Royals and American media coverage

[ButteryPuffin]

Saw this cover posted on Twitter and noted that it seems the tabloids do indeed exist in the US (amazing, huh?). This is pretty much what you'd expect from the source, and I think it's pretty deplorable, but I am interested to see how the American media in general cover the presence of the former royals who've now arrived to make their home there. Of course we can discuss their coverage of other Royals too and related topics. All welcome.

Link to cover story - please note I'm not endorsing it, I'm just sharing it:
66.media.tumblr.com/79912301ec9c6e0f2cbf902a7a42a540/da60395e577b1897-aa/s540x810/61af854a1eed0d02b6bfa026133d16f8bdb87f41.jpg

No, Americans are pretty insular.

One fundamental difference that the UK taxpayer is paying, the US taxpayer is not. I suspect Canadian press are more sympathetic to the UK view.

There is a pandemic...stating the obvious. And many UK taxpayers are really suffering. If H&M had acknowledged this and decided to return to Frogmore cottage to sit it out, emerging occasionally to clap the NHS, it would have been a lot cheaper and better appreciated.

Hi all. We've removed several personal attacks (and a previously banned poster) from this thread. Please do try to post within the Talk guidelines from this point onwards.

This assumption too The likes of the Enquirer are not bought and read avidly and quoted as gospel truth by millions the way the Daily Mail and the rest of the British gutter press is.

Again lumping everyone that reads the DM in together as being stupid, greedy for gossip and believing everything as "gospel truth". Patronising.

@michaelmumsnet , thank you.

We will do that! I personally felt very strongly that I (and others) were attributed unpleasant and negative thoughts and posts which there was no evidence for.

I think some posters may have reacted too strongly as this has happened on several occasions before. As always, any factual differing opinions are very welcome on this thread

Is it any wonder people have the perception of Americans being insular? Of course, not all are; many have a thirst for knowledge but why try to justify the lack of news on Brexit as the UK not being important to Americans, or as important as it thinks it is. Of course it should be of interest to Americans in terms of trade deals; how insular to think it's not important.

And the U.K. isn’t perceived as insular?

The U.K. trade is minimal compared to the trade deals that the US does with the EU.

ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/europe/united-kingdom

ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/europe/european-union

Americans are more concerned with the current coronavirus situation, who will run against Trump, and if Trump will be re-elected. It’s not insular to be more concerned with those issues than trade deals with the U.K.

I just find it astonishing that Meghan and Harry have done so little since they got married. All these breaks from doing nothing essentially. Apart from moving house constantly and briefing the Press through ‘friends’.

I am not a fan of the briefings from friends.

But I think it is great that they had some time as a family. It is hard having a baby, life changes so much. I cannot even imagine trying to be camera-ready in addition to that. Didn’t William and Kate have quite some time away as well when they just got married? I cannot reminder to be honest...

This is purely subjective but I do think reporting in the US often comes across as insular, particularly in the use of the word "Americans" instead of "people".

I know that if there's an incident abroad, we'll have reporting in the UK saying how many British people have been affected.
But it seems to me that in the UK during the present time, for example, we'll hear projections of how many people may die, in the US it's much more likely to be phrased as how many Americans may die.

(As I said, purely my impression and no, I'm not going to trawl around the internet looking for evidence.)

And the U.K. isn’t perceived as insular?

No, it isn't, at least not like Americans are. Not all are, obviously, but the US is perceived as being an insular country and not just by the British. And this is rightly or wrongly, but that's the perception.

Americans are more concerned with the current coronavirus situation, who will run against Trump, and if Trump will be re-elected. It’s not insular to be more concerned with those issues than trade deals with the U.K.

What this is referring to isn't about now - it was about Brexit, months ago.

Thank you @MichaelMumsnet I have a Q in response which I hope is ok to ask here.

When you remove a PBP, do you remove all their posts on a thread or do you leave non-offending ones up?

Or is this a case of TSSDNCOP?

Sorry meant also to ask: and if none of the PBP’s posts are offensive, do you leave them up? TIA.

