RACIST POSTS ABOUT MEGAN MARKLE

[CrazyDuchess]

Time and time again this argument on Mumsnet about why you allow racist threads to stand for so long and take little action?

You assured us before that "lessons have been learnt" and all that rubbish but yet again here I am arguing with some other posters and your staff about whether a thread is racist??

'why people are so invested in their “right” to tell all of MN that they think a woman they’ve never met is a jumped up little bitch for the 8th millionth time.'

Well it's the same as parking and mil threads isn't it. The same things get discussed every day.

Fwiw I've never seen her called a jumped up little bitch. The banana stunt was patronising and embarrassingly ill thought out but I wouldn't call her names for it.

Neither Kate nor Theresa May get dozens of threads started just to bash them.

Which reminds me of something else - I've never seen the same level of vitriol directed towards Theresa May as I see directed towards Diane Abbott on here. A while ago she, a Cambridge graduate and the first ever black female MP, was described as "strutting around like the secretary from the typing pool who's been sleeping with the boss". Now that wasn't so much a dog whistle as a foghorn.

Well it's the same as parking and mil threads isn't it. The same things get discussed every day.

And this is a first class example of minimising and ignoring legitimate concerns. If we can minimise the extent and pervasive racist rhetoric then we can ignore it and let it ride roughshod.

'And this is a first class example of minimising and ignoring legitimate concerns.'

No, it really isn't.The pp said she had no idea why mm threads were so frequent. A lot of things get discussed on mn repeatedly.

Keep calling everyone a racist who criticises mm and I'll keep disagreeing with you. Some are, so let's concentrate on them, as mnhq are by deleting and banning.

'don’t see it... genuinely please explain why that is racist.'

Yes, misogynistic and sexist but I can't see racism there, but perhaps someone will tell is it's dog whistle racism and we're racists.

But Megan Markle is a public figure who's activities are funded, least in part, by the public purse. As a member of the royal family it's disingenuous to say there is no legitimate public interest in her behaviour.

Also, given one of the complaints this thread was started to address was that comments quoting offensive, deleted posts were allowed to stand I'm not sure why repeating remarks about Diane Abbot you deem to be racist is ok?

disingenuous to say there is no legitimate public interest in her behaviour.

No one said that

Keep calling everyone a racist who criticises mm

No one said that either

I think it's the clear implication in joyfullittlehippos posts.

Eg. ^"What I don’t understand is why people are so invested in their “right” to tell all of MN that they think a woman they’ve never met is a jumped up little bitch for the 8th millionth time.

WE KNOW. Why do the posters who dislike her feel the need to shove their dislike down everyone’s throats absolutely constantly? Are you afraid we will have forgotten that you dislike her, since the last time you told s you disliked her (yesterday) and the five times you told us you disliked her last week?

And like I said in the last thread, starting yet another thread on a subject that’s known to be extremely contentious (and known to bring out racist posters) just feels quite goady. I feel the same about posters who start McCann threads knowing they always get deleted."^

but I can't see racism there, but perhaps someone will tell is it's dog whistle racism and we're racists.

Strutting around echoes 'uppity' a term used to denigrate confident black women who should know their place and be silent as they aren't good enough to be respected or hold opinions and ideas above their station.

I actually don't think most people are racist and indeed on Mumsnet - I don't think the majority of comments are necessarily intentionally malignant but when person A points out that something is off-colour (pun not intended) don't gaslight them by pretending it isn't.

I don't think she is. Remember all the "waity Katy" shite about Kate Middleton. Or Sarah Ferguson back in the day?

Many members of the royal family seem to have gone through periods of vilification in the press.

Many members of the royal family seem to have gone through periods of vilification in the press.

Yes can't disagree - but I am yet to see a post about ANY other member of the RF with a direct statement about their skin colour

I certainly don't disagree that there has been racism directed towards MM including on this site and that's obviously reprehensible.

However, as you've acknowledged repeatedly, a great deal of the criticism directed towards her has nothing to do with race at all. My point was more that I don't think comments like "MM is literally the only member of the royal family who receives this treatment" is at all true as regards the vast majority of critical remarks about her.

All royal women get critiqued constantly on their appearance, behaviour etc. I don't think MM is at all unique in that regard.

Many members of the royal family seem to have gone through periods of vilification in the press.

The criticism levelled at MM is nowhere near 'waity Katy' - not even in the same league.

When Prince Philip goes off on a racist tangent everyone thinks its jokes all round and excuse him because he's from a 'different generation'. It's one rule for a certain section of the Royals and another for the black one. That is patently not right or fair.

I don't think getting into a "who has it worse: royals edition" will be helpful. Clearly that's your perception of the press, personally mine differs.

Comments about KM being a malingerer because of her hyperemesis, she must be anorexic etc have been pretty hurtful in my opinion.

"MM is literally the only member of the royal family who receives this treatment"

Ok would it make you more comfortable is that sentence said :

"MM is literally the only member of the royal family who receives comments about her skin colour"

Not really sure what point you are trying to make - should we just accept it as a part of being in the public eye?

Strutting around echoes 'uppity' a term used to denigrate confident black women who should know their place and be silent as they aren't good enough to be respected or hold opinions and ideas above their station

I’ve just googled ‘uppity’ - I never knew there there was connotations to black women with it. Every day is a school day! Although the first example of it was about an MP and his wife so if people are not going digging for for it and are totally unaware as it’s not such a widely know offensive term it’s easy to see why it flies over people’s head. I would have connect upperty to people like Mrs Bouquet!

Strutting around though - I think your reaching there. Strutting around to me is Mick Jagger on stage.

How are we supposed to navigate through what’s offensive if multiple verbs are linked on to one particular word? Surely that’s objective to each individual?

So you could find your self being called a racist because you used a verb which some one genuinely innocently used to describe some one.

"Comments about KM being a malingerer because of her hyperemesis, she must be anorexic etc have been pretty hurtful in my opinion."

Hurtful - yes
Unnecessary and mean - absolutely
Hate speech - not in the slightest

Well I wouldn't say it's a statement I'm comfortable with of course but yes I think that would be far more accurate.

I'm not saying that the pasting the royal women come in for is acceptable, but I think the narrative that MM is somehow the victim of unprecedented dislike that can only be racistly motivated simply isn't true. 99% of negative comments MM receives are not hate speech either. Of course the 1% that are, are repugnant and unforgivable. But that doesn't make everyone who think she touches her stomach too much a racist.

@Motherofcreek It was "Strutting around like the secretary in the typing pool who's sleeping with the boss". Now if that isn't a way to denigrate the country's first black female MP (and I didn't notice similar language aimed at any others at the time) then I don't know what is.