The Royal Wedding

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by WILDCAT

..

Point HERE, I guess ?, IS... there are so many things to be SUPER CONCERNED about , and then there is this JUDGING. Opinions are "cool". But, can ANYONE be happy with something outside of theirselves - for a change? I really would WISH for that.

Sometimes I wonder(?)

Me, too! What is wrong with a little good will toward others? Enjoying something for just the sake of enjoying something. And on the political side of this, I find it strange that there is negative opinions thrown out about a country with a monarch. Two major countries in the world under a monarchy (Britian & Canada) have had socialized medicine for years! Seems to me that their choices to take care of their people is better than in the US. Guess it is a "glass house" thang.

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

Pippa was great with the child attendants- they are never easy, just little kids with expectations around them to be "good." That was a pretty long ceremony for little kids to get through. One of the little girls was falling asleep in the carriage on the way back to the palace.

Hehe, tbh I wouldn't be surprised if those kids, being minor royals, had more experience in front of cameras than Pippa did

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

Me, too! What is wrong with a little good will toward others? Enjoying something for just the sake of enjoying something. And on the political side of this, I find it strange that there is negative opinions thrown out about a country with a monarch. Two major countries in the world under a monarchy (Britian & Canada) have had socialized medicine for years! Seems to me that their choices to take care of their people is better than in the US. Guess it is a "glass house" thang.

Same with New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands (Queen Beatrix), Sweden (King Carl XVI), Denmark (Queen Margrethe II) and Norway (King Harald V) among others. The more liberal/socially conscious nature of these nations has more to do with their being parliamentary democracies, though it's interesting to look at how the parliamentary system evolved within these constitutional monarchies. In general, I think the parliamentary system is more democratic than the constitutional republic/presidential system of the US, which may be why the US does not compare well to the above nations when it comes to health care, education and public services.

Anyways, personally I am not opposed to constitutional monarchies or this wedding. I'm fairly indifferent and just wanted to watch it since I wasn't alive for the last one, lol. And as a history buff I think it's cool to see certain traditions being kept alive (more the military pomp, I suppose). The British royal family has little do with Britain's foreign affairs these days, or even national affairs. On a day to day basis they are insignificant in the life of the average person, but when it comes to large events like this wedding, the Commonwealth Games or something similar I think for many people the monarchy is more a symbol of unity and shared/similar values than anything else.

In many respects this wedding had the same effects as a large festival: attracted large numbers of people from around the world and thus contributing to local wealth by means of toursim. Yes, a lot of money was spent, but a lot of money was also brought in as a result. Whether they would have spent the money elsewhere or on the wedding makes little difference anyways, since they already contribute a great deal of money to charities and foreign aid. I guess I think there are more significant things to complain about than a wedding. If you didn't want to watch it or thought it silly then all you had to do was not watch... *shrug* Why not just let those who wanted to enjoy it, enjoy it?