Content Warning/Trigger Warning: This article is going to talk about things that could be extremely distressing to people, such as depression, suicidal ideation, and racism. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
800-273-8255.
I do not ever intend to hurt, trigger, or offend anyone with my writing. Only to dissect and discuss things from my perspective.
I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to Meghan Markle. She is a person whose strength we cannot begin to fathom. I already admired her simply for the fact that she gave up her career, and quite literally control over every aspect of her life so that she could marry the man that she loved, and now for her courage I admire her even more. When, for whatever reason, your mind becomes a prison that you cannot escape from, it is a herculean task to pull yourself out of it. To ask for care is an accomplishment alone, and what the interview that I saw was not only absolutely ire-invoking, but I was also inspired by her fortitude in the larger scope of the events. Meghan Markle has a strength that only comes with having suffered with something like this, from having seen the very depths of despair and being able to come back from it.
We as a people need to recognize the fact that this happens to people. Some people have only been suicidal once in their lives, and some people wake up every single day, looking for proof that they belong in this world. Searching, looking, begging for the universe to show them a sign that they’re supposed to be alive. Suicidal ideation is a mental health condition, and it is treatable. It is possible to manage. It doesn’t mean that you’re broken, it doesn’t mean you’re less of a person. It just means that you are feeling what you’re feeling, and that you’re probably having a hard time right now.
Suicide is the 15th leading cause of death worldwide. It accounts for approximately 1.4% of all deaths. Let’s explore the math here. (Math never was my best subject, but I shall do my best.) As of 2020 the most accurate calculation says that approximately 150,000 people die per day, in the world. 1.4% of 150,000 is 2,100 people. If we use that as a loose estimation as to roughly how many people commit suicide daily, that fact is simply astounding to me. Now, that is not to say that is a concrete, for-sure figure, but the profundity of that fact is still there. The 2021 estimation of the worldwide population was approximately 7.9 billion people. If we do the same thing to this figure, 1.4 percent of 7.9 billion people is 110.6 MILLION people. Again, that is NOT to say that this many people per year definitively die of suicide, these figures are purely to paint a picture of how potentially widespread this condition could be.
Meghan has been attacked from all sides from the very beginning of her relationship with Price Harry. It started immediately once the news broke that they were together. One of the more egregious things that I remember seeing was the press and public questioning if the Prince should even be dating an “ethnic” woman like Meghan. Which is just thinly veiled racism that reasserts the thoughts that the Royals should keep their blood “pure”. She has been pitted against Kate Middleton, Princess Eugenie, and veritably every member of the Royal family, with incessant articles alleging that she disrespected the Queen at every public engagement.
Meghan was there for one reason, and one reason only- because she loved Harry.
If you look at side-by-side comparisons of Kate Middleton’s press coverage, and Meghan Markle’s coverage, the racism JUMPS off of the pages at you. She has been criticized from everything to her wedding dress on her special day, FOR LITERALLY JUST WEARING PANTS, how she crossed her legs at a public engagement where the queen was present, to simply eating an avocado and giving her growing baby bump a loving caress, like ANY expectant mother does. That is one of the things that I really do remember happening at the time. I am 28 years old and do not have children myself, but I remember thinking “How much do you have to hate a woman to criticize her for having her hands on her stomach when she is pregnant? “
I find blatant, incessant racism against Ms. Markle quite disturbing. The Oprah interview, however, blew everything wide open. I am a firm believer in actions speaking louder than words. Some of the things that Ms. Markle revealed were done to here were truly sickening. Truly, this might not have been slurs, but this was subtle racism at its finest. The “Institution” didn’t want baby Archie to have the same titles nor the same security that their other heirs and grandchildren receive. Again, how racist and hateful must you be to not want a baby, a tiny, defenseless infant not to be protected from the sheer lunacy that having any kind of Royal connotation can bring? Meghan and Harry are human beings, and they were not protected by the people that should have cared for them the most. One of the most profound things about these revelations was that when asked who said it, asked these questions, and made these disgusting discriminations against a then-unborn child, Meghan and Harry refused to name who it was.
Who would still want to protect a person or people that would behave so egregiously against a member of their own family but two utterly compassionate people?
With all that we have learned, and especially the media campaign that was launched the day before this bombshell interview, I think we have learned all that we need (I hope) about the Royal family and the attitudes they have towards racial issues. They used Meghan Markle like a token, and then pushed her aside and ignored her when she asked for help with her mental health. Harry, the very real-life PRINCE that he is, stood by the woman he married just like anyone in any relationship or marriage (whether it be heterosexual or not) deserves and most likely would be thrilled to have. I was moved to tears at these revelations. I was certain that Meghan had gone through a very difficult time with depression, possibly even post-partum depression which (possibly) was compounded by the media frenzy after her first child was born. But now that she has gathered her courage and revealed to the world what REALLY happened, I am appalled. No one deserves what she went through, and everyone deserves the help she was so insensitively refused because the family she married into was too worried with how it “would look”.
When it comes to the subject of mental health, I am very passionate and will “scream from the rooftops” about it. The things I have seen some of the more disrespectful people saying about this situation are almost as bad (Piers Morgan- all I’m saying). I have felt the need to “scream” a lot about this. My empathy is endless for this woman, Meghan Markle. For what she has been through, for the things that have most likely been said to her face that she hasn’t talked about publicly, for the simple fact that she and Harry were asked about HOW DARK THE SKIN OF THEIR CHILD MIGHT POTENTIALLY BE. The rage that I feel cannot be contained. I still cannot believe that in the year 2021, which should ideally be a very modern time, we are plagued with this thoroughly archaic way of thinking. I hope one day it can change, until then, taking action is the best thing that people that care can do.
Again, if you are having thoughts of suicide, or feel like you don’t want to live anymore, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
800-273-8255
There is no shame. Asking for care and treatment is the best thing that you could do for yourself and the ones you love. You matter, you deserve good things, and
you are loved. I promise.
Thank you for reading,
Brooke <3