Meghan has been named one of 25 most influential women by FT

[antelopevalley]

"Meghan Markle has become a symbol of resilience for many silenced women. Specifically speaking, for women of colour and, even more specifically, mixed-race and black women. Her experience within the royal family resonated with those who have had to navigate historically white, elitist institutions that are, at best, not built with them in mind and, at worst, outwardly hostile.

The royal family is an establishment largely maintained through silence and complicity. It’s this, in part, that makes Meghan’s choice to use her voice so powerful. This year she launched a podcast, Archetypes, where she interrogates the labels used to contain and inhibit women – fitting, given the projection and smears she has endured from the press. For the black community in particular, it was hard to watch her demonisation by the British media and public. But seeing her come into her own, and use her platform to speak about what matters to her, has sent a message even louder than she may have intended."

www.ft.com/content/8428d275-a9ba-46e7-9c39-78b847c5cef7

@pocketvenuss - what has she actually done that's so inspiring?

This is what always happens with Meghan on MN. Loads of accusations that are not true.
I do not care if people like her or nor. But don't criticise someone on the basis of things you have made up.

Or maybe... Perhaps... the FT are happy with the piece? They asked several people to nominate an influential woman and give their reasons. The writer Yomi Adegoke gave her opinion about MM. That's all.

It's only one column in a 30-page feature. The worst thing about it is the awful, creepy pictures.

I have read the FT weekend all my adult life, literally decades. This feature is nothing out of the ordinary. I will read it tonight hoping to learn something new and not expecting to agree with every word.

Yep. It pisses me off, and I wouldn't even describe myself as a 'fan' per se. I've just never seen this amount of relentless, mean-spirited criticism aimed at someone. It feels so deeply unpleasant, I always seem to get drawn in on the defence!

@Aspiringmatriarch Me too! It is that automatic defence instinct I feel when someone is getting bullied. Whereas if everyone was saying how wonderful she was, I would just be whatever.

If we are only supposed to have an opinion of people we actually know, well, its not going make much of a discussion, is it? And how well do we have to know them? Enough to restrict ourselves to comments about friends and family? Not much of a discussion there.
Surely public figures are fair game. Especially as they mostly like to be talked about

@antelopevalley

what about the untrue thread about Catherine’s missing wedding ring ? quite happy to stick the boot in there. You were quite disappointed it wasn’t true 🤣 🤣 so I’d get off that high horse, it really doesn’t suit you

@Ohnonevermind As you know I said on that post I had been wrong. I had honestly thought she was not wearing her ring and I wondered why. I also explained I have a visual disability.
But I guess this one mistake that I owned at the time is your and some other posters excuse to constantly stick the boot in at me.
Of course calling Meghan horrible disgusting names is perfectly fine.

@Aspiringmatriarch ah, I've just updated MN on my phone and feel I missed a snide comment about my name. At least I was speaking from her/their behaviours over many incidents, comments and a great deal of lies from their mouths. Your antics are more playground bullying ... hey ho

It's not having an opinion that's a problem. It's thread after thread, page after page, including threads specifically for people who want to be positive and supportive - we aren't allowed those. I've never seen one that wasn't overrun with sniping.

It's also the twisting things, again and again. A good example would be the 'gotcha' comment about them being in the limelight when they said they wanted privacy. Even though they never said that, and Meghan spoke about this in the Oprah interview giving the example of sharing a photo with someone vs having them go through your entire phone.

Or another example from this thread, saying that women in South Africa had to stand there while Meghan complained about her hard life - no, she was being interviewed separately and yes she did get emotional and said she'd been going through it behind the scenes. What a crime!

Then the armchair psychology, the body language bullshit. The minimising of any possible threats or racism Meghan might have experienced, the cynicism when she said she'd been suicidal at one point, calling her awful things like cockroach (that was on this thread, probably deleted though). The refusal to show any basic empathy. It's dehumanising.

All of that is what's so wrong IMO, and not 'fair game' at all.

Sorry, you don't get to call someone a cockroach and then try to take the moral high ground. And this is the last time I will ever engage with you. You disgust me, frankly.

How flouncy of you @Aspiringmatriarch - are you on MM's payroll lol 😆
Most people can take the moral high ground over H&M at the moment, their actions are abhorrent, disgraceful and all form money and fame ... so high brow of them

You don't appear to mind other royals being called nasty names and being bullied though do you! , you even sympathised with the other poster when they were called out for posting nasty pictures!

@antelopevalley please could you screenshot the relevant bits of the article to her? As a paid subscription is needed. I'm really interested and you like to see it, if you could be so kind

Aspiringmatriarch · Today 17:39 All of that is what's so wrong IMO, and not 'fair game' at all.

And yet if we couldn't post comment, Pro or Anti, on public figures who court attention it would be a dull world. And the public figures would be disappointed.

Can you not see that H&M set the tone (negative, victim, blaming, sniping) and then keep feeding the negative machine with more and more content month on month, year on year, with books, podcasts, interviews, trailers, films, etc whinging, blaming, projecting about the same thing?

Why are you then surprised when people respond in a similar tone of derision?

