Banter Bites

Talk About Getting The Royal Treatment

Obviously, people cannot get enough of the Royal Family or of Oprah, as over 17 million people watched the interview on Sunday night.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: The last thing that Red expected was for Black to ask her what she thought of Oprah's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

After all, Red knew that Black didn't "follow" the Royal Family, unless it had something to do with the business world and appeared in a business publication, or maybe crossed her radar via one of the handful of daily newsletters she receives. So, once Red confirmed that Black really wanted to know her thoughts, Red started talking and probably didn't come up for air for about 20 minutes.

Now, it's not just that Red follows (to some degree, but not in an all-consuming way) what goes on with the Royal Family, but Red was married to a Brit and lived in England for many years, so had both friends and family there, giving her both "outsider" and "insider" perspectives of the country, its people, its media, and the institution of the Britishmonarchy.

Red's overall sentiments (as best as 20+ minutes can be boiled down),

I can see where on the big picture issues – from racial discrimination to awareness of mental health issues to historically how the "Firm" (as the family and institution calls itself) conducts its business – much of what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said rings true. But, of course, we'll never know if all the details are truly accurate, somewhat skewed to suit their version of events, or a reflection of what they honestly perceived and remembered.

Of course, Red couldn't resist asking Black what her thoughts were, half expecting her to say that she didn't have any. Then again, looking back later, Red really wasn't surprised when Black commented …

I preface this with, I did not watch the interview, although I have since seen clips and yesterday morning every daily newsletter I receive (AP News, Axios, Bloomberg, and the New York Times) covered it. The topics seemed to parallel, but on a personal level, that which has been headline news in the States – racism, the power of the media, and mental health issues. But what struck me most, even taking into consideration that Meghan is an actress, was her maternal instincts to protect her child, and her bravery to admit considering suicide. It was not that long ago she addressed her miscarriage with the public, again not something normally admitted to others – let alone the entire world.

P.S. – The following is from the bottom of the Axios article: the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free and confidential support for anyone in distress, in addition to prevention and crisis resources. Also available for online chat.

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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A man better known for his death than his life, although Red, the straight-A student and history lover, immediately thinks of the costly and controversial movie of his life. (Well, technically, it was the life of Cleopatra.) Black, of course, focuses on business – leadership lessons, including the power of words, although she surprises Red with some food trivia. But the fact July’s named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites …

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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