Supporters of Meghan Markle reacted angrily to an article that termed the former Duchess of Sussex as ‘narcissist’ and included her in a list alongside Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Kanye West. Many criticised the piece on social media for unfairly targeting Meghan because of her race, and called the article ‘irresponsible’ and ‘racist’. (Also read: Kate Middleton feels ‘betrayed’ by Prince Harry after his Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan: Report)
Contributing author Joanna Weiss published an opinion piece titled ‘2022 Is the Year We All Finally Got Tired of Narcissists’, which spoke about Prince Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan, in which the two talked at length about their relationship and the process of stepping away from their royal duties as a ‘narcissistic’ instinct. “If the Sussexes’ addiction to the public eye is benign — they seem tiresome, but genuinely well-intentioned — a narcissist’s constant quest for eyeballs and acclaim can get a lot more dangerous,” read an excerpt from the opinion piece published by Politico Magazine. It met with a response on social media, where many called the inclusion of Meghan in the las unfair and irresponsible.
Writer and cultural critic Rebecca Carroll tweeted, “Listing Meghan Markle in the same category of narcissist as Elon Musk and Donald Trump is a wildly irresponsible and truly white choice.” Meanwhile, author and political analyst Kirsten Powers tweeted, “What the hell Politico – there is literally no planet where Meghan Markle belongs with this group of people. A Black woman standing up for herself does not equal ‘narcissist’. The unhinged hatred directed at her really does kind of prove her point doesn’t it.” Lisa Glass wrote that 2022 “is the year we all finally got tired of Politico”, which prompted a response from Politico’s editorial director Ryan Heath, who tweeted, “If you want to write-off an entire publication because one of our 600 journalists included Meghan Markle on a list, you are indeed tired of free debate. If, instead, you actually just disagree with her being included on the list, you can say that instead.”
Several users on Twitter also shared the article with the hashtag ‘Joanna Weiss Is A Racist’ and criticised the writer for the piece. A user wrote, “Misogynoir (racism/misogyny) is NOT free debate. It. Is. Hate. Joanna Weiss wielding the ‘narcissist’ label at Meghan MarkIe is to label her ‘uppity’ (Black person not knowing ‘their place’). Prince Harry initiated/been by her side throughout this journey… what is he?” Another tweeted, “Meghan protecting her mental health is narcissism? You perpetuate a narrative that discounts a black woman’s cry for help, and now putting her in her place because she told her abuser “I MATTER although you say I don’t.”
The first part of the Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan was released on December 8, followed by another three episodes that dropped on December 15.
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