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| The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (WSJ) |
She didn’t actually say that. But she did say that a member of the royal family expressed concern that her child might have dark skin since the duchess is mixed race. (Her mother was black.) She implied that this was the reason her child would not be given a royal title and therefore not given the protection titled members have.
For the record, I could not care less about the British monarchy. Or any monarchy for that matter. The US was founded by breaking away from that form of government – choosing instead to be an independent representative democracy. Where the people choose whom they want as leaders via the ballot box every four years. And not be stuck with – who knows what kind of dictator will be born to be king. The UK eventually did the same thing but opted to keep the monarchy in place for historical purposes albeit with no real power to govern. They call it a constitutional monarchy.
I see no value to a monarchy like that other than as a tourist attraction. A very expensive one that British citizens not only accept but for some reason seem to idolize. Kind of like movie stars. When the public gives such people icon status they tend to see them in grandiose terms including exaggerating their character. Thankfully the US has dispensed with that nonsense. Giving honor to someone born into aristocracy is an undeserved false honor. And certainly not any indication of their true character. As far as I am concerned one has to earn that. Not be born into it.
And yet political conservatives all seem to fawn all over the royals almost as much as the Brits do. ‘How dare anyone accuse them of anything as nefarious as racism?’ ‘Can’t be true!’ Right? Except that I suspect the royals might really be racist – secretly. At least to the extent of being worried that someone with dark skin has even the remotest chance of ascending the British throne.
Now people can believe what they want. But I happen to believe that the accusations made by Duchess are true. Be that as it may, I am disturbed by the position taken by Melanie Phillips who uses that interview in the context of what might be called a cultural revolution in this country. Here is how she puts it a JNS article (republished in the Jewish Press):
It’s taking place when Western values are under unprecedented and ferocious assault. Everywhere, conservatives are being silenced by liberals intoxicated with their own cultural power.
Universities and high schools have morphed from crucibles of knowledge and reason into propaganda platoons indoctrinating and intimidating students into endorsing androgyny, apocalyptic climate change and hatred of capitalism, white people and the West. And, of course, bigotry against Jews and Israel is rampant...
The cultural crisis was illuminated last week by the mutually exploitative encounter between Oprah Winfrey and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Many people (including U.S. President Joe Biden) hailed what they saw as the bravery of the Duchess, the former Meghan Markle, in talking about her mental-health issues.
They thus appeared to see nothing wrong with her trashing her in-laws and smearing the entire British Royal Family as racist, heartless and cruel.
Phillips simply assumes that Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, were lying. How she knows that is a mystery to me. The umbrage taken by Phillips based on her own spin of that interview is uncalled for. I believe her ‘knowledge’ is based on a political bias that suits her narrative. Be that as it may, it is worth examining whether her thesis is correct. Are we in fact undergoing a cultural revolution in this country?
Although her description is a bit overwrought and over the top, I think we are. There is little doubt in my mind about that. Her examples ring true - even if exaggerated.
This is not new. I have been saying this in so many words for quite some time. It is the reason that so many people with politically conservative views are victims of ‘cancel culture’. The spirit of the times has definitely moved - and is still moving - leftward. There is not a doubt in my mind about that.
It is being led by a willing mainstream media that sees the world in the same terms the liberal/left does. A world defined by the entertainment industry whose values are about as far left as they can go and still claim to be expressing the American ethos. The media is on the same page politically while nevertheless claiming objectivity. (Which is the furthest thing from the truth. There is no such thing as objective reporting – no matter what your politics are.)
It doesn’t take rocket science to see this. It is happening right before our eyes everyday. As Phillips indicates (albeit with exaggeration) religious values based on the bible are being judged through the 21stcentury lens of liberal/left sensitivities. So if a biblical value contradicts one of those sensitivities, it is deemed racist or sexist. It is considered outdated and to be discarded based on current moral standards - instead of what religious people see as the word of God. Modern sensitives define morality in relative terms. In other words. What is moral is what we say is moral. Not some outdated book from centuries ago.
There are so many examples of that happening right now - it could fill a book. Just to cite one... the idea that a homosexual relationships that involves sexual conduct the bible calls sinful is now being ‘blessed’ by a government that sees it as normal and sanctions it by legalizing gay marriage. The bible’s values are thus summarily dismissed as not in keeping with the liberal values of our time.
This attitude has becomes so entrenched in the modern mind that even some ostensibly Orthodox rabbinic intellectuals on the far left have tried to reinterpret that biblical commandment to fit that narrative. Totally turning the traditional and obvious meaning of it on its head.
I am therefore dismayed by Phillips strident approach and her spin of Markle’s story as an example of it. By exaggerating the problem she loses the credibility her thesis deserves. But if one looks at where we are today, it isn’t too hard to see that she’s mostly right.