It’s hard for Meghan Markle to do literally anything without facing scrutiny and hatred. Even objectively kind gestures are cast as villainous. Earlier this year, she visited the memorial for the Uvalde school shooting and got trashed for it. Let’s study what happened.
An Unspeakable Tragedy
On May 24, 2022, 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Vile does not begin to describe what happened that day, and it froze America in its tracks. The lack of response from law enforcement was disgusting, and it was yet another horrific reminder that there really isn’t anywhere safe for children in the United States.
Meghan Markle Traveled There
In the grand scheme of things, nothing matters less than what any celebrity thought about what happened. That being said, Markle was moved enough by what happened that she traveled down to Uvalde and lay some flowers down near a memorial outside the Uvalde County Courthouse. Of course, the press snapped photos of Markle’s visit.
Markle doesn’t have social media, so the photos weren’t posted on anything she controls. Millions of folks used social media to bring attention to Uvalde, but Markle flew there herself to pay her respects. At best, this is a kind gesture that exemplifies a grieving nation. At worst, it’s truly not a big deal.
Hit Piece Comes In
Of course, the Daily Mail saw the photographs and smelled blood in the water. It immediately published a janky hit piece bashing Markle for visiting Uvalde while her notorious father, Thomas Markle, was laid out in the hospital following a stroke. The article attacked Meghan for caring more about the children killed in the shooting than she does about her siblings.
The piece then deteriorated into a straw man attack on Meghan for traveling to the Platinum Jubilee. Just as a reminder, Thomas has actively undermined Meghan’s desires ever since she got married. He’s literally facing her in court. Estrangement doesn’t end just because someone’s in the hospital.
Furthermore, Thomas was in stable condition and ended up making a recovery. 21 innocent people were murdered in Ulvade, and Thomas was out in a month. Meghan’s priorities were exactly where they should have been.
This whole hullabaloo is a lesson in how toxic tabloids are. Meghan demonstrating a little bit of empathy following a massacre should not be trashed. Thomas’ condition had absolutely no relevance to Meghan’s decision to visit the site. Even paying one’s respects at a memorial for victims of violence is apparently not good enough for the Daily Mail. Shame on it.
