The docuseries no one asked for
A screenshot of the scene where Meghan re-enacts the time she had to curtsy to the Queen
Episode two starts strategically as viewers are immediately introduced to the topic of paparazzi harassment. In a scene, Meghan is seen asking the driver about a paparazzo (pap) on a scooter who was following them as past footage of Princess Diana being hounded by photographers is immediately laid over - even though there are zero similarities in these two scenarios, I thought that was very bizarre. There were never concrete examples or instances when Meghan was hounded by paps. Nonetheless, similarities continued to be drawn.
We are then introduced to Meghan's mom and her side of the family, where she grew up, and how her life has changed since her relationship with Harry became public.
My second take: It was great to get a glance into her childhood. How she was a straight-A student, one who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and challenge, if you like, conventional norms. Her childhood, which was filled with love and laughter, was especially lovely to watch.
Further along, the focus shifts to her skin tone (race), and this is introduced to the audience through Meghan's mother's recollection of the time she was called the N-word in front of her, hence the avalanche. According to the narrative, Meghan never really understood how race played into or would become an issue in her relationship with Harry. We see a handful of awful headlines depicting Meghan as having grown up in a crime-affiliated neighborhood, her mother being referred to as a cleaner; one newspaper headline went as far as to write "(almost) straight out of Compton" - a Californian city notorious for being crime infested.
Screenshot of the Daily Mail headline written in 2016
Harry recalls being told by some members of the Royal family that what Meghan was going through in the Press wasn't any different from what others in the royal family have had to put up with - the difference, Prince Harry interjected: "is the race element." He claimed Meghan was deliberately targeted because of her skin tone (race). So, the reality is different and more sinister, in his view.
National Enquirer puts out a headline: "Royal shame! Meghan Markle's mom hits the laundromat", in an attempt to ridicule her. Following these headlines, Prince Harry issued a statement where he addressed the racist undertones that were becoming more and more prevalent.
My third take: a quick Google search on headlines released during the dating period of William and Kate would cripple Harry's argument. What a lot of people don't remember or simply don't know is that Kate was heavily criticized for her social class and how she wasn't fit to be the bride of the future king. She was repeatedly called "Waity Katy," seeing she was yet to be engaged after 8 years of relationship with William or the headlines about her weight; it was brutal. But, for some reason, her headlines were not as damning because they didn't have any race undertones, they were just classist.
Some newspaper headlines about Kate Middleton
What followed was the NAACP Awards, where Harry and Meghan were presented with the President's Award - I couldn't tell on what grounds, however, during her speech, Meghan reflected on George Floyd's death and how that tragic death was the testament of the unhealed wound every black American carried in their body.
Ok...I just have to ask: who told them they could speak for every black person in America? And why is everything about race in America?
My fourth take: the poem she wrote about growing up in a divorced home was brilliant, considering it was written by a twelve-year-old. From Meghan's recollections, her childhood, though in a divorced home, was blissful; she remembers being a daddy's girl and having two older half-brothers and a sister.
The re-enactment of the century
Meghan's re-enactment of the moment she had to curtsy to the Queen was disrespectful at best. First, she insults the whole process by calling it "outdated," saying Americans would understand where she is coming from. She proceeded to demonstrate how she had to curtsy, with a smirk on her face as she raised her upper body and head up. The discomfort on Prince Harry's face is incredibly visible. It was obvious he didn't fancy any of it.
There is absolutely nothing strange about curtsying. Nigerians and other Africans would know this: kneeling or slightly bowing to greet your parents or elders is common practice, and failure to do so is seen not only as disrespect but shameful.
It all goes back to the very beginning, even though Meghan claimed she had no idea how significant the Royal family was, common sense tells anyone to do a little research and learn about the family of the man you want to spend the rest of your life with.
A side note: I strongly believe that everyone in the Western world, to some degree, knows who the British royal family is. They might not care, but they are not oblivious to its existence.
The many "NOs"
Meghan tells of how she struggled to get roles in films and television series and how she was never one to put herself in a box. She, according to others, was neither white nor black enough, and this made it very difficult to book roles as an actress.
My fifth take: I thought it was rather disingenuous when talking about the many rejections she got, she attributed it to her skin color, I mean, God forbid some of those "NOs" had anything to do with her abilities or, rather, lack thereof, or simply put, the producers or directors didn't think she was the right person to play a particular role as opposed to another.
In the same episode, Meghan becomes engaged after Harry got permission from his grandmother, the Queen. The engagement is likened to a bridge that will supposedly unite black and white Brits. I mean, I guess it is safe to say that all Brits, especially black Brits, owe it to Meghan for uniting a nation crippled with racism. She should get a monument.
The topic of race isn't as charged in the UK as it is in America. I have recently learned that Brits don't fuss about racism as Americans do, they have their kind of discrimination: classism.
I find it rather disquiet when black people think that they will be treated differently simply because another black person is represented in a public role. I'm sorry, but that is just not the case. America tried it with Obama. Just because a black person is in office doesn't guarantee better treatment of all black people. However, it should be made clear that having good role models, whether in television, films, or public offices, can be positive for young minds, but this should be the case across the board. Having said that, our society has created a culture of intersectionality, where your identity is shaped by what you look like and not by your character.
More to come!
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