Why Kate Middleton’s Disappearance Made Us Hit New Lows – News

Imagine what it would be like to be in Kate Middleton’s shoes before March 22! Imagine what it would have been like to hear her doctor tell her that she has cancer! Imagine processing that diagnosis and breaking it down among her three young children, who may or may not know what cancer is. Imagine the outside world speculating about the reasons for your disappearance from public life, reasons ranging from being dead to being cheated on to separating from a spouse who, quite possibly, is trying to come to terms with the diagnosis himself! Imagine living in fear of her medical records becoming public! Imagine!

The reason we don’t find it easy to imagine what it would be like to be in Kate Middleton’s shoes is because the 99 percent of us who don’t live that “life” can’t fully understand how that 1 percent deal with pain or disappointment. That may have something to do with the fact that we don’t imagine the rich and powerful suffering emotional harm because somewhere we, too, believe that privilege buys happiness and sanity.

We resent the privileged because we assume they are happy and sane and live lives we can only dream of. We resent the privileged even though many of us are trying to acquire privilege through hard work, pressure, and manipulation. So if privilege is something we all collectively work for and aspire to, why do we look down on those who already have it?

The way the saga of Kate Middleton’s disappearance unfolded on the Internet points to the love-hate relationship we have with that 1 percent. The Princess of Wales has been a figure of our collective obsession and disdain. The dresses she wears, the hairstyles she wears, the traditional jewelry she wears have made her a fashion icon.

But his silence remains deafening to those who want him to speak. We want the nonconformity of a princess whose defiance by her mother-in-law shook the very foundations of the British monarchy. We want Kate Middleton to be more than Princess of Wales because her sister-in-law has spoken at length about the many aches and pains of living a fishbowl life. But what we’ve often forgotten in the conversation around Kate Middleton is that silence can be just as difficult, if not more so.

Imagine every part of you being scrutinized, imagine reading an incorrect and heartbreaking headline about yourself, but still picking up the pieces and smiling for the cameras! Imagine doing this day after day and moving forward. Imagine putting strange conspiracy theories to rest by talking about a diagnosis that has changed your life!

In a noisy world, silence is interpreted as a lack of depth or understanding. We fail to take into account the fact that it takes immense willpower to remain silent in the face of scandalous rumors, conspiracy theories, and accusations. Don’t let all the privilege in the world stop you from being judged. It’s not that it doesn’t affect you. But sometimes, the decision to remain silent is born from a desire to invite less scrutiny over something you work hard to protect: your family and your well-being. In that sense, silence also offers agency.

The reason Kate Middleton’s message should hit us hard is because in our effort to make sense of her disappearance, we hit new moral lows. Once again, we took her silence for granted. Well, the Princess has already spoken… and for once she has left us speechless.

anamika@khaleejtimes.com

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