Sussexes statement about Californian wildfires

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Meghan and Harry have released a statement in regards to the California wildfire via their Sussex.com website.

It reads:

”In the last few days, wildfires in Southern California have raged through neighborhoods and devastated families, homes, schools, medical care centers, and so much more – affecting tens of thousands from all walks of life.
A state of emergency has been issued.
If you feel compelled to help, here are some resources and ideas:
Support
Organizations such as José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, which has been a longtime partner of The Archewell Foundation, are serving meals to both first responders and victims of the fire.
CAL FIRE and LA Fire Department Foundation and others are working closely to support firefighters who risk their lives, bravely showing up in these high-risk environments to help save homes, families, and communities in need.
Animal Wellness Foundation is continuing to house and care for animals evacuated by the fires while Compton Cowboys is providing emergency transportation services for horses.
Airbnb and 211LA have partnered to provide free, temporary housing for those who have been displaced.

Baby2baby is providing essential supplies including diapers, clothing, hygiene products, and emergency kits to families in need.
All Power Books and many others are staying open for emergency use, offering supplies and water for pickup while working tirelessly to distribute essentials to those affected.

Open your home
If a friend, loved one, or pet has to evacuate and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do. And be sure to check in with any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need help evacuating.
Give back
Some families and people have been left with nothing. Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys & clothing, and other essentials. The American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.”

We will be getting a photo next of her cooking for some " victims " of the fires... cut to a picture of her making Victoria sponge for Tyler Perry and Oprah with a few jars of strategically placed jam in the background

I've been on Instagram and I've seen plenty of people, famous and not posting videos of various sites burnt down. You could call those videos a tour of a smouldering site too. So shall we call all those out as well for being inappropriate 🙂

@MummyJ12 "Well most of us can usually if not always back up what we post which hugely weakens that argument"

Including all the people who began this thread by slamming their statement providing links to relief organisations people can use to donate should they so wish and which was the same as that sent out by many other well known people? I mean, surely anyone can see that criticising anyone for telling people "Here is an organization providing food and water for first responders, and here is another one looking after homeless pets" is a little strange?

If you’re so focused on what is right, wrong, fact or fiction, you should at least be informed about the organised network that is the Sussex Squad, and the people behind it and their prolific bullying and campaign of hate. People who plead ignorance and are invested in their support of the couple are either disingenuous or misguided.

Well that would depend on the level of connection they had with the image they have posted, and what they were saying about it.

Some posts are grotesque, others superb.

For an example of the superb, I suggest Jamie Lee Curtis on instagram

You are right and we can see them.

Now that is a great post that sums it all up @wordler !

Absolutely

I think what has jarred with so many people was the statement from The OFFICE OF …..
An informal message from Harry and Meghan would have been much more appropriate.
Bypassing nearer fire damaged areas to travel 100+ miles to hug people seems a bit crass . And lining up for photos with emergency staff who would have more important things to do is tone deaf .
It’s at times like this that H and M really need the wisdom of the men in suits !

Sharing images is totally different to driving to a disaster site miles away from your own home community with entourage and body guards in tow - one which you have no direct connection to, and doing a ‘royal/politician’ style walk through the embers while being filmed. (Also going past several other sites nearer to your home to get to the one with the camera and the Governor)

Other celebrities on the ground have been there working and helping - Steve Gutenberg helping move cars so that fire fighters can get through.

Kristen Bell and her kids - sorting clothes and supplies at one of the major sites for several hours. She is also using her social media to constantly update the options for helping and getting help.

Jennifer Garner liaising for Save the Children and doing it the community she lives in - where her own church has burned down, the park where her children played, the schools her friends children go to burned down, a friend of hers died in the fire just near where she was volunteering.

Do those photos you have seen on insta have a selfie element @Spectre8 - your post refers to photos/videos of damage and devastation which is a little different to the group photo posted up thread. Plus there is a world of difference between someone (celeb or not) posting a photo or video of devastation that has directly impacted them versus having a tour of a destroyed area before people who have lost homes and more being able to return and grieve.

There's a massive, massive difference between sharing photos of the devastation to posing in front of it!!