I am genuinely puzzled by statements such as this:

it's much easier to claim she made some infringement of royal protocol than to say black people getting uppity are not acceptable.

It does not resonate with me in the place where I live. At all. The whole concept of "black people getting uppity" is not a British way of thinking, it really isn't. Racism in Britain is about alien cultures impinging on and conflicting with an established way of life. It's about territory.

We already have a fully functioning class system without bringing race into it. The British middle classes have traditionally reserved their condemnation of uppityness for working class folk.

Yes to the pp who said ‘racist’ was levelled at leavers in the brexit debate. And I can tell you I was shocked to the core when I was asked by my hitherto lovely neighbour (Even tho a Brexiteer) when selling our house whether the people purchasing were like them (ie English) or me (ie immigrants). Obviously as the descendants of immigrants we were remainers.

That exactly demonstrates what I mean, CanIHaveAPenguinPlease, fear of foreignness creeping into your neighbour's territory in the form of immigrants.

Maybe this is very simplistic, but I honestly believe that Meghan was welcomed with open arms by the British people - happy that "their Harry" had found love, at last, and with someone willing to step into the goldfish bowl whose previous life seemed to equip her a bit better than shy, blushing, virgin Diana. People were delighted by the wedding, everyone said how fantastic Doria was, they loved the clothes, the pageantry.

But Meghan appeared to steam in and want to change things. Wrong family Firm to try and do that in, it would have been better to go softly softly.

It also seems that she has chosen the divide and rule approach, and Harry, for whatever reason has not just gone along with it but got fully behind it.

Which brings us back to, what are we paying for? I dont mind my 50p a year for the ones that get out and cut ribbons, make people very happy by visiting their sewage works and congratulating them on their efforts, being seen at major church and other occasions, etc etc.

I dont want to pay for two freeloaders to make their fortune somewhere else.

I dont want to pay for two freeloaders to make their fortune somewhere else.

👏🏻 Exactly!

Whilst they tell us how to live our own lives by demonstrating what they say not to do.

If I resign from my job can I ask my boss to keep paying me because, y’know I don’t want to do it anymore and would rather do something else?

You're absolutely right @yoloPenguinsEatfish. I remember the wedding particularly well because my dm sadly passed away that week and it irrationally annoyed me that the nation was celebrating and having bbqs etc when I was so miserable. I know people that went to watch the wedding. I even have a friend who is a hardened policeman who shared pictures of MM who took when he was on duty. The nation was happy for them.

An updated blind for anyone who’s interested:

Blind Items Revealed #2
March 27, 2020

The celebrity cult is trying to exploit the fact the former B listish actress turned A+ list celebrity took some of their classes over the years.

Scientology/Meghan Markle

On the issue of racism mentioned by mathanxiety, it's not just a question of how many overtly racist stories are published or how many racially questionable statements are made by individuals, it also becomes a question of what those outlets or individuals say or do afterwards because their further negative stories and statements, even though lacking in overt racism, become questionable once they have displayed a racial bias.

Also the virulence with which criticisms against people of color are stated, especially virulence in excess of the nature of the perceived fault is suspect. For example, when her husband was president, there was a lot of criticism of Michelle Obama in the US in social media about the way she dressed or her emphasis on what children should and shouldn't eat that were far in excess of what would be normal under the circumstances. That kind of excess can be a form of dog whistle racism. I think that some of the commentary about Meghan, especially on social media, may fall into that category.

I am genuinely puzzled by statements such as this:

it's much easier to claim she made some infringement of royal protocol than to say black people getting uppity are not acceptable.

It does not resonate with me in the place where I live. At all. The whole concept of "black people getting uppity" is not a British way of thinking, it really isn't. Racism in Britain is about alien cultures impinging on and conflicting with an established way of life. It's about territory.

We already have a fully functioning class system without bringing race into it. The British middle classes have traditionally reserved their condemnation of uppityness for working class folk.*

Yes, yes yes!

Bold fail again