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I don't care for despots or monarchs of any kind, but it looked like a glaring omission to me. My problem is not with the article in general but the strange dec

by rustig 7y ago

I don't care for despots or monarchs of any kind, but it looked like a glaring omission to me. My problem is not with the article in general but the strange decision to lump in the Gulf/Swazi royals whose wealth is no less legitimate in their countries than the UK royals in theirs. Seemed a tad hypocritical to me

philipkglass 7y ago
The article didn't name Saudi Arabia, and it explicitly stated that it's legal for the monarch of Swaziland to live lavishly: "Mswati III, the absolute monarch of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) lives like a king—and it’s legal."
- rustig 7y ago
  Huh? The article mentioned the gulf royals and the implication is clearly that there's something wrong with their wealth even if legal.
  - kissickas 7y ago
    It mentions the Gulf royals in the same way it mentions Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
    - zbyte64 7y ago
      Really? because the article called the singers blameless.
- jandrese 7y ago
  Royalty gets grandfathered in basically. Of course all royalty got their land the old fashioned way: by rounding up a bunch of men from nearby villages and raiding their neighbors and killing enough of their subjects until they agreed to give it up. Or just outright killing the neighboring kings. War is not a new thing. As long as Kings are content with what they have today we leave them be. It may be outdated and unfair, but its stable and usually not too terrible for the people. The alternatives may not be much better either, especially in countries with high levels of corruption. There is a hope that all monarchies will eventually crumble and be replaced by something more representative now that the concept of divine right seems quaint and out of touch, but power tends to be self supporting so it will likely take a long time.
  - TheCoelacanth 7y ago
    Royalty is only legitimate if they got their wealth by pillaging the entire world, like the Brits, not if they got it by pillaging just one country.
larnmar 7y ago
You really don’t see a difference between personally stealing something, and inheriting something that your ancestor stole 963 years ago? If so, we might as well all be hanged.

by rustig 7y ago

philipkglass 7y ago

The article didn't name Saudi Arabia, and it explicitly stated that it's legal for the monarch of Swaziland to live lavishly: "Mswati III, the absolute monarch of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) lives like a king—and it’s legal."

rustig 7y ago
Huh? The article mentioned the gulf royals and the implication is clearly that there's something wrong with their wealth even if legal.
- kissickas 7y ago
  It mentions the Gulf royals in the same way it mentions Jay-Z and Beyoncé.
  - zbyte64 7y ago
    Really? because the article called the singers blameless.
jandrese 7y ago
Royalty gets grandfathered in basically. Of course all royalty got their land the old fashioned way: by rounding up a bunch of men from nearby villages and raiding their neighbors and killing enough of their subjects until they agreed to give it up. Or just outright killing the neighboring kings. War is not a new thing. As long as Kings are content with what they have today we leave them be. It may be outdated and unfair, but its stable and usually not too terrible for the people. The alternatives may not be much better either, especially in countries with high levels of corruption. There is a hope that all monarchies will eventually crumble and be replaced by something more representative now that the concept of divine right seems quaint and out of touch, but power tends to be self supporting so it will likely take a long time.
- TheCoelacanth 7y ago
  Royalty is only legitimate if they got their wealth by pillaging the entire world, like the Brits, not if they got it by pillaging just one country.

larnmar 7y ago

You really don’t see a difference between personally stealing something, and inheriting something that your ancestor stole 963 years ago? If so, we might as well all be hanged.