BRITISH ROYALS?
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- lowimpakt0
@futuremongolian - good point, the Gini index is useful but it's also difficult to compare inequality on a global scale. e.g. there has been some studies by OECD suggesting that the UK has the worst social mobility in OECD countries e.g.
UK schools 'most socially segregated'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/educat…"OECD: UK has worse social mobility record than other developed countries"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/busine…but theres lots of contradicting statistics and my rant was more ideological than logical i.e. to me the idea of hereditary power and wealth is the antithesis of democracy. I also believe there are many practices, structures and cultural norms that reinforce these undemocratic systems - the monarchy being one of them. I'm influenced by Bordieu on seeing the world like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie…
I'm also an atheist and the queen of the UK is also the head of the church of england, a role which is given to the queen "by the grace of god". I think we need a seperation of church and state
- Beeswax0
All you brits and canadians and australians and bunch of other isles on the oceans. You owe your welfare to the royal family. That family has done all the bad things for YOU for centuries so that you can call the rest of the world third world and complain about immigrants and stuff.
- 20020
Queen is a symbol where nation gathers to solidify its stance amongst one another.
When you see a nation with out a figure head, it deteriorates in to dismal self centric perspective of the government.
- futuremongolian0
Yeah but countries without royalty have an even more divisive class structure - check the GINI index.
- lowimpakt0
It's worth remembering that the royals are only the face of the monarchy and the divisive and elitist class structure that exists to legitimise the monarchy.
From a purely symbolic point of view they serve to remind the working class and regular tax payers that they are chumps and idiots and they they will always be chumps and idiots because they fund the most elitist group in society and their lavish lifestyles. This funding willfully handed over to these elites legitimises the wider class divisions and effectively functions to prevent the emancipation of the regular working class.
I like the queen but hate what she represents.
- sine0
that's very disappointing...
- CALLES0
so anyones have the topless poics?
- Jaline0
I'm quite sure other countries are doing a good job of spending the same amount of money the Brits are spending on the royal family...in an equally useless fashion. Or useful...whatever you believe in.
- Dodecahedron0
when USA and the rest of the world went capitalism European royalty were the only ones with any serious investment capital, they were in a sense the first super capitalists and have become even more powerful since while taking a back seat to the New World Empire
- randommail0
I wish I was a royal.
- zenmasterfoo0
Any government around for over a hundred years falls into this category then Georges. Whether a democracy or monarchy or other, it matters not. The masses are ruled by those who have a better understanding of ruling than they. That's simplified to an extreme of course but why do we elect our officials? Why do any of these powers remain where they are?
How much they are worth doesn't matter does it? You'll never see a penny of that. You'd get a check from the Queen as quickly as you'd get one from Gates, Qaḏḏāfī, Oprah, Obama, the Vatican or any other power. It isn't going to happen. How they present themselves to us isn't really gong to change how much you hate them is it?
- abettertomorrow0
"Queen Elizabeth and the royal family cost British taxpayers an average of 66 pence ($1.32) per person last year"
- well thats not too bad. price of a biscuit?duhsign
- That adds up to about $80 million/year to keep the royals...abettertomorrow
- the US spent 8x that in a week in Libya.zenmasterfoo
- ah, that makes it ok then...set
- GeorgesII0
Imagine if you were billionaires 300 years ago,
what will it make you today?how rich are they and why are they still pretending not to be,
just like the vatican pretending to go broke when they've been in business for 2000 years
- duhsign0
wait, so the people are paying to keep them there? ok, riiiiiiight. Thats pretty sweet. Anyone for a spot of tea?
- zenmasterfoo0
I understand your desire to run the royals off the public dole. I don't think I'm offering a solution for you. I'm not suggesting keeping them there. I just think you can focus.
I think your time is better spent working at building up those who cannot, by means of their own histories, get beyond their lot in life. Build towards an effective and meaningful positive for you. Forget them (not really forget, but you understand). Like I said, the world has a funny way of correcting itself.