A Royal Dilemma.

[Stickman]

A topic mainly for Non-Americans but I will try and tailor questions for you. Given that this forum is American and that well Americans generally have something to say on any topic.

As most of you would be aware certainly there has been intense media coverage throughout the world, including America, tomorrow there is a royal wedding.

A few points to be raised I guess. First for you Americans so you can feel all inclusive. Why should this raise such a hype of media? In the age of cult celebrity following is this just an extension of the power of celebrity or do you feel that it is in any way due to the history shared between the two countries?

And now for the Aussies, Canadians, Brits.

This wedding has again raised the issue of the importance of the royal family within our societies. As a Republican (not in American political terms) I feel no connection of emotion towards the current royal family. So the question is do you feel that the pageantry and splendour of this wedding at all effects your views on your current and future head of state? Has the wedding at all enamored you towards the royal family? Or do you like me feel that your cultural (bit rich in Australian context) values would be better served by moving to a home grown head of state?

Now for Scabman (if he's still alive).

You have a royal family in your country too. That's not a question I just wanted to make you feel special.

And yes I am that bored I'm asking questions on topics I don't give a shit about.

[Llamageddon]

I know that for a very long time the role of the Royal Family in the UK has been ceremonial and not necessarily useful, but I do feel that it's better to have them. They've become what someone on the news this morning called "a constant light" (or something in that vein) over politics. By this they meant that while politicians come and go, the Queen has been on the throne for almost 60 years and she has been there through all the political changes and social changes. I think it's also worth noting that they are not completely behind with the times, making speeches about things relevant in today's society and keeping in with the changing face of Britain.

I also think that having a Royal Family for us in Britain is something of a collective identity. Britain is thousands of years old and has had a monarchy throughout its history, and unlike France and Russia we decided we would be better with them. Many people seem to forget (or they do not know), but Britain did have a civil war (1642–1651), and the Charles I was beheaded and we were a republic. However, the House of Stuart (The Royals at the time) was restored. It probably would have been easier to keep Charles II in exile but the people decided to keep the monarchy where they felt it belonged and where they belonged was no at the chopping block.

I think many people, although they can see why we may not need a monarchy, we definitely prefer having it as our collective being.

(I hope that's a satisfactory answer)

[CrAnIuM]

Sometimes I think it would be easier if the US had a monarchy.

That way when we have civil strife it will be easier to round up and execute the ruling class. As it is now I'd have to kill at LEAST 535 folks to made a full congressional turnover.

But coming from a purely spectator type American view I think the whole King/Queen bs thing is a comedy par excellence at times ... but no more so than some bubble headed Hollywood starlet the idjits here in the USA worship.

[Stickman]

I can see the Brits view on the subject. They are your royal family. Over here we are graced with there presence maybe once every five years. Hardly inspiring leadership. Oh and that was a very satisfactory reply. More than I thought would get posted.

[SlimSkeeter]

Llama digs politics..... Found myself in way over my head with her a few times about it and simply refrained from commenting.

However, my two cents: I still have no idea how the British political system works. Seems that the Royal family are more of a curiosity than anything...like a rare ape in the zoo. People gawk and point and take pictures but at the end of the day, they are like money. By which I mean they are the tangible form of an idea that, in and of itself, doesn't really mean a whole lot.

[Llamageddon]

Llama digs politics..... Found myself in way over my head with her a few times about it and simply refrained from commenting.

However, my two cents: I still have no idea how the British political system works. Seems that the Royal family are more of a curiosity than anything...like a rare ape in the zoo. People gawk and point and take pictures but at the end of the day, they are like money. By which I mean they are the tangible form of an idea that, in and of itself, doesn't really mean a whole lot.


Hey, I'm a politics student, what do you expect? :p

Tit for tat, I have no idea how the American political system works (not for lack of learning I'll have you know).


I can see the Brits view on the subject. They are your royal family. Over here we are graced with there presence maybe once every five years. Hardly inspiring leadership. Oh and that was a very satisfactory reply. More than I thought would get posted.

Not everyone in Britain is pro-monarchy, for the record, but it's definitely a majority who are pro-monarchy.

When it comes down to it, for me revolutions like the ones that happened in France and Russia, happened because the monarchy were getting too big for their boots. (Alert: getting pretty historical now) But Britain had already dealt with this problem and instated the Magna Carta in 1215 which challenged the King's authority, and citizens of Britain were given rights against an absolute monarch. So, where as King Louis XVI and Nicholas II grew unpopular with the people because they did not seem to care about the overwhelming poverty in which many in France and Russia lived, the Monarchy here has a real interest in the people of Britain and can often be seen visiting schools, village halls etc and they take an active role in our society. But they don't force themselves upon us. That's why I think they have lasted as long as they have.

