Oof. Daisy R really is the epitome of the white rich British woman isn’t she? That interview really shed light on the kind of oblivious person she is. It’s like she’s only capable of the shallowest layer of wokeness which is having a fun time at Pride and the characters she plays being role models for girls, but when it comes to addressing her own class and race privilege she gets defensive and fragile. I’m so disappointed
I’m not disappointed because, aside from the fact that Daisy’s always given off big fake-woke energy imho, this is exactly the degree of self awareness that can be expected from middle-to-upper-class western folks. It’s mostly performative and shallow, and when somebody points out privilege the immediate reaction is “but I worked HARD to get where I am”, or “but I have anxiety and serious skin problems and I’m a woman and so I Struggle™” and… girl, nobody is denying that things can be individually difficult—even impossibly difficult—for people who have racial and/or class privilege, too (heck, here I am, having both and still being on the verge of an emotional breakdown every other day). It’s just that, of all the stuff you need to worry about, your race (or ethnicity/nationality) isn’t one of them, and neither are your financial means. It’s something you need to acknowledge and not in a dismissive “I realize some people have it worse” way but by admitting that your status made things easier for you even in ways you can’t entirely recognize, because you’ve always experienced the world from YOUR side of things (see: her saying she doesn’t think John’s background & experiences are THAT different from hers… that was irritatingly naive).
What really makes me think, though, and I know I always harp on culture and education, is how someone with the level of education that Daisy has (boarding school, etc.), can be so hand-wavy and superficial and blissfully oblivious (even borderline insulting, without meaning it) when discussing certain themes. You would expect from these people better arguing skills and better impromptu critical thinking than “nobody ever asked me about this, and I’m completely at a loss here”.
It certainly speaks of how some people don’t really use their higher education in a proactive manner—to continue educating themselves even after their university years are over—and how the most recent and nuanced discussions on racial & class (and yes, also gender) privilege are still a niche thing mostly confined to progressive spaces on social media, and haven’t even begun to touch official spaces in the real world, let alone the education system which—speaking for my country, at least—is like 20 years behind with these topics.
