The Royal Wedding

sazerac said:

Something good is happening to someone who is richer and more successful than me so I am unable to just be happy for them. And I pretend I am not interested in a fascinating event.

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Just because it's fascinating to you doesn't mean it is to everyone.

cpgrad08 said:

I don't see the point of Britain still having a Monarchy in place.

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:shrug: Tradition.

Bruce said:

:shrug: Tradition.

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Is that why the Australia stills follows the Crown?

molten_dragon said:

I couldn't care less and I certainly won't be watching. I don't enjoy going to weddings of people I know, so why on earth would I want to watch 2 people I don't know get married on TV?

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You don't know the prince? His name is William. He is the elder son of Diana, Princess of Wales. She died in an accident many years ago.

cpgrad08 said:

Is that why the Australia stills follows the Crown?

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Because Australia is a cool country and has cool things like a Queen.

cpgrad08 said:

Is that why the Australia stills follows the Crown?

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Yeah, and it simplifies things.

molten_dragon said:

Just because it's fascinating to you doesn't mean it is to everyone.

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It's fascinating! It doesn't matter who you are. You don't get to say it's not fascinating. You could say " I'm not going to watch it because the royal family slaughtered my family" but it sure isn't not fascinating.

sazerac said:

Because Australia is a cool country and has cool things like a Queen.

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You ever been to Sydney? We have lots of queens there. :mrgreen:

Bruce said:

Yeah, and it simplifies things.

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One you would think it would be simpler not have a Monarch.

Bruce said:

You ever been to Sydney? We have lots of queens there. :mrgreen:

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It's certanly on my bucket list. I'd have to take a cruise there because I get the vertigo anymore. I would LOVE to go there. Oprah Winfrey made us all huge fans. I think she's going back. It's her favorite place on earth. Get ready Australia!

queens saved my life.

cpgrad08 said:

One you would think it would be simpler not have a Monarch.

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Nah, having the Monarch keeps the powers of head of state in non-partisan hands, while the running of the country is left to the PM, it's more functional than having them in the same role, or both in partisan hands.

This is somewhat OT, but I think Britain should become a republic - or else fission into an association of republics (England and Scotland, with Wales and Northern Ireland as microstates). I know the monarchy is largely vestigial at this point, and has a lot of cultural significance, but it still makes me a little sad that a nation I consider the Mother Country of the United States continues to officially place some human beings above others by virtue of who their parents are. The two people getting married haven't done anything to deserve special attention, and there is no reason to believe they will.

Troubadour said:

This is somewhat OT, but I think Britain should become a republic. I know the monarchy is largely vestigial at this point, and has a lot of cultural significance, but it still makes me a little sad that a nation I consider the Mother Country of the United States continues to officially place some human beings above others by virtue of who their parents are. The two people getting married haven't done anything to deserve special attention, and there is no reason to believe they will.

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I'm a tiny little ant compared to a lot of people. It's ok with me if a family's ancestors did something great and wound up running the show. The monarchy is one of the reasons America loves UK so much. Sometimes we have our own royalty and they have earned it.

sazerac said:

I'm a tiny little ant compared to a lot of people.

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You're welcome to place yourself beneath others, but there is a problem if you think you can place someone else above a third person: I.e., if you say this guy is better than that guy because this guy's distant ancestor was a ruthless bastard who terrorized some peasants into working for him. The "nobility" of today are indeed little more than inbred tabloid fodder, but the political heart of monarchy is oppression and inhumanity - it just lies dormant in a modern age. I don't think even its shadow should still have official recognition.

sazerac said:

It's ok with me if a family's ancestors did something great and wound up running the show.

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You seem to have an unrealistic idea of what "great" things created the monarchies of Europe. They were just guys with swords and horses who made other people work for them on pain of death - basically gangsters. Most of them were illiterate and brutal, and about as "great" as the kind of guys who today make up prison populations.

sazerac said:

The monarchy is one of the reasons America loves UK so much.

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No, we just find it amusing, like the real-world embodiment of a Disney cartoon. What we love about Britain is the deep and intimate history we share with it. The actual monarchy, however, was one of the things America's colonial ancestors were running away from.

sazerac said:

Sometimes we have our own royalty and they have earned it.

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We have families that acquire a degree of respect from the exploits of their members, but we never claim that someone is entitled to greater consideration for simply being born into it. They may get privileges anyway, but people would despise them if they ever openly claimed to be owed greater respect because of who their parents are. We loathe people like that.

Ok. You've had your say. There's nothing I have any problem with.

At some point we became civilized. But it was after the current royalty took charge. Raping and pilaging were what went on.

sazerac said:

I picked up the tab for the wedding. It's the very least I could for my British brothers. So don't you worry about that.

I'd like it if you would spend your day off going to the wedding. It would mean a lot to Princess Diana who is in heaven. Bring a Union flag with you to fly as the happy couple goes by. And they'll probably be throwing lots of beads and trinkets like they do at parades.

This is a once in a lifetime chance to be a part of history. We don't live forever, dear. When they refer to it over and over and over you won't be so annoyed. I was there!

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Being there in person is a lot different... though I really don't care about it, if I were in England during the wedding, I'd go and try to get a glimpse.

Bruce said:

I'll watch The Chaser's wedding special.
The Chaser royal wedding special - The Buzz - ABC

For those who don't know, The Chaser's attended an APEC summit dressed as Osama bin Laden, were placed on a list of terrorists for Dick Cheneys visit to Australia and chased after a former Prime Minister with a chainsaw, so it should be interesting.

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Dick overreacting again... he takes that watch list way too seriously..

I dont see what there is to care about in the first place...Im american he isnt my prince...shrug...

cpgrad08 said:

One you would think it would be simpler not have a Monarch.

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They have titles... Many people still recognize and honor those titles. I really don't see out the people could strip them of their titles... :shrug:

sazerac

Queens saved your life... that has to be a good story...

I couldn't care less, I have no interest in the people, the wedding, the media hype, etc. I'm no more going to watch it than I watched the last over-hyped British Monarchy wedding.

I replied YES - I do care; I care that we still have a monarchy in this country that that the tax payer should foot the bill when one of them decides to get married. The fact that this is happening when our Conservative (sorry, "coalition") government is emphasizing the importance of public sector cuts, makes it all the more revolting. Age of austerity? Yeah right, only if you happen to be poor.

digsbe said:

Are you going to debate or just accuse me of being jealous? I dislike them for their use of public funds and the fact that they are a drain to the UK taxpayers. It angers me that they suck up the funds of the public to live a lavish life simply for being born.

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Some of them are however there have been reviews on expenditure. Certainly the design of Kate Middleton's dress has inspired people to design similar and for sales and at this time when the UK economy is slowly recovering a Royal Marriage is great for the economy.

I'm not a royalist but they are part of the UK and part of our history and heritage, if I wanted to live in a republic I would leave - Australia, New Zealand and Canada are still keen on young Brits and have warmer climates than we have here.

I'll be watching parts of it and I am proud of our tradition. I am curious though why anyone outside of the UK would want to watch the wedding.

I honestly don't care.

I think its stupid that American television is making such a big deal out of it. They're not our royalty.

CensoredBacon said:

I honestly don't care.

I think its stupid that American television is making such a big deal out of it. They're not our royalty.

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It does seem that America TV is blowing this story up... You can't avoid it. I was a kid when Princess Di died, so it's not like I have ever really paid attention to them. She was more famous here than the queen...