C U LT ÚR
December 01 2020
7
SIAMSAÍOCHT
19
Leave Diana alone By Fiona Lee Despite being born in 1998 and Princess Diana passing away in 1997, I have always had a fascination with her life, who she was and what happened to her. To the public, she was coy, charming, caring, loveable and so very human. She was the breath of fresh air that the Royal Family lacked. In her own words in the infamous interview she gave in 1992 with the BBC, she was a threat to the Crown and everything it stood for: formality, rigid tradition, and class separation. The public have always admired Diana for her kindness towards others, her openly warm relationship with her sons and for seemingly wearing her heart on her sleeve throughout her life. There is nothing wrong with admiration. I am sure the love shown for her is appreciated still by the people who were close to her. However, true admiration is far from how we should describe how the public talk about Diana. Fascination with the tragedies she faced show nothing but disrespect. So many women in history have been treated like more of a muse for art than they have as real people: a story that we can inflict our own emotions on in order to explain our own feelings and intellectual thoughts. We talk about Diana as if we cared for her, but really, none of us ever knew her at all, and only care about her life story in the way we enjoy a good crime novel or look forward to a Netflix series to binge (i.e. ‘The Crown’). It’s the same kind of curiosity we have with the life of Sylvia Plath; more interested with the fact that she died with her head in an oven with her children in the next room, after a life of depression and mania, instead of the masterful works
The depiction of Prince Charles in the Netflix series is trivial when we think about the impact this frivolous show will have on her sons... The luxury of our entertainment comes at the expense of those who loved her the most. she created in her short lifetime. Again, Britney Spears is remembered for infamously shaving her head in 2007 after an emotional breakdown, instead of the immense talent she has showcased both before and after that moment. Everyone loves a good tragedy, despite the real pain that these people suffered. It is easier to turn a blind eye. I watch the new season of ‘The Crown’ because of my desperate curiosity with the tragedy that was her marriage and her life thereafter. I watch this depiction of her life with utter shame, but for some reason I need to watch it anyways. How can so many people believe that this was an appropriate season to create and make public? Why can’t we stop watching?
Her ex - husband still lives, yet he is being depicted so maliciously, with no regard paid to the truth of how he felt. Despite the public’s utter dislike towards him, I feel we could sympathise with Prince Charles. He may be lucky to live with wealth, but as we all should know at this stage, there is nothing easy about being a Royal. The inescapable responsibility and pressure the role involves is unimaginable. Prince Charles loved Camilla long before he ever set eyes on Diana, but because of his standing as ‘Future King’, he was forced into a loveless marriage as Diana was more ‘suitable’. Yes, his treatment of Diana was appalling and cruel, but we can’t fairly put all this blame on him and
Camilla when they were all victims of the Royal Family’s heartless rules. The depiction of Prince Charles in the Netflix series is trivial when we think about the impact this frivolous show will have on her sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. The loss of their mother will forever be the most traumatising moment of their life. Coming from a broken home prior to this, they have not had an innocent upbringing by any means. How is it possible that no one dared to think of the impact this production of their mother, unravelling and suffering before the entire world would have on them? They are still young men and there is no doubt that they still carry the pain of her death. The luxury of
our entertainment and cravings for a sad story comes at the expense of those who loved her the most. It is difficult. We all feel as if we love Diana and wish to be more like her. But we must admit to ourselves, being inspired by someone does not mean we respect them. We criticise the media for forever reporting on her decades after her death, yet we engage with these articles, documentaries and TV shows anyway, and therefore encourage them to continue. She was an exhausted prop to the Royal Family from the horrifying age of 16 to the day she died. It’s time to hang up our obsessions with her life and her story and let her rest in peace. They have suffered enough.
Tantrums at the dinner table – the TikTok drama that’s being blown out of proportion By Alice O’Donnell Charli D’Amelio. A name which a year ago would have been meaningless, but
now is firmly cemented in the joint consciousness of our generation. Despite only being sixteen, Charli has been catapulted to fame through her short dances
on TikTok, and as of the time of writing this article has the most followers on Tiktok with 99.3 million. Recently, she has found herself and her family steeped in controversy, all surrounding a video put up on her family’s YouTube channel, captioned Our First Mystery Guest: Dinner with the D’Amelio’s. The video is the first (and most likely the last) part of a new series the family are planning, where each video they have a new guest for dinner while dining on a gourmet meal. The guest for this video was James Charles, and their meal was centred around Spanish cooking, with dishes such as toasted bread and paella being served up. However, the video has brought fame and attention to the family for all the wrong reasons, with people attacking Charli and her 19 - year - old sister Dixie’s behaviour throughout the meal. The girls seem bored throughout the video, with Charli going on her phone at points and Dixie ignoring what’s being said. They also at points seem disinterested in what their guest James Charles was saying, and ignore their parents.
However, what most people take offense to is the apparent ungrateful attitude they have for the gourmet meal they are served. The focal point of the video can be seen as the moment where Dixie finds a snail in her paella, and reacts dramatically, including retching at the table and subsequently throwing up outside. The girls seem disgusted by the food, and at one point Charli asks if there are any chicken nuggets available. Although their behaviour is far from that of an ideal role - models, it is important to remember that at the end of the day they are two teenagers. Although they could have behaved a lot better in the video, and shown more grace and gratefulness to the chef and his food, I don’t think they are deserving of the amount of hate they are receiving. To me, watching the video, it seemed like it was just two tired teenagers acting out at the table. None of us are virtuous all the time, and it seems that the video just happened to be filmed at a point when the two girls were not in their best moods. They should acknowledge their behaviour, and strive to show more gratefulness to their followers
(one of the main arguments people had was that Charli seemed to view her followers as simply numbers, as she looked forward to hitting the 1 million milestone), but it is also important to remember they are both young and have been thrust into the public viewpoint extremely quickly. We all make mistakes, especially when we’re teenagers. Our mistakes allow us to grow into better individuals, and are vital in the process of becoming a good person. The D’Amelio’s should be forgiven. They are teenagers, and despite being famous icons can still be moody, bratty and tired. Their parents and editors should have picked them up on their behaviour either at the dinner table or later in the editing room. It’s unfair to both them and their fans that it’s been left to the public to critique their behaviour, but no matter how much they may wish to, they can’t undo the past. But the death threats, harassment and bullying are uncalled for and should be stopped. As long as the girls acknowledge their mistakes, they should be allowed to grow and move on from this behaviour.
