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?

Wish I could give you a thousand "likes" for expressing exactly how I feel. I am astonished at the level of vitriol that this woman inspires from people who have never met her, never will meet her, whose actions and life will have no impact on them whatsoever. I once made the mistake of posting on here to say that I did not take any interest in what she does and do not have an opinion on her. . Another poster berated me for "living under a rock" as if I was closing my eyes to something of profound significance

To dislike someone you don't know and bang on about it is a bit thick-witted, isn't it? Giving them oxygen...?

OP, did you post this thread to get traffic rather than dump it in the royal board where it 'belongs'?

FFS you don't have to be racist to dislike MM.

However, it was unprofessional and totally tone deaf, particularly considering how many people do equate MM dislike with racism 🙄

She should not have done this and it's reasonable to feel uncomfortable.

How is she as a manager generally op; is she supportive, hard working, encouraging etc?
Yes it does seem a bit unprofessional and uncomfortable for the rest of you, but if she is usually a decent boss I would let it go.
Having worked for over 40 years I have had managers who are lazy, incompetent, sexist, terrible at communication and willing to blame me for problems caused by them.
A boss that has a bit of a rant about someone I don’t know seems mild in comparison.

But that is an equally strange and unprofessional response too.

Thanks @pursuitOfSomething . We have meetings and sometimes start discussing something not particularly relevant, and one of us will direct the talk back to something that is relevant. We're on fairly tight deadlines so although there's some chat, it's only a formality.

Megan Derangement Syndrome is a good name for it.

@ParrotParty

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.

You couldn't maybe. I didn't know of her and didn't know her family, but to me it was obvious that she is not white. I'm not saying I don't believe you didn't realise but I think it's probably not the case for most people.

And it's naive at best to think that it wasn't a factor in some people's opinions of her from day one.

Kim kardasian is the same skin tone and hair colour and isn't mixed race.

She's actually mixed ethnicity as she's half Armenian and has spoken a lot about that heritage. But it doesn't matter what race another celebrity with her skin tone is.

I don't accept the premise you've claimed that unless someone was told Meghan Markle was mixed race, they couldn't have known.

The tabloid hate for this woman amounts to bullying. Far less is ever said about other unsavoury members of this family.

But that could also be described as the behaviour of some of her most devoted fans don’t you think? But as I have said discussing opinions in the setting she did is not professional

She’s generally supportive and hardworking but I’ve never seen her do anything like this before. I understand what you’re saying - I’ve had some terrible bosses too, so maybe in comparison this isn’t the worst thing. It just threw me off because it seemed so out of place for a work setting especially given the context of the meeting.

@Munnygirl

But that could also be described as the behaviour of some of her most devoted fans don’t you think?

What could be described as the behaviour of some of her most devoted fans?

I suggest you have a look for it

Not every person who dislikes mm are racist. She is the one who always says it's about her colour. I don't like her attention seeking, entitled attitude but I also am not a fan of the royal family. That makes me a republican and nothing else. I am not racist in disguise.
But ops manager is in the wrong. Completely unprofessional.

😂

@Munnygirl

MM fans who go on crazy rants about Kate Middleton are just as batshit as KM fans who go on crazy rants about MM. I'm unsure as to why you think I would think any differently?

So people can’t just plain old dislike her?

Isnt saying that POC should always be liked no matter how they behave a bit patronising and, well, racist?

Yes, it was inappropriate. On a more general note though, I have no idea why people feel so incredibly strongly about Meghan! It's utterly bizarre to me. I feel nothing about her. I imagine if I knew her in real life we wouldn't be friends because we seem quite different but that's it.
Every time she does anything (release a photo, release a tv programme, is seen in public) there are threads on Mumsnet with hundreds of women absolutely tearing her to pieces, saying how pathetic and embarrassing she is. On and on it goes.
Seriously?? Who cares? Just ignore her if you don't like her. I don't understand why so many people relish tearing her apart. I's just so unpleasant and mean spirited.
She hasn't actually done anything terrible. She didn't enjoy the Royal Family, well nor would I.

You should have looked sad and solemnly said “actually she’s my cousin” and watched her splutter!

TBH I don’t understand when people cry about the fact others don’t like her. If nothing else she’s a known bully - pretty good reason to not like someone.

However meetings should be about meeting. Office chit chat is different and I’ve often joined in with colleagues having a moan about annoying celebrities but doing it in a meeting is unprofessional and odd

She didn't enjoy the Royal Family, well nor would I.
There's not enjoying it and then there's badmouthing them to the world but still wanting the perks.

You really think she hasn’t done anything terrible? Shes lied, great big fat whopping lies about people being racist, lied to a judge and bullied countless palace staff.

Shouldn't be projecting her own feelings about a person onto others, especially if she was running the meeting, just unprofessional

Given that MM is at least half-white, would a black woman criticizing her be anti-white, or is that just acceptable? Are we only allowed to opine about people of the same ethnic make-up as ourselves? Given that MM spent a large part of her professional life apparently describing herself as Caucasian, is she a racist?