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

@SenecaFallsRedux lol I remember Michelle Obama being criticised for bare arms which I thought was ridiculous at the time😂.

It does really grate with me that Trump to my knowledge has not really acknowledged the situation in Italy and Spain for example. His sole focus seems to be on America and Americans.
Every statement made of any importance talks about Americans specifically. In the Uk a big deal is not made about ‘British people’. We are just people.

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.

That is true actually. We don’t have the history of enslaving people in large numbers within our shores (Caribbean is a different matter) so the racism we’ve been afflicted with is about who should be here.

That word “uppity” trips a new person in the public eye up regularly in the U.K. as its racial connotations are imported from America. In our own culture, it didn’t have any. It just meant self-important.

I do think there’s been dog whistling about Meghan, but as much about her perceived sincerity, intentions and MH as any there might have been about her ethnicity.

It started with the engagement interview.

But then the thing about dog whistles is that only some people can hear them. So it’s futile to argue about which ones are being blown.

We do have a history of benefitting hugely from the slavery trade, however. Many slavery plantation owners were British. Whole streets were built on the proceeds. Particularly in Bristol and Edinburgh. Many many men grew fabulously rich through exploitation of slaves. Not to mention the doings of the East India Company.

I am certainly not denying that many Americans are insular and tend to think mainly about our own country. But I also think that the perception that British people are somewhat insular has definitely increased since the UK literally voted for it.

We don’t have the history of enslaving people in large numbers within our shores (Caribbean is a different matter) so the racism we’ve been afflicted with is about who should be here.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

Immigrants to the UK were either invited or came of their own accord. Now, the appalling way they were treated when they got here is a whole different issue, but the premise under which they arrived is very relevant to how racism in British society manifests itself.

But I also think that the perception that British people are somewhat insular has definitely increased since the UK literally voted for it.

52% of UK voters did. 48% did not.

52% of UK voters did. 48% did not.

Yes, majority rule.

The people who enslaved Africans in large numbers in colonial America were overwhelmingly of British origin. On the history of slavery in North America, our history is your history, too.

Of British descent. But how many generations on American DIL does the stain of sin continue to apply?

American soil

Is this like Disney's Pocahontas in which the nasty British were mean to the native people but nice American-sounding John Smith was the hero?

At least the number of Americans holding passports has gone up over the past fifteen years or so.
Still under 50% though.

Oooh, a Brexit/racism off topic rabbit hole, never seen one before!

Just kidding, they seem to spontaneously form on every Megxit thread. Kinda like black holes. Sucking everything in with the power of 10000 Dysons.

What were we talking about again? 🤔

Yes, yes. Because any criticism of Harry and/or Meghan is, at its core, racist. /s

We do have a history of benefitting hugely from the slavery trade, however. Many slavery plantation owners were British. Whole streets were built on the proceeds. Particularly in Bristol and Edinburgh. Many many men grew fabulously rich through exploitation of slaves. Not to mention the doings of the East India Company.

Oh I’m not denying that. I was just agreeing with @RosesandIris that U.K. racism is different to US racism. I think it’s a good point and it has never occurred to me before:

7

Just kidding, they seem to spontaneously form on every Megxit thread. Kinda like black holes. Sucking everything in with the power of 10000 Dysons.

Hmm...

Trouble is, I don't know what to call that.
1000 Dysons would be a kiloDyson, I suppose but would 1,000,000 be more appropriate?
You know:
the MegaDyson.

The people who enslaved Africans in large numbers in colonial America were overwhelmingly of British origin. On the history of slavery in North America, our history is your history, too.

The point is rather the UK continued to purchase goods from southern states, thereby supporting slavery, although the slave trade had ended. Yes, British fortunes were made on the slave trade and economic activity that relied on slavery as an institution. The ethnic "origin" of the plantation owners is neither here nor there - many of them had been in the country for a couple of centuries. So, they're American.

We cannot pin the treatment of African Americans in America post the Civil War on anyone but ourselves. Most certainly this is nothing to do with Britain or any British person alive today.

I would still like an answer @SenecaFallsRedux to the question several of us asked you:

Where on this thread is the proof justifying your assertion that a “coterie” of “Meghan hating” posters like to claim there’s an American tabloid press as influential as the British one?

I know it wasn’t in any of the deleted posts because they mostly if not all came after you posted that statement.

If in hindsight you agree that you got a bit emotive and exaggerated a little there, an apology would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Immigrants to the UK were either invited or came of their own accord. Now, the appalling way they were treated when they got here is a whole different issue, but the premise under which they arrived is very relevant to how racism in British society manifests itself.

Yes. It’s definitely two very different manifestations.

I’ve just spotted the post about Meghan and Scientology. Can that be true? She doesn’t strike me as a joiner.

I don’t think the way some in the media have treated M would have gone unchallenged for so long in America. Case in point PM shouting ‘go back to America’, whilst another presenter called her ‘uppity’ and you had people defending this. There were countless stories alluding to her being controlling, demanding and breaking royal protocol, to me this was just like nit picking.

Meghan had the disadvantage of not being a POC who was born and bread here, otherwise like some of us she would have been able to know how to navigate ‘white spaces’ and realised that what some of the tabloids were doing to her would have been no surprise to a POC here. I find that for some minorities in the U.K. it’s better to be quite passive. Keep your head down even in the face of unfairness. The is fear is being labelled as having a big chip on their shoulders or playing the race card whatever that means🤷‍♂️

It’s often fruitless to debate biases in the U.K, it can become exhausting isolating and frustrating. I remember Raheem Sterling and Stormzy being brave enough to talk about this. The onslaught of abuse they got was demoralising. I don’t think even if H & M had stayed things would have gotten better( of course I may be wrong). It is my belief that she was never going to be good enough for the tabloids. Wether the massive tabloid scrutiny was driven by biases or profits we don’t know.

Of course in America there is bound to be initial interest in them, and some of it may be negative. But I believe at least some of the stuff that crosses the line will be challenged better. Michelle Obama was defended in the mainstream press as well as online bogs from attacks on her person by right wing groups, presenters etc. I’m aware M is not Michelle Obama , they are totally different people but my point stands. To me there was no difference in how she carried her duties to Kate, she showed up each time and did what was expected of her in her role. I get that some people would be more aware of royal protocol like opening car doors, wearing tights or crossing/ not crossing legs. But why was all the breaking of this protocol deemed awful when she did yet some in RF would have at one point or another done the same?.

*bred

@ chrisseldah1

I absolutely agree with you. I was in the midst of typing something along those lines. I don’t think she was given the chance to integrate properly. It’s not easy to integrate into another culture definitely not in front of said culture either. It takes more than a few months to fully integrate culturally sometimes years. It’s learning things from scratch and trying to remember that certain things that is a part of your culture doesn’t resonate the same in the new culture you’re in.