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Saturday, September 10, 2022

Monarchy

Hard to find anything on the news except stuff about the British monarchy. Many of the British reporters and pundits that have been on the air are quite emotional about the late Queen and the royal line. It's hard for me to understand.

America fought a war to get free of the British monarchy. That monarchy forcibly colonized so many other countrues around the world, it was said the sun could never set on their empire. It's not just history - they still won't give back the Elgin Marbles. And that monarchy still has its political tentacles in a nimber of other countries today ... think Northern Ireland (and Scotland).

The very idea of monarchy should be repugnent to us: the divine right of kings theory that God has chosen certain superior people to reign over all us lessor beings, and that this right is passed on simply through an accident of birth, not because of competence. "Subjects" had to get down on their knees before British monarchs, and some still choose to. It's no samll thing that our Declaration of Independence insisted that all men are created equal, however imperfectly that has been realized.

When I think of the British monarchy, I think of all the money and property they have amassed over the centuries, of the snobbery and the British class system they exemplify, of the sheer bad luck that could make creepy Prince Andrew the ruler of millions. I just can't romanticize the royals, even at the passing of Queen Elizabeth.

4 Comments:

Blogger Katherine Nielsen said...

I don't have any great regard for the British monarchy, or any other monarchy. But I do have a regard for Elizabeth as a person.
She made this statement in a radio broadcast on her 21st birthday: "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.
But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it."
As far as I can see, she did keep her promise of service to her country, and did it without getting mixed up in politics. She has been a source of unity to the Brits.

11:54 AM  
Blogger crystal said...

For their service, they have received enormous wealth and privilege, but I can't figure out what it is they actually do - they don't run the government. They just seem to exist as kind of cultural mascots?

6:20 PM  
Blogger Katherine Nielsen said...

When Trump was elected, I had hopes that he would just be a cultural mascot, a sort of avatar, and be content with showing off and being in the limelight. And leave the actual government to people who weren't as ignorant. Unfortunately that's not what happened, I knew it was a vain hope even then. At least Elizabeth knew how to give calming and encouraging speeches in times of crisis.

9:15 AM  
Blogger crystal said...

Yes, if you're going to have a monarch, she exemplified the best kind. You can see that in how much her people obviously love her.

12:34 PM  

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