And but, celebrities like Liz Phair and Paris Hilton (what??) are out right here praising her for being the “original girl boss” icon, for not taking shit from males whereas, let’s say, British troopers tortured and killed 1000’s of Kenyans within the ’50s. We’re solely simply starting to know the abuses coming from the British Empire; paperwork that have been regarded as “lost” however resurfaced in 2011 reveal a lot barbarity. While she was alive, the Queen by no means apologized for these crimes achieved in her title. As the top of the agency, she by no means even acknowledged England’s grisly historical past.
I’ve been visiting household in Canada for the final two weeks, excellent timing to be visiting the Commonwealth. My dad and mom are from India; they’re native Kashmiris, a neighborhood nonetheless reeling from the consequences of Partition. My dad was born three years after the British determined to depart, and as such, the Queen hasn’t precisely been held in excessive esteem by my household. When my dad came upon that she died, he barely reacted — if anybody ought to care, it ought to maybe be an Indian Canadian with a Napoleon complicated who likes gilded chairs and unyielding allegiance to a trigger. Instead, he grumbled how she ought to posthumously return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India. “I know she won’t,” he admitted, resigned, whereas sucking down some falooda. He’s proper — apparently, the diamond will go to Camilla, as a result of I assume the royals need my dad to have a coronary heart assault and for my mother to scream at me for a fortnight about why white ladies don’t even look good in flashy jewellery within the first place.
If you’re unhappy concerning the Queen, regardless of your nationality, it requires some deep introspection. What are you unhappy about? What do you are feeling like we misplaced? A bit of historical past already so completely documented? A reminder of what imperialism regarded like again when whiteness, wealth, and European domination have been even extra pronounced than it presently is? Is it nostalgia for a time when issues have been simpler — for you? The monarchy is defunct, its members are institutionally powerless, and now the Queen is useless. The world is shifting on previous what the monarchy gave us or, moderately, what the monarchy took. Diana’s gone, Meghan’s making podcasts in Palo Alto, and also you need me to really feel unhappy that the Queen died? Pass. Save your tears for one thing that issues. ●
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