Max Pemberton: The real reason Meghan plays the victim

Poor Megan. That’s what we’re supposed to say, isn’t it? Back in the UK this week, one wonders what sympathy card she will play next. After all, every interview you give focuses on the motto “woe to me”.

Grab your ethically sourced pearls and reach for napkins while sitting in her multi-million pound home, surrounded by staff and security. How is the day going?

In all seriousness, I wonder if she could really believe that she had been so hard-earned and that the average person on the street would have any sympathy?

Could she really be so isolated from the plight of ordinary people that she doesn’t think she comes across as out of touch and obsessed with herself?

I’m sure she’s had difficulties in her life, just as everyone else has. I don’t doubt that marrying into the royal family was a huge culture shock, especially if you think it entails mostly walking around the palace and wearing pretty dresses for movie premieres when the reality is more ribbon cutting at a new sewage treatment plant in Stevenage .

But most people keep this to themselves. It’s not a shocker by most people’s standards. The shocking truth is that Harry has already been traumatized. Losing your mother at such a tender age is horrific.

So why does Meghan “consistently look at how terrible it is to be king for a while”, as a source who knows the Sussex family was quoted as saying this weekend?

It doesn’t help anyone being a prisoner of their past. This does not mean that we should sweep what happened to us under the rug. far from it. But there comes a point where if you don’t learn to move on, it starts to define who you are.

At some point, you have to let go of the past, or at least build on it to keep it from blistering and consuming you.

But with Megan, I think there’s something profound going on here, something I’ve seen with some of my patients.

A few years ago I worked for a charity and in order to fund this I worked a few days a week in a private clinic. Many of my patients were amazingly wealthy, some even flying on their private planes just for the appointment.

They had a life of privilege like no other. However, as I was talking to them, there were those who seemed to feel hurt and injured, humiliated and upset. They were extraordinarily sensitive and had a hard time portraying themselves as the victim at almost every opportunity they had.

It was very strange and in sharp contrast to the poor and disadvantaged patients I saw in the charity, who seemed to accept their fate, do their best and get on with things.

It took me a while to realize that it was their very privilege and the pressure this caused that made these wealthy patients so quick to play the victim card.

They had great privilege, but unless they also achieved great things, they would always be considered failures. On the contrary, their privilege was like a millstone around their neck.

The problem was that there was no sympathy for this. I’ve had people in their twenties and thirties who were the sons of the rich and famous try to convince me that they are a life’s victim, rather than get a golden ticket—with no real merit or talent of their own—that few of them could have imagined.

They had a toxic and harmful mixture of self-entitlement and exaggerated self-esteem, resulting in bitterness and bewilderment that did not always go their way.

Rather than taking this as a life, they used this as evidence that they were real victims. And the main thing I realized was that feeling victimized was a perfect way to relieve themselves of life’s problems.

This meant that they always had an excuse ready for why things went wrong, or they didn’t know how they wanted. It was always someone else’s fault. There was always someone else to blame.

Of course, no matter how wealthy, privileged, and well-connected you are, life can feel like an uphill battle at times.

But having a perspective on things and realizing this is part of the fabric of life is an essential skill. I find it really surprising that someone as smart and intelligent as Megan seems to be struggling to make sense of this and, as such, appears to be increasingly deaf.

The Duchess of Sussex wants us to believe she is a victim of all kinds of injustices against which she is so bravely battling, when I fear it may appear as a mere self-indulgent outing and out of touch.

Sorry Kate, I don’t buy it

There has been a recent trend for celebrities to create health and wellness companies. It all started with Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop. Kate Moss is the latest with Cosmoss.

While I’m all for people making healthy changes and appreciate that celebrities can influence people, I’m concerned that many are promoting unproven or questionable products.

The truth is that these people are incredibly wealthy and live a rare life, and this, rather than some magical cure, is what enables them to look great. They sell imagination. With chefs, cleaners, drivers and helpers, they are cut off from the realities facing most people.

They don’t have to juggle family life and work like most people do. Remember that when you hear them talk about miracle wellness products.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has launched a plan to eradicate waste, snacks and dead wood at the NHS to cut costs and free doctors from red tape amid a backlog crisis. This is long overdue. Bureaucracy hinders the work of doctors and prevents us from seeing more patients. It’s exhausting and frustrating.

• Doctors last week warned of a “terrifying” laughing gas epidemic in Britain after a surge in patients suffering from “life-changing” nerve damage and paralysis from the drug’s use. Gas – nitrous oxide – is the second most popular recreational drug in the UK after cannabis. Where I live in central London, the streets are littered with small, shiny metallic gas canisters. It is incredibly popular among teens and gives a short euphoria when inhaled. But it can also cause breathing difficulties, a dangerous increase in heart rate, and even death. We need to educate people about the risks. Part of the problem is that because it is called “laughing gas,” it is assumed to be harmless. In fact, it is a powerful chemical and its use can have tragic consequences. It appears to be part of a confused and illogical view of the world held by Generation Z, who do not drink alcohol due to health risks but inhale laughing gas. mad.

Dr. Max’s recipes…

Super September

Traditionally it is clear October, but this year it is bustling September. Many of us have over-indulged during the first proper summer after the pandemic, so it’s time to reset after all those parties. And no, it’s never too late to try it out!