all the endless dull bits in now, are they? No. They want to show all the flashy glamour and lavish lifestyles and emphasise it because that's what the viewers gawp at, and what ends up in the gossip columns and talked about on social media.

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CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:39

XWKD · 11/12/2024 12:13

People who aren't rich also walk past the homeless and hungry, buy clothes and tat they don't need without any regard for the people who made them -or the environmental cost, and think everyone else is to blame.

I am sure there are people who do this. However, most people couldn't make much difference. A lot.of.people.dont have a lot more than they need. If they stop and give the homeless person their coat, it might be hard for them to afford another for themself. But the super wealthy are in a position to make a difference. Some consciously choose gluttony and greed over the welfare of their fellow humans while at the same time, some preach to the masses about how they should do things better (eg. You should consider the climate while I fly around in my jet. You should give to children in need while I wear my designer 20k necklace to visit poor kids....) Just makes me feel ill and angry!

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Original poster

CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:42

slightlydistrac · 11/12/2024 16:38

It is telly.

The production company and the editors will want to produce a show that people want to watch. They are not going to make a programme leaving all the endless dull bits in now, are they? No. They want to show all the flashy glamour and lavish lifestyles and emphasise it because that's what the viewers gawp at, and what ends up in the gossip columns and talked about on social media.

Despite all the glamour etc.. it was still incredibly boring. Just thought I'd mention that!! (so they did basically leave in all the boring bits but they also added in a bit of animal cruelty, misogyny and arrogance to the mix!)

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Mincepiesorpigsinblankets · 11/12/2024 16:43

The polo lifestyles are incredible.

slightlydistrac · 11/12/2024 16:59

CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 16:42

Despite all the glamour etc.. it was still incredibly boring. Just thought I'd mention that!! (so they did basically leave in all the boring bits but they also added in a bit of animal cruelty, misogyny and arrogance to the mix!)

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You saw what they wanted you to see, and this whole thread is the result.

Months and months of filming, and the thirty seconds of arrogance they caught on camera (from someone ordinarily pleasant) will be the thirty seconds that doesn't get cut.

Can you imagine the endless, interminable hours of staggeringly boring footage it takes to make a 'reality' tv show, and how many days and weeks of editing it takes to find the clips of all the good bits they can knit together into something with an even half-way believable storyline?

You know those tabloid photos of celebrities showing them scowling? The paps will have taken ten thousand photos of them smiling, happy, bored, indifferent, going about their day being pursued by people on scooters, whatever other expression you like, but only managed to get one single photo of them with a scowl on their face? The tabloid newspaper wants a photo of them scowling and out of ten thousand photos, that will be the one they print. That is the photo they want to accompany their largely invented 'story' about the sleb's cheating partner or whatever, and the photo makes it believable. (yes I do know someone in the public eye!!)

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CrackersAndMarmite · 11/12/2024 17:05

slightlydistrac · 11/12/2024 16:59

You saw what they wanted you to see, and this whole thread is the result.

Months and months of filming, and the thirty seconds of arrogance they caught on camera (from someone ordinarily pleasant) will be the thirty seconds that doesn't get cut.

Can you imagine the endless, interminable hours of staggeringly boring footage it takes to make a 'reality' tv show, and how many days and weeks of editing it takes to find the clips of all the good bits they can knit together into something with an even half-way believable storyline?

You know those tabloid photos of celebrities showing them scowling? The paps will have taken ten thousand photos of them smiling, happy, bored, indifferent, going about their day being pursued by people on scooters, whatever other expression you like, but only managed to get one single photo of them with a scowl on their face? The tabloid newspaper wants a photo of them scowling and out of ten thousand photos, that will be the one they print. That is the photo they want to accompany their largely invented 'story' about the sleb's cheating partner or whatever, and the photo makes it believable. (yes I do know someone in the public eye!!)

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Yes, agree with all this. Though quite why Harry and Meghan want to be associated with animal cruelty, arrogance and misogyny is beyond me! I suppose it gets viewers, but it doesn't really help their reputation, the reputation of polo, or the reputation of other super rich families ... and as they left the boring bits in, the viewers who might have started watching it will switch off, the reviews will be awful, and the programme will be a flop. So not sure who wins with such television?

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Mincepiesorpigsinblankets · 12/12/2024 00:12

CrackersAndMarmite · 10/12/2024 17:31

Thanks! V interesting! (Slightly wow at the Costs involved!!!)

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Look up Yoanna Hanbury on Instagram , wife of polo player Charlie Hanbury...unreal lifestyle

itsjustbiology · 12/12/2024 16:24

I watched it all last night and oh my goodness how miserable were the wives and girlfriends? They really were not valued. Dads in almost hateful competition with their sons. Pathetic.