^^

This

It's the endless same old same old. When they're quiet

When they're quiet it's the wedding 4 days earlier, Mandela, SAfrica Bradby interview, smiling the wrong way, funny body shape, no family at the wedding, on and on and on. Coming up with new ways to insult and besmirch both of them endlessly.

I hope they keep going and doing what they're doing because it's both sad but amusing to watch the total outrage on here

It's not having an opinion that's a problem. It's thread after thread, page after page, including threads specifically for people who want to be positive and supportive - we aren't allowed those. I've never seen one that wasn't overrun with sniping.

That goes for all the royal family threads though, doesn’t it? And fair enough, they are a divisive topic.

And because I know someone will immediately come and say that it happens so much more about Meghan and Harry - well, yes, it doubtless does, because they have been pushing their own divisive narrative as hard as they possibly can for the last three years, and before that too, and at times it seems deliberately courting controversy in doing so.

If we are only supposed to have an opinion of people we actually know, well, its not going make much of a discussion, is it? And how well do we have to know them? Enough to restrict ourselves to comments about friends and family? Not much of a discussion there.

FWIW, I do have actual knowledge of one of the other nominees on that list. And while she’s very successful, she treats people who she thinks are beneath her, or acting against her interests very badly indeed. Such is the nature of these kind of accolades in many many cases - it’s the 25% of the iceberg visible above the surface that is being rewarded. The 75% below the surface is unseen to most.

I hope they keep going and doing what they're doing because it's both sad but amusing to watch the total outrage on here

Wow. I don't think it is the only sad but funny thing. I'm quite new to mumsnet but why do so many posters trawl threads and give out judgement on everyone who partakes. I think it must be one of the most pathetic things I see on here. I hope your life improves to the point where you don't need to do this anymore.

But hey, it's nothing to me. I am thinking.... this is what people who peaked in high school end up like, so it's humorous to me too.

Nothing they've done warrants the way they're spoken about IMO. And you've clearly chosen to remember only the things that fit that argument. In what way was Meghan's podcast about whinging and blaming? It had nothing to do with the RF. Similarly things like the Invictus Games, the Vax Live concert were totally positive. The Me You Can't See was very good too.

FWIW I agree it's not going to be helpful in the long term to focus on the past. But we're not in the long term yet really, it's still relatively early days, and they're doing plenty of other things besides 'whinging' as you put it. And the fact remains that there's a public interest in knowing the reality of how the Royal Family operate - the 'invisible contract' etc.

Granted it's from their perspective, but when you look at things like the way Sophie behaved towards Meghan at the Queen's funeral, Zara and Mike snickering at the Bishop who preached at their wedding, the recent racist incident, the Andrew situation, the suitcase full of cash, and look at the way Diana and Fergie spoke about life in the RF, I think what they've said is pretty credible really.

@Aspiringmatriarch If you are going to make claims like this, you deserve to be challenged on

Zara and Mike snickering at the Bishop who preached at their wedding

Zara and Mike were onscreen for just 4 seconds of the Bishop’s near 14-minute sermon, just on the 10 minute mark. Mike had a completely neutral facial expression for the entire 4 seconds. Nine-month pregnant Zara also did not snicker. She had an open mouth and wide eyes.

If you are telling us that is reasonable to infer from this four-second clip that Zara and Mike are racist, you are being ridiculous.

The way Sophie behaved towards Meghan at the Queen's funeral

Sophie and Meghan shared a car together for all of the processional elements of the funeral. What in particular are you referring to here?

As for the other things you mention - Andrew is an arrogant and sleezy idiot with poor judgment. Funnily enough, Meghan seems to be closest to his daughter out of all the family members. Opinions definitively can vary about what conclusions can be drawn about the suitaceses full of cash - there have already been threads on that. Diana and Fergie have been divorced and dead for more than 25 years now. Can you name me a single courtier who is still in role from then?

And the most ridiculous thing is that we have against this Harry cheating on his exams, using racist language and saying racist things on several occasions, Harry wearing a Nazi uniform, Meghan lying on oath in court, and being caught out in too many inconsistencies and spun statements to mention, Meghan who appears to have bullied her staff. Apparently, all of this is to be ignored in favour of your prejudice against the royal family in general? It simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

You're new?

Rightio! Whatever you say!

Exactly. An editorial mistake or we don't know the whole story behind it. So many women that deserve the editorial space in the FT a lot more than many of these names. Well done for Markle for getting on the list. It must have been a masterclass of managing influence (or some money behind it, who knows, but if so, I don't blame her as she would not be the only one). The FT is a few levels down on this one.

From that buzz feed article:

“an analysis of more than 114,000 tweets about the couple has revealed a coordinated campaign of targeted harassment of Meghan on Twitter — and the 83 accounts responsible for approximately 70% of the negative and often hateful content………

Bot Sentinel CEO Christopher Bouzy told BuzzFeed News that this anti-Meghan Twitter campaign is unlike anything he and his team have ever seen before.”

I think it’s possibly the same on comments section of you tube. Possibly tattle, also

I will not question if it’s possibly occurring on mn, because when I did question it once before, Mnhq deleted it.