I used to frequent a restaurant and bar in Petone that always insisted on taking a credit card before they would serve customers with anything more than a glass of water. They were the only local establishment to do this, and it rankled a bit. Obviously, the operators had experienced people leaving without paying, but while that may have happened in the bar area, it was less likely in the restaurant, particularly if people had made bookings. Still, it was their policy, and so be it. The policy applied to everyone, at all times.
So when Oscar Kightley appeared on a show about racism a few years back and claimed that a Christchurch bar manager had refused him and his companions drinks without first seeing the colour of their money, it made me wonder. Sure, it could have been racism, as Kightley strongly implied. But the same behaviour towards me and my companions in Petone was not racism… so how could Kightley be so sure that his incident was: so sure in fact that he actually talked about it on TV, potentially identifying the perpetrator?
He couldn’t, of course. Unless the barman had made a statement such as, “It is our policy not to give brown people credit, so you will have to pay for your drinks before I pour them”, then he cannot be sure. Did the barman say that? If he had, I’m sure Kightley would have quoted it word for word. So really, he does not know that the barman was being racist or not. He just assumed that he was.
And that is the problem with the racist modelling of today. People are accused of racism all the time, whether they mean it or not. If you are a person of colour, you are able to make claims of racism with little or no evidence, and there is not much the accused can do about it.
So it was with Meghan Markle’s claim of racism within the Royal Family. I’m sure there was some kind of comment from someone, such as, “Well, now, at last, we will have a real Black Prince” or possibly a discussion about not deciding on which christening gown should be used for the baby until they see the hue of his skin. Whatever it was, it may have been made in jest or innocence, but it has given Meghan the rocket with which she will destroy the Royal Family. Mud sticks, as we all know.
True racism is a terrible thing. I hate to hear stories of people in supermarkets being told to ‘Go home’ by other shoppers. Such behaviour is despicable. But for every real racist attack these days, it seems that there are many perceived ones, where people are branded as racists when they had no such intention. For racism to be eliminated, it has to be real. You cannot eliminate something that doesn’t exist.
Remember how we were all lectured by Prince Harry about ‘unconscious bias’? The only member of the Royal Family ever to overtly demonstrate any kind of racist insignia told us that we were all racists, even though we don’t realise it.
All those people lining the streets of Windsor on the day of the wedding were racists really. People crying out “We love you, Meghan” were all closet racists. They just didn’t realise it.
I don’t believe in unconscious racism. I believe racism exists, but not that people are racists but don’t realise it. I also believe that the world has never been less racist than it is today, and this, in part, is because of the excellent work that the Royal Family has done within the Commonwealth. But don’t tell that to Meghan, or to Harry either, because they won’t believe it for one second.
Once all the adulation went to Meghan’s head, her image of being a princess lost touch with reality. She started behaving like a diva, demanding that her security people go around the centre court of Wimbledon telling spectators to stop taking photos of her when they were doing no such thing. Public opinion started to turn. The British public, who fund a lot of the Royal Family’s expenses, do not like such behaviour. By the time she and Harry had lectured people about climate change then took 4 private jet flights in 11 days, the public started to see them as hypocrites. Soon after that, the claims of racism started. The media and the British public would have treated William and Kate in exactly the same way if they had acted in such a hypocritical manner, but if the race card is available, it will be played, and thus it was with Meghan, and thus it is still.
And now, having not got whatever it was she wanted from the Royal Family – a title for Archie maybe, even though he is not automatically entitled to one, or whatever – she is going to keep spilling her guts with the sole aim of damaging or destroying the royal family. She will make enormous amounts of money, which no doubt is her intention, but the damage she will do to her husband’s family will be unprecedented.
The last American who married into the royal family was famous for doing a lot of damage, but at least she and her husband, Edward VIII had the decency to remain tight-lipped and gracious all through their lives, even though their treatment was much harsher than anything experienced by Harry or Meghan.
It was clear from the Oprah interview that, as far as Meghan is concerned, there should be a Prince Archie. The fact that there is no such person, due to a royal decree established in 1917, is of no consequence to her. The fact that Peter and Zara Phillips, children of Princess Anne do not have titles, is of no consequence to her. There is no Prince Archie because of racism. Full. Stop.
And there is the best example ever of how ‘unconscious bias’ can work both ways.
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