To be uncomfortable after my manager went on a rant about how much she hates Meghan Markle during a team meeting?

[AlertBird]

So, today, in our team meeting, my manager went on a full-on rant about how much she hates Meghan Markle. It seemed completely out of place and unnecessary, especially considering the meeting was meant to be about work. It got a bit awkward and no one really knew how to react.

I get that people have opinions but I just felt like it was unprofessional to bring something like that up during a work meeting. It felt like a personal issue being projected onto everyone else.

AIBU to feel uncomfortable about this or is it just me being overly sensitive?

Your manager sounds like a fruit loop.

does she often pull this nonsense?

She is definitely a racist and you need to report her to HR.

LOL, so now disliking Meghan Markle makes you racist?

What rubbish.

Danny Baker tweeting a cartoon which depicts MM’s and H’s child as a monkey isn’t enough proof then? And him getting sacked by the BBC for it?

And a subsequent statement by Buckingham Palace saying, “Palace aides have been spending hours each week moderating comments on the official palace Instagram account and removing racist and sexist content”.
Source : Associated press

Really? Haven’t you ever heard someone rant about the Prime Minister for example?. Someone people don’t know but will have a strong opinion on and will share their opinion freely. It’s quite common really.

I am not a fan of MM but I am not racist. I think that’s a terrible and baseless comment on your part.

There's plenty of overlap, that's for sure.

Do you rant about her though?

No, completely inappropriate from any team member during a meeting but unforgiveable from a manager. She has absolutely no right to express her personal opinions whether religious, political or in this case her hatred of a famous individual. How would people feel if she started to rant about the Pope or the Prime Minister for example? It's unprofessional, intimidating and creates a hostile working environment. She should be disciplined.

She was probably just over sharing and boundaries blurred.

We are supposed to be always professional but it’s so easy to over share. I’d give her the benefit of doubt here.

Any decision ,actions the prime minister makes affects the population as a whole so it's completely understandable people rant about them if they think it's a poor decision, however I would still find it inappropriate in s professional meeting
Any decision, action MM makes affects nobody but her and her family, quite a strange comparison.

Oh god she's just a woman who has done something a bit unprofessional, just wait and see if it becomes a pattern . Everyone is allowed an off day

Hahahahhaah not unforgivable in the slightest

And people wonder why Megan and Harry legged it out of here...

It is a topsy turvy world indeed when a woman who could have sat back and basked in unearned wealth in exchange for cutting a few ribbons, chooses to pursue her own path, projects, protect their children and earn a living.

There not really if they are a manager paticularly if it was during a professional meeting

I mean, just reading this thread there are some extremes, in both directions.

Saying for example ‘I don’t like this show she’s done, some pretentious stuff she’s making. Gives me Gwyneth Paltrow vibes’ - not racist

saying ‘I hate MM, she doesn’t look like a royal and so she shouldn’t be one’ - racist

Does MM have anything to do with what the meeting was about? If not, why didn't you ask in what way it was relevant to the meeting?

Seems very odd thing for a professional to do in a work meeting TBH.

DuchessOfNarcissex is right to ask though why no-one got her back on track - that's not an usual thing to have to do else meeting can drag on and meander off course - or did somone try and she carried on ranting - which frankly would have been even odder.

It maybe a strange comparison to you but it’s still the same thing. What about people having an opinion on the leader of the liberal party. He doesn’t really have a sway over policy but people will have an opinion about him

She sounds very unprofessional and a bit fucking mad! If she does it again, I’d walk out and report her to HR.

I'd think your manager had just outed herself as bananas, and assume she was bananas about a bunch of other stuff.

I don't think the racism thing is an entirely unreasonable leap to make when someone goes on an unhinged rant about MM - few people started absolutely loathing her completely spontaneously - it's usually because they have been caught up in an extremely online witchhunt about her, that USUALLY includes a bunch of other online extremist stuff that might seem unrelated at first glance but tends to come from the same stable of racism, Brexit, destabilisation etc and is generated by bot farms for the most part. There is literally no other way she could have come BY extreme opinions about a fairly boring woman on tv.

I don't mean thinking MM is dull and annoying means you're a Russian shill, but having the "SHE RUINED HARRY'S LIIIIIFE!!!!!" opinions suggests you're a bit too online.

I imagine your manager is susceptible to lots of conspiracy theories and probably thinks Trump "has some good ideas".

That's nuts.

Is she unwell? Middle management is "the meat in the sandwich" perhaps she's under some pressure?
I'd be a bit puzzled about her wellbeing if this is odd behaviour.
You can have opinions but wouldn't normally bring them to work meetings....

No, she had nothing to do with the meeting at all, which is why it felt so out of place. I was too taken aback in the moment to question it, but in hindsight, I wish I had asked how it was relevant. It just felt like a personal rant rather than anything remotely work-related.