I admit I made a bad decision. I watched two episodes of Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan” docuseries.
Let’s just say that is time I will not get back.
From the two episodes I watched, I was bored, annoyed and shocked that they were shocked by the behavior of the paparazzi and people online.
I am going to gather that these are two reasonably intelligent people. Two people who have read newspapers, magazines, news websites and have lots of personal experience with the paparazzi and online trolls.
As for what happened when Meghan Markle joined the Royal Family, well, that’s between the family members. I am an American and just don’t care about hearsay.
If I want in-law drama, there is plenty to read on Reddit. Check out the communities JustNoMIL and JustNoFamily to make you feel better about your own relatives.
I was hoping to hear about Prince Harry and Meghan’s future philanthropic plans. Or about how they plan to fix the paparazzi and nasty internet trolls. Or even how they plan to raise their kids.
Instead, it left me craving a cheese plate with all that whine.
Do I think Harry and Meghan were bullied and harassed by the paparazzi and the online people? Yes.
But aren’t they really, really rich?
Yes. It is a first world, 1 percent of 1 percent problem.
Do families squabble? Yes. I think all of us in Hammonton know that fact.
I wish I could understand what it is they hoped to accomplish by putting this series out there.
The stock market had dropped hundreds of points the day before I wrote this column. People are out of work. There is an economic crisis.
I feel badly that Harry and Meghan have these issues but I feel worse for those who may not be able to feed their children or someone who lost their job.
Maybe I am wrong.
What the paparazzi did to Princess Diana resulted in her death. That was tragic and should not be par for the course for celebrities.
But taking to a streaming service to work on these issues doesn’t feel productive.
All they are doing is drawing more attention to themselves, the thing they say they don’t want.
If they wanted anonymity and to be left alone by the media and the royal family, move to Nebraska or Iowa. Moving to California where other celebrities are just attracts attention in my opinion. Living in Canada, which is part of the United Kingdom, will not give you anonymity either as Meghan found out when she was living there and filming her show before they married.
I hope they find what they are looking for by the airing of the grievances.
Speaking of grievances, Festivus is Friday, December 23.
Let’s break out the unadorned aluminum pole and to share our issues with each other.
Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld” said “At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.”
Harry and Meghan should have dropped their docuseries on Festivus. Then at least I would understand their plight.
But they didn’t and now I must sit through promo videos online and on Netflix itself. Poor me. Should I make a docuseries about it?
Happy Festivus! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Gina Rullo is the editor-in-chief of The Hammonton Gazette. In 2022, she was named an “Editor Extraordinaire” by Editor & Publisher Magazine and in 2021 won two awards for investigative journalism.