Public life, private conversations, and the Sussexes

March 16, 2021

If you fear that anything you say privately may be revealed publicly, you cannot express yourself freely. You can't play with ideas, you can't think aloud, you cannot debate and discuss. You can only repeat concepts that have been approved by the authorities. Your mind is in prison. 

When there is no distinction between public and private conversation, you can trust no one. Not even your family.

Which brings us to the Sussexes. 

Taking a private conversation public

During Harry and Meghan's notorious broadcast last week, the couple gave contradictory statements about an unnamed family member who had - in a private conversation - expressed "concern" about the Sussex child's skin color. 

Putting aside the fact that most families speculate about what an unborn child might look like, the revelation that someone had been "concerned" took what had been a private family conversation into the public sphere, where it was never intended to be.

Was it (supposedly) wrong that the speaker had felt concern or wrong that the speaker had expressed concern about the baby's looks?  

(My guess is that we are probably talking about a throwaway remark like "Maybe we'll call him the Dark Prince" or some other dry humor blown out of proportion by the Sussexes.)

Anyway, if the speaker had simply wondered about the unborn baby's physical characteristics, was the "right" thing to do to keep it to himself or herself, even in front of close family?

If we cannot speak freely to our family, to whom can we speak freely?

A chat with William and Charles

On Tuesday, CBS anchor Gayle King revealed that she had been in touch with Harry, who said he had spoken to his father and brother after the interview.

Harry told her that the conversations were "not productive", said King, who added that what the Sussexes really wanted was for the Royal family to condemn the (supposedly) racist press coverage of the pair.

Once again, the Sussexes had dragged private conversations with the family into the public sphere, spitting on the family's attempts at de-escalation and reconciliation. 

If I were William or Charles, I would be reluctant to ever again speak directly to Harry. The chance that he would repeat - if not record and release - whatever was said to him is simply too high.

Two ironies

There are two great ironies in the Sussexes' public release of private information.

First of all, Meghan recently (unexpectedly) won a court case confirming her right to privacy concerning a letter to her father. (There were rumors at the time that the Royal Family leaned on the judge in order to avoid a precedent that would affect their own privacy.)

Apparently Meghan believes the right to privacy applies to her but not to others.

Secondly, the Sussexes are trying to make it in Hollywood, where the ability to keep a secret is highly valued. (How many romantic leading men are secretly gay? Which goody-two-shoes celebrities have a drug habit? Who is funnelling money to left-wing terrorists or right-wing terrorists?)

Information is currency in Hollywood. How can potential business partners trust the Sussexes with any type of information? Will they run and tattle to their media contacts any time a business deal goes wrong?

It's hard to know what the Sussexes want at this point, but it seems unlikely they're going to get it.