I asked coworker Supershopper Louise if she was following the coronation of King Charles III.
"No," she said.
I used to say of the royals, "They mean nothing to me," until I met people to whom the royals truly mean nothing: my coworkers.
They do not care one jot, not even enough to object to them.
(People who don't care about something never mention it, and if you bring it up, their eyes glaze over.)
So, I am fessing up--I care a little bit about the royals. I've been hearing about them my entire life: my mother had been raised to "think of the little princesses"--Princesses Elizabeth & Margaret being a couple-few years older than and my mother and her sister—and my mother always loved the pageantry.
Tight control, all in formation. That's how you run an empire, for better and worse.
If I were British, I wouldn't want to dismantle the monarchy entirely--I think the continuity is a good thing in a fractured world--but I'd sure want the whole lot to lose much of their properties and payments.
The Windsors get more public funding than any other European royal family. (Comparisons from the Guardian.)
More importantly, I'd want a public reckoning with the historic atrocities of the Empire-- to start, a public apology for slavery.
I used to think public apologies like that were nothing. But here's what's nothing: doing and saying nothing.
It is honorable to take responsibility and show regret and shame for past evil doings.
Like so:
German Chancellor Willy Brandt dropping to his knees in front of
the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw, Poland, in order to beg forgiveness for the crimes of the Nazi era.
"It occurs so suddenly and comes across as so authentic and honest that those present immediately fall silent."
Brand in his memoir said it was impromptu:
"At the abyss of German history and burdened by millions of murdered humans, I acted in the way of those whom language fails.’"
A poll by Der Spiegel at the time (1970), however, showed that only 41 percent of Germans approved of Brandt's gesture.
At today's coronation, though, I was just hoping for FUN HATS.
The coronation isn't a fun-hat sort of do, turns out. The crown isn't "fun", more like a boring museum exhibit we've already seen.
Maybe we'll see more hats at the after parties and events.
Beatrice of the Squid Scroll fascinator did wear a nice hat to Westminster--she's far left, in pink. Her gold hatband is classy--looks like a crown--but restrained, as befits the occasion.
And at the other end of the pew, next to Beatrice, is Prince Andrew.
I was wondering why she had to sit next to him, abuser of girls, and then I remembered--he's her dad!
Where's her mum?
Not invited.
My god, though, the whole thing looks unbearably boring to sit through. And that's part of what impresses me: getting all these humans to line up, march, turn about, sit and stand still for hours, mostly without picking their noses.