[Mamba]

Well, as many of you know I am actually British, but I live in Spain. I don't feel (at all) like England is home to me anymore, as I have lived in Spain since quite a young age. We also have a Royal family here in Spain - I can honestly tell you, I don't really care one way or the other about them.

Long ago, I cared - in the most basic sense of the word - about Princess Diana when I lived in England. As even though I was very young, I used to see her all over the news, and I even went (with my family) to her funeral, laid flowers on her grave and signed the remembrance books. It was quite a spectacle, I can tell you. Thousands of people were there and we had to queue up for ages. I remember that really well because I was dying to go to the bathroom for a long time..... I digress... Princess Diana was "the people's princess", well that's what they called her, and she was very much a hands-on person who used to travel all over the world to visit troops, hospitals etc - and thats what makes the monarchy interesting, at least to me - when they actually want to make a difference and not just live their lives oblivious to the pain and suffering all around us, wrapped up cosily in their little extravagant bubbles.

I see the Spanish royal family in the press quite a lot, namely the Princess and her daughters, the Princess is quite beautiful (she used to be a journalist before marrying the Prince of Asturias), her daughters are cute..... and that's about it. I don't follow what they do politically or otherwise.

I am too busy with my own life to care about royalty....maybe when I'm getting my hair done, then I'll pick up a glossy mag and flick through it, and if there happens to be a feature on the royal family, I might read it - but I don't actively look for news or gossip about them - it doesn't interest me that much. I certainly wouldn't take time out of my schedule to watch their wedding, unless there was really nothing else to do.

[KommieKat]

I had lived in Japan for a long long time and to the right wing extremists (known as Uyoku) Used to really piss me off.

They have trucks with mega phones on the roofs blaring out military songs and their love of the Emperor.

Today, the Emperor and the Empress are in name only, with a line that goes down 2000 years and is considered the oldest in the world.

The last Emperor married out of the family as well as his son, I think, do to the amount of inbreeding that had taking place during the 2000 years. There is just now way it could continue that long without it. Hence, why Hirohito was often quoted as being a bit off his rocker.

In Japan, they go by the year of the Emperor from when his reign starts and ends. I believe it is Heisei 23? I forgot.

[Scabman]

I just wanted to make you feel special.

<3

[chokeonthis]

The media is a separation mechanism. The level of concentrated news coverage in our times, real events - a joke. Yellow journalism has never been so formed of piss as it is now.

Monarchies are sometimes excessively pretty and endearingly romantic... but like all political systems, it is a pretty parasol hiding the grotesque and greedy hag of corruption from the exposing light of the sun. Fuck politics, worldwide, in politics' ass. I stopped keeping track of a majority of the shit when they elected our coke-addled Texan some years back.

You're all slaves to feed the fat boys. If they'd given all of those fucking bailouts to the American people, each American could have bought a decent house, for fuck's sake. How many impoverished little kids could have had some porridge, Oliver-style, on their wedding day if Princess Noob had bought a cheaper veil? I have to, sadly, consider it to all be fucking beautiful waste.

[KommieKat]

You went from media as a joke to monarchies endearingly romantic to all of use being slaves.

Wow. My goodness.

[chokeonthis]

Waxing poetic about politics is fun.

[KommieKat]

Waxing poetic about politics is fun.

Just as long as THIS kind of reasoning not only applies to you: " Not really pre-thought, but automatically typed constructs - no other real reason."

[chokeonthis]

Just as long as THIS kind of reasoning not only applies to you: " Not really pre-thought, but automatically typed constructs - no other real reason."

Nah - it was meant. Waxing poetic implies more emotion than technical jargon, to me. Maybe my comment was too vague. Sorry about that.

I'm not the type to remove thought from my posts, Kommie. You should know that, even in my brief presence here and in our small interactions on That Other Site.

[SittinGrumpy]

I have no interest in the Royal family, I do not understand why the world stopped for William to get married. I do not understand Americans who really care so much about them. At the same time, I give two shits less about the government here too... as far as things like who is getting married, who is screwing who or if obama smokes....

[funeeman]

I was pretty sure we revolted from England so we didn't have to give a shit about stuff like this.

[Firestorm]

Honestly, who really cares about the royal family anymore? So William got married. Good for him and all that, but lets not hold the presses for it. After all, we have so many more fake topics to worry about, like global warming, 9/11 conspiracies, is osama really dead, etc.