Can you really not see that?

Excellent post as always @wordler.
My only comment would be that, of course it’s fine to put links on social media on how to help. It’s more than fine. However, not many celebrities have their own foundations and stand to benefit from donations. Jennifer Garner, Kristen Bell etc help, support and are affiliated with charities for example but do not have their own foundation.
Whereas, H&M do have Archewell and on their support page, their charity/foundation is listed second on where to donate/how to help. They could easily have encouraged donations to other more relevant charities and left Archewell off the list but they have obviously seen this as an opportunity.

For balance, I suspect if you examined any other celebrity who has posted about the fire, in that great a detail, then you will find other potential questions about why they drove a certain way and when. There’s probably lots of diversions in the area at the moment,

As to what I think about those photos; I literally don’t have any thoughts about them at all! Like most average people, I think it’s very easy to take a random snap shot and manipulate it to suit any narrative you like!

And what’s wrong about saying “the office of” to make it clear it’s a joint official serious statement about a serious matter? Who cares anyway?

I really think people are scraping the barrel now trying to stir up controversy where there is none.

Of all the reasons to criticise H&M negatively, surely them showing support for people in a disaster zone is not one of them?

LA is Meghan’s stamping ground, it’s where her family business is located if you like, she knows lots of people in the area, it’s perfectly normal that she would go and show public support. And if she didn’t, she would be equally harried for not bothering to turn up!

You know what, I definitely don’t like everything that H & M have done, but I know what on-line bullying looks like when I see it.
And I really dislike it.

Just to be clear, none of it is edifying or right.

Nasty speculation about Princess Catherine’s illness and recovery is totally wrong.

Publishing a picture depicting H&M’s child as a chimpanzee is totally wrong.

Nasty comments about Princess Catherine’s figure or dress are totally wrong.

Nasty comment’s about Meghan’s figure or dress are totally wrong.

It’s threads like these that leave me less persuaded than ever that criticism against H & M on these royal boards is fact-based and justified. To me it just comes across as;

“any excuse, let’s all pile on”.

Yeah they do I've seen the people on camera talking and then panning phone round to the destruction.

People travel to go volunteer to help or pass on donations of clothes, food etc.

How much money donated to Archewell will actually make it to the victims? Isn't the legal requirement 5%? Surely there must be a better way

"For balance, I suspect if you examined any other celebrity who has posted about the fire, in that great a detail, then you will find other potential questions about why they drove a certain way and when. There’s probably lots of diversions in the area at the moment, "

Nope they were in their home areas.

"
And what’s wrong about saying “the office of” to make it clear it’s a joint official serious statement about a serious matter? Who cares anyway?"

It would seem many do.

Exactly right and my point entirely.

Have you seen anyone else taking selfies? I haven't. Talking on camera and panning it around is a different thing. And maybe the people doing it have been directly affected?!

What volunteering did Harry and Meghan travel to do? Precious little so far as I can see!

"As to what I think about those photos; I literally don’t have any thoughts about them at all! Like most average people, I think it’s very easy to take a random snap shot and manipulate it to suit any narrative you like! "

"And what’s wrong about saying “the office of” to make it clear it’s a joint official serious statement about a serious matter? Who cares anyway?"

Because it demonstrates their pomposity, perceived grandeur and it's completely unnecessary!!

I guess it's their version of "a statement from Buckingham Palace/Kensington Palace" - except they left that arena behind.

It's tone deaf, it's affected and it makes them look like dicks. Who are they anyway to be making statements???

@LivelyMintViper "How much money donated to Archewell will actually make it to the victims? Isn't the legal requirement 5%? Surely there must be a better way"

The other 5 or 6 organisations mentioned? I don't think the statement asks people to donate to the Archwell Foundation but I may well have misread it- and if it does, I certainly wouldn't! One of them is a favourite charity of mine. I have checked out the other organisations and, as far as I can tell, they look OK. A couple are local, which can be a good way to provide specific help quickly.

If absolutely does request donations to Archewell otherwise it would not have included Archewell and the link in the “ways to support and help”.