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?

Meghan Markle has no impact at all on UK citizens. Nothing she does directly affects us. She is irrelevant to our lives.

This is true and while many in public eye have little effect on people's lives some do generate strong opinions however outside of tabloid headline that people click on when bored I've rarely met anyone who give Meghan Markle much thought.

I've never met anyone who hated her and ranted about it anywhere lest alone somewhere so unprofessional as a work meeting. Even Harry -- generally if spoken about he's a prat - and that's it - who give a shit about him he's way down succession line and irrelvant.

Ranting about any celeb in a work meeting not really the done thing.

Being so passionate about this does as PP suggest she down rabbit holes and has lost sight of normal behavior. Other than contact HR and have some stock phrases to get future meeting on track not sure what to suggest.

Horribly unprofessional and inappropriate particularly given that the target of her ire has no impact on her life or indeed anyone else's life. It is not as Meghan Markle is a powerful politician whose decisions impact our daily lives. When I worked in the NHS we were inevitably affected by government decisions and of course these were discussed at team meetings but nobody went off on a rant. Nothing that Meghan Markle does or says affects any of us in any way at work or our personal lives unless we are members of the royal family or in her employment or social circle! Bizzare and immature behaviour

I don’t disagree. What I do take issue with is the implication that anyone who dislikes MM is racist.

Exactly! But to be that sensible wouldn’t cause the drama.

I feel very uncomfortable about the hounding of MM. It feels a bit 'burn the witch'.

@Munnygirl

My point that you could have an opinion on ANYONE the PM was just an example

Yes, everyone knows someone 'could have an opinion on anyone'. The point being made to you was that having an opinion as strong (and angry) as that of OP's manager, about someone who has literally no effect at all on your life, is absolutely batshit.

Don't you think?

How ridiculous. So the only possible reason for disliking MM is racism, and anyone who claims otherwise is in denial of their own racism.

I suppose it’s an effective way to shut down any legitimate criticism of a person.

I would just think what a peculiar person to bring up the Duchess of Sussex in a team meeting. How very odd.

How does a clearly mixed race person “conceal her black roots”, I wonder? Unless they state on their professional CV that they can pass as Caucasian when playing a role.

And...here we go.

Edited: Oops sorry quoted the wrong person.

People disliked her before the media said she was mixed race, if she was completely white she would have still acted the same way, it's her personality and behaviour that people find jarring.

My first reaction to your post, especially as your meeting and the company’s work has nothing to do with MM, was that your manager is having some kind of mental turbulence if not a breakdown. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people’s poor mental health goes unnoticed until it blows up.

If you are concerned about her, is there someone you could talk to who would take it up kindly as a concern rather than a complaint.

Agreed

What did she say?

Your manager is probably a user of the Mumsnet royal family board.

I have no opinion on the woman either way. I don't follow her on socials, don't read the Daily Fail and the like. Don't watch her shows etc.

But, to me, it is genuinely scary the lengths that people go to on here to find something to criticise her for. They are absolutely obsessed and it's completely unhealthy.

It's also supported my Mumsnet who let these threads stand. I called out a poster the other day about it and referenced Megan Derangement Syndrome and my post got deleted despite the lack of abusive language etc. But the thread itself remained with all the personal attacks.

Like all of these things if someone triggers that big a reaction in you and you have literally never even met them then it is about unresolved issues you have yourself rather than the person you have never met.

I think your boss just outed her own issues which is of course going to be very uncomfortable for everyone else in a work environment.

Not sure how she could conceal her black roots ,her mother is black she doesn't try and hide that fact in anyway.
Sorry quoted the wrong person.

Yep

That would be so entertaining! After going through "minutes and matters arising" the first agenda item could be "Celebrity Take Down" .

It is not true that she tried to conceal her black roots . In fact she has always been clear that she is mixed race and even wrote an article about this before she met Prince Harry.
I actually read the article . It is online if you care to read it
In addition, her mother always attended events with her, again before she met Harry
Also, when she was on Suits she asked that her father be played by a black actor . The man who played her father has mentioned this in interviews
Stop spreading untruths

Weird in a professional setting, absolutely. Must have been very awkward.
I've absolutely no idea why some people are so weirdly angry about MM. She's a glamorous actress, of course she will be a tad self-obsessed and want to do well for herself - shock horror! Good on her for grabbing all she can from life, I say!
A lot of people really started to venerate the royals from the 00's - to those hardcore fans, MM was a convenient 'baddie'. I've no idea why in my lifetime the royals went from being people we (rightly IMO) treated like characters in a soap opera (80's/90's tabloids and Spitting Image) to becoming almost sacred. Hopefully that's wearing off again now. 😁

As long as its not a pattern , anyone can have an off day

@ParrotParty

People disliked her before the media said she was mixed race, if she was completely white she would have still acted the same way, it's her personality and behaviour that people find jarring.

Sorry you think that people didn't realise she was mixed race until the media 'said she was'? Really?

Direct her to MN, there's a board here specifically for that unbridled hatred.

Her skin tone is the same as mine and her hair lighter than mine and my dna assessment showed as western european and English. Unless someone was a fan of her as an actress and so knew her family you couldn't tell.
Kim kardasian is the same skin tone and hair colour and isn't mixed race.