Inspired by a little-known picture book from the pen of Bethany Tudor, this is a diary, of sorts, where I document some of my thoughts, activities, and ideas as I explore the challenges met by the characters in the story: hard work, the care and nurture of others, housekeeping skills, life changes, charity, community, and cooperation, among others. Like Samuel and Samantha, the ducks in the tale, I struggle and succeed, cope and celebrate, work and play, handling the tasks that come my way. I invite you to join me on my journey.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Embarrassed & Irritated

On Wednesday morning, I read a few posts in the blogosphere about the current visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the United States. For those of you who may be unaware, Her Majesty arrived yesterday to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. I posted the trip itinerary here on Gooseberry Lane, mostly for the benefit of my friends in Virginia, in case they wanted to make the effort to see an actual reigning monarch. But I digress…the point of this blog entry is to register my embarrassment and irritation at the content of those aforementioned blog posts.

The first stated the following about Queen Elizabeth:
And who is this person we are getting so worked up over?

No one knows much about her, really…except that bit portrayed in The Queen…this leaves the Queen a somewhat enigmatic character whom we can color as we please. Her position and her character are merely symbolic of a nation.

[The blog author then quoted from CBS News]…She represents a kind of transcendence of the next two generations of her own family which curiously chimes in with the kind of attitude that the British have about the breakdown of their own family life. She becomes a kind of head of a dysfunctional family that is kind of enduring…

A symbol of aloofness at the breakdown of the family. What an inspiring model for the world.
No one knows much about her?! The blog author could not be farther off the mark, especially if she had done even the smallest amount of research about Her Majesty. But again, I digress…

This was the embarrassing part (although I suppose I do sound irritated about this as well): the person who posted the above statement is a homeschooler!!! Suggestion for the future: if you are going to wax ignorant, please do it where you are unidentifiable as a home educator. I am a homeschooler and I know I can speak for myself and my friend (also a home educator) whose mother is an Australian citizen, we do not appreciate being categorized as intellectually crippled or, at the very least, completely lacking in basic research skills. A SINGLE Google search for “Queen Elizabeth II” yields NO LESS than 3,400,000 hits. Don’t know much about the Queen? Please!!!

The other post that set me off was this:
…I am amazed at the fact that American citizens are so eager to abject themselves to a woman who is famous for nothing other than the fact than she is distantly genetically linked to a band of guys who beheaded people to establish their rule over the British Isles.
The blog author continued:
Okay, let’s get this straight people.
We won the Revolutionary War.
We owe no allegiance to the British Throne.
When it comes to the British Royal Family…we owe them nothing.
No respect.
Nothing.
Well, I guess those last few words demonstrate what has become, it seems to me, the completely American attitude that good manners and deportment are worthless, an attitude that I found irritating back in 1979 when Pope John Paul II visited the United States and I was chastised for showing pleasure at the fact that my Catholic friends got to see him (one even got to kiss his ring), and it is an attitude that I still find irritating today. Sometimes respect is due just simply by virtue of the office. I should respect President Bush, even if I disagree with some of his decisions, because he is the President. Likewise, I should respect the Queen because she is the Queen. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor-Mountbatten is eighty-one years old and the sixth longest reigning monarch in history. That alone should garner respect. I have a better reason, though; if I were in her presence, I would need to show her respect because she is my elder, an elder who also happens to be the Queen of England but, nonetheless, my elder.

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. --- Leviticus 19:32 (NIV)

You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the Lord. --- Leviticus 19:32 (NASB)

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one other, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. --- 1 Peter 5:5 (NASB)

1 comment:

batgirl said...

We are one irreverent nation. Spoiled rotten. No respect. It is indeed sad.