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Queen Elizabeth II has died

bbc.com

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Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#571

Post by bell-cot »

ip26 wrote: post #502
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

I do not approve of concepts like a ruling family, and favor mobility- but I have slowly come to appreciate the value of being groomed for a responsibility your entire life. I am not sure such dedicated & devout public servants come about naturally.

In the context of the modern British crown, the "ruling" is far more ceremonial than substantive. Similar for most other surviving European royal families.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#572

Post by cies »

gnulinux wrote: post #555
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

> People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful country, and she did so without complaint. Even in her 90s she took her duties extremely seriously, and I respect the hell out of her for that. She wasn't doin…

I respect /u/dang's request not to go in monarchy bashing, but as a result I see lots of "praise her reign" on top.

> she consciously chose to do so every day and in exchange she and her family was granted an immense wealth

This! Saying that wealth and status is a burden for XYZ always elicits a "but they can give it all up in a singe day if they want to" response from me.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#574

Post by ngcc_hk »

antifa wrote: post #533
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

> Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful country This doesn't really address why anyone is "ungrateful"...

UK I knew of is grateful. She is much loved.

Btw, whilst Hong Kong has fallen and hence I do not expect much there the Hong Kong people like her very much. Called her the “Bossy Granny” and even with a sony on 1997 naming her as the righteous friend that help Hong Kong to trade well by being on the coin, always young and bring prosperity.

Miss her we will. God bless the Queen. RIP.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#575

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

It feels strange when someone, who has been here since seemingly forever, dies.

As it was recently discussed here [0], You have a sad feeling for a moment, then it passes. [1]

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32252198

[1]: https://everything2.com/title/You+have+a+sad+feeling+for+a+m...

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#576

Post by xbar »

I believe we have witnessed the passing of a truly great human being, born into power within a system that is completely unjust. She could have disrupted her society, but instead she did her best to maintain the culture while helping as many as she could and harming as few as possible.

I am an American, and I am grateful to have been among her contemporaries in a way that I cannot say that about any other British monarch.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#577

Post by chrisstu »

gnulinux wrote: post #555
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

> People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful country, and she did so without complaint. Even in her 90s she took her duties extremely seriously, and I respect the hell out of her for that. She wasn't doin…

You think she enjoyed the trappings of wealth? I never had that impression. And no, she didn't "sign up for it", she became Queen as a result of birth. Yes, she could have abdicated but the fact that she chose duty is to her credit. She was not faultless, but it's difficult to imagine another monarch doing a better job. I say all this as an anti-monarchist. I don't want one, but if we have to have one, she was the best.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#578

Post by msoad »

Pulcinella wrote: post #565
kypro wrote: post #333

As a Brit I'm not a huge fan of the royal family on principle, but Queen Elizabeth has been such an excellent head of state for us you really can't fault her. People like to make out her life was easy and that it's not fair that she inherited such a privileged position, but I think the exact opposite. Her life seemed like living hell to me. Every day for the last 70 years she's had to serve this largely ungrateful co…

She could have abolished the monarchy and quit at any time. Monarchies are inherently undemocratic and she was the head of that undemocratic class system for decades while people suffered under the British empire. I don’t doubt your sincerity, but these feelings in you and others were intentionally cultivated by decades of propaganda. There is no such thing as a rightful king or queen, and certainly no such thing as…

Beautifully put!

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#579

Post by foobarian »

orobinson wrote: post #248
saberience wrote: post #71

It's weird, I've never considered myself a "royalist" but this news has affected me quite strongly. I just burst into tears unexpectedly on hearing this news and I don't quite understand why I feel so very sad. I guess I have grown up and lived my whole life (as a Brit) seeing and hearing the Queen, singing "God save the Queen" etc, and this news made me suddenly feel very old, very nostalgic, with the sense that all…

I feel the same. I think it’s because it really represents the end of an era. The 20th and early 21st century ushered in unprecedented improvements to quality of life in Britain but it has felt of late that that has peaked and the country is facing a serious decline: Brexit, the increasingly visible effects of climate change, the aftermath of covid, the possible break up of the union, rising costs of living, recessio…

I think humans have evolved to need rulers and hierarchy to look up to to some extent. Look at what happened to Americans -- once the UK royalty was gone it was replaced with celebrity. It's just human nature.

Re: Queen Elizabeth II has died

#580

Post by tehbeard »

As tests of a "new" government go, the implementation of Operation "London Bridge" (Protocol related to the period of mourning, state funeral and coronation) is certainly going to be an interesting one to watch unfold.

With the track record of successive Tory governments however... Interesting for perhaps the wrong reasons.

Unlikely to unite the nation either.

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