Eat the Rich: Classism in the UK Entertainment Industry, Pt. 1 [ONTD Original]

[jdnightghobhadi]

Comments

[stephaniebrown]

upper class people in the UK are just SO unbelievably out of touch, its frightening. like, they honestly and genuinely believe that their lawyer or banker or literal aristocracy mummy and daddy had absoulutely no impact on their lives whatsever, and if they did, its only because they worked super hard! as if cathy and mark living in wolverhampton with their three kids in a two bedroom house aren't trying as hard as they can to give their family a good life. as if they just need to work that little bit harder, and suddenly they too can afford to send their kids to fancy public schools and expensive camps and extracurriculars and tutors! actually fuck off

[ms_mmelissa]

as if they just need to work that little bit harder, and suddenly they too can afford to send their kids to fancy public schools and expensive camps and extracurriculars and tutors!

lol I remember this looooong argument years ago about Emma Watson where there were people arguing her family was "struggling" and other people were like "Uhhh, there are families who, no matter how hard they struggle will never be able to send their kids to boarding school because that's more than they make in a year".

[jdnightghobhadi]

Seriously. I think some of that sentiment came from an ONTD post I was looking at while writing this post. It's like people really want her to have come from nothing to fit some kind of Cinderella narrative. Really shocking to me how people are unaware how LOADED her parents are/were. Her fans straight-up deny it.

Oh, like the comments in this Tweet:

Yes she’s rich. But she wasn’t born or got married into it, like the Royal family. & she isn’t like the Karashians. & she isn’t a greedy business person like Trump. She was a girl from a middle to lower class family. & she worked/has worked (as an actor) for her money.
- Fantastic Beasts (@_potterhead7_) January 12, 2018

Her parents are LAWYERS so NOT remotely lower clas????

[quiet_storm]

Fucking yikes.

[evangelion]

I can kinda get them "struggling" for a moment with divorce costs + private schooling for two kids... but that meant more having to cut out the lavish family vacations and NOT worrying about having to put food on the table.

I can kinda get them having a warped perception that they're poor for the ones with "only" 10-30m. I remember seeing pics of Emma Watson at some party like a decade ago and one of the comments insinuated she was likely the poorest person in the room*. That comment still gives me a huge slap of reality at just how HUGE the wealth gap is even between the extremely, no-need-to-worry-about-finances-ever wealthy and the ULTRA wealthy who are practically untouchable.

[jdnightghobhadi]

Oh yes, definitely. I don't deny that the divorce was hard and that privileged people don't have hardships (because of course that's not true, look at the Kennedy and Rosemary), but it's like Emma and her fans think that means they weren't privileged.

I remember seeing pics of Emma Watson at some party like a decade ago and one of the comments insinuated she was likely the poorest person in the room*

Wow. Yeah, the gap is a very, very complex thing. It runs deep.

Also, I want to clarify: I don't hate Emma, I don't exactly like her either but I think she's very cute. Either way, let's face it, homegirl has said some dumbass shit.

[evangelion]

She's said some dumb stuff but she's also been under the microscope for 20 years. She seems to actually listen when criticism is launched her way and try to grow which unfortunately feels rare no matter which part of the world you're looking into

[jdnightghobhadi]

That's a fair view and I do mention in the post that Emma does use her large platform to help minorities and she really took the criticisms she received in 2014 (?) seriously in order to better herself. That's why I included her letter for her Goodreads book club because to me, that was an early sign of her growth. Like, she still has a lot of work to do (i.e. tax evasion) but I think she's heading in the right direction. Also, I do sympathize with her as a child star who has been sexualized since she was a legit child (and I'm still upset when I think how she was sexually harassed by the paparazzi when she was 18). I would have cracked looong ago if I had her life. We all said dumb shit. I bet every one of us on ONTD would cringe at the crap we used to say and think as teens (I sure as hell do). Emma's words, unfortunately, are immortalized in print. Maybe I'm too soft, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. She still has a lot to learn and if she put on less of a performance in some of her interviews (although I understand

[talklikelions]

IA acting seems to be eh to her. I’ve felt for a few years now that it’s something she does when a project she can’t turn down comes up, and it’s kind of hobby like to her, but her passions lie in activism and art.

[jdnightghobhadi]

Right? She wouldn't even have been in Little Women this year if Emma Stone hadn't dropped out!

[talklikelions]

Which...imagine a role like that being something that just lands in your lap? I may be a wee bit jealous haha

[jdnightghobhadi]

I don't blame you, honestly. She is truly living her best life!

[evangelion]

sorry i don't check my notifications often so am just seeing this!

imo uhhh yeah she should def leave acting. the book and activism stuff seems to make her really happy and it's not like she's ever going to lose her cultural relevance since harry potter was such a huge thing. I'm glad the main three Potter kids didn't grow up into douchebags. They seem to just be doing their own thing which is chill.

[jdnightghobhadi]

That's all right, sis. It's never too late lol.

IA. Of course, each of them have struggled with their massive fame in their own way. DanRad has been incredibly candid about his alcoholism and losing his virginity young. Rupert even said somewhere he never watched the other films after the first one bc as a pre-teen/teen, it was too awkward. Emma was horrified the morning after the upskirt pap pics. But despite all that, they all seem lovely and level-headed in their own ways and are currently living their best lives. I wish the best for them.

[starsandcrosses]

I can kinda get them "struggling" for a moment with divorce costs + private schooling for two kids... but that meant more having to cut out the lavish family vacations and NOT worrying about having to put food on the table.

omg yes exactly. this reminds me of a quote i read about the recent uk election that was like "when rich ppl vote, it's to make sure they get to keep their favourite luxuries. when poor ppl vote, it's cos they're fighting for their lives"

[starsandcrosses]

lmaoooo this is like when ppl tried to spin kate middleton as being an "ordinary middle class girl" that just so happened to become a princess when it's like...she was born into an upper middle class family, her family owned their own business, she was privately educated, etc.