America - The problem is no king?

The family creature and cultural identity

Category:

Education

Tags:

• politics
• philosophy
• royalty

[glaatraa]

I'm British and their are many things I dislike about our system, but it's prime advantage is that we can criticise our prime minister without criticising our country. If your leader is also a symbol of your country how can you criticise them without seeming treacherous? The Queen symbolizes longevity - she has seen many Prime Ministers come and go, but she remains a constant symbol of the country. Time is not measured by administrations in Britain, but by Monarchs.

[jericomovie]

@glaatraa

Great comment! Thanks for sharing.

[darksideofcat]

hey, nice to listen to your talks. What do you study?

[jericomovie]

@darksideofcat

i have a bachelors in psych and now study paralegalism

[walterwz]

Your premise applies only to those with an authoritarian personality. Though a significant percentage of the population falls well within this category, it is incorrect to assume that everyone does.

As far as we can know the original intent of those who founded this republic,the majority of them saw to it that substantial measures were in place to thwart this natural tendency.

[jericomovie]

@walterwz

and what premise might that be

[Dogschach]

The problem with American politics is the two party system. It's about winning, not making things better. It has effectively turned running the country into college sports, minus the cheerleaders and actual playing of sports.

[ec123456789able]

I think this is a very interesting take on the situation.

I myself am British and disagree with the Monarchy on a matter of principle. I disagree that someone should be allowed to be viewed as higher than everyone else based on the lottery of birth. Not to mention the £30+million that tax payers pay every day because of the fact they were lucky enough to be born into a certain family. I think it should be something to move away from.

Just my opinion.

[surtious]

@walterwz I agree but one has to admit...what a lot of good these substantial measures did!

[imaginativelads]

@jericomovie I think you're on to something, but might I suggest that it is the lack of a single or central celebrity figure for the public to focus on that perpetuates the raw feeling associated with class envy. Indeed if American celebrity was focused on one instead of many, people might not see movie stars as that big of a deal and the cheapening of such affections might be reversed and made more meaningful. It's the difference between polytheism and monotheism. Polytheism leaves one empty.

[LibertarianCanadian]

@jericomovie I don't agree. The Blair Government will be remembered and measured because of it's involvement in the Iraq War. The Churchill Government was and is till measured by its involvement in WWII.

[TheBunter88]

the idea of a non-political figurehead might be a good idea but maybe they should not be head of the state and head of the church. other european countries have stripped their monarchies of all responsibility and almost all funding. if we did that i think the problem of the monarchy would start to fade. However, the question of whether ever person is born equal still remains. Couldn't the americans ask some national heroes to be their figureheads, i dunno someone like the kardashians?

[MacabreManifesto]

I wish that we'd idolize people more on their individual achievements than their birthright. The Royal Family has no more power, and I can't for the life of me understand why people would worship the royal families technical legitimacy, when the full legitimacy of a monarchy is ideologically tyrannical. All the queen did was get born. Where's my half a billion dollar birth-rite?

[TheBalhamboy]

I'm British and I would say that there are fundamental problems with having a monarch, and I do see it as anachronistic and should go in favour of a republic. Sentimentality is the reason why it remains, when the British could do so much better if they had the imagination to leave behind the childish notions of a perfect family at the centre of British life. I see the deference and sycophancy maintaining a political system which keeps everybody in their place.

[theindfla]

nice video. intersting ideas.