4 ms·

As a Brit I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. Re your second, you are a much more mature and compassionate person than I am about this. I am comp

by smcl 6y ago

As a Brit I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. Re your second, you are a much more mature and compassionate person than I am about this. I am completely ambivalent about his death. He was a very old man who lived a spectacularly privileged life and had little to no worries. I care not a jot whether he found peace.

gadders 6y ago
I think that says more about your character than that of the Duke of Edinburgh.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- smcl 6y ago
  What might that be?
  - gadders 6y ago
    Vindictive, with an adolescent desire to shock and offend?
    - monkey_monkey 6y ago
      Or perhaps mature and non-sycophantic to a man who mostly lived a life of privilege. Also, it's interesting that it's you that is casting personal aspersions...
    - smcl 6y ago
      Not having any strong feelings about the birth, life or death of the royals is an extremely mild sentiment that is shared by millions in the UK and billions across the globe. If you find it shocking, offensive or vindictive then I don't think the internet is the place for you.
      - gadders 6y ago
        It's the urge to blurt it out to be controversial that is what I find childish.
        monkey_monkey 6y ago
        Actually it's you being emotional and childish. Calm down, dear.
        gadders 6y ago
        Hardly.
        smcl 6y ago
        The original commenter is an Indian who would have more reason than most to despise the Royal family and, frankly, the UK in general. Yet they showed genuine compassion and goodwill towards Philip. This was surprising and I thought it interesting to share that as a Brit I have nearly no feelings at all (other than my general dislike of the monarchy). This is a forum, we interact and share our opinions through these comments and what I said was pretty uncontroversial. If you are bothered by his passing then fine, I'm sorry for your loss. But maybe trying to pick fights on HN is not the most productive way to grieve.
        gadders 6y ago
        Trying to be edgy by talking ill of the dead isn't either.
monkey_monkey 6y ago
Agreed. I'm fairly sure many people of more actual worth die every day with no one here giving a shit. The monarchy is a relic that really should be dismantled.
ephextom 6y ago
> "had little to no worries" - As an infant, was evacuated from Greece with his (and his family's) life in grave danger. Spent his childhood mostly estranged from his family - As a young man, served on a naval ship as part of the campaign to defeat fascist Germany and Japan. At least once helped save his ship's crew from a German bombing attack. Probably faced many other threats to his own life and to his comrades. - Spent the rest of his life as an ambassador for his family and country, and counsel to his wife whose job it is to ensure the country and Commonwealth continues to function with stability and prosperity, including through political/economic crises, national emergencies, local/global cultural shifts, etc. - Attended 22,000 official events and delivered 5000 speeches. Was an early advocate for environmentalism and animal welfare. Conceived and headed a youth development organisation for most of his public life. - Endured family tragedies, relentless media/public scrutiny and criticism, and constant campaign against his family's wealth and role in the political system. You may not like him. Fine. I didn't care much for him, and I don't hold a great deal of pity for him for the difficulties he and his family have faced. But "little to no worries" is a giant leap.
- smcl 6y ago
  I'm not going to debate the pros and cons of a dead royal. It is indisputable that he led an incredibly privileged existence, try to think what the life of your average commoner also born in 1921 was like if you are not sure.
  - ephextom 6y ago
    You brought it up and keep replying, so you've clearly got an axe to grind. Not a single person is denying he was privileged. Your implication is that a privileged life is a life of "little to no worries", which is frequently asserted by people who seek to attack the wealthy simply for being wealthy, but it is a deep misconception in most cases, and particularly so for a sovereign leader. I understand you feel it's important to express contempt for a rich person at the time of their passing, but that doesn't excuse falsehoods.
    - smcl 6y ago

by smcl 6y ago

gadders 6y ago

I think that says more about your character than that of the Duke of Edinburgh.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
smcl 6y ago
What might that be?
- gadders 6y ago
  Vindictive, with an adolescent desire to shock and offend?
  - monkey_monkey 6y ago
    Or perhaps mature and non-sycophantic to a man who mostly lived a life of privilege. Also, it's interesting that it's you that is casting personal aspersions...
  - smcl 6y ago
    Not having any strong feelings about the birth, life or death of the royals is an extremely mild sentiment that is shared by millions in the UK and billions across the globe. If you find it shocking, offensive or vindictive then I don't think the internet is the place for you.
    - gadders 6y ago
      It's the urge to blurt it out to be controversial that is what I find childish.
      - monkey_monkey 6y ago
        Actually it's you being emotional and childish. Calm down, dear.
        gadders 6y ago
        Hardly.
      - smcl 6y ago
        The original commenter is an Indian who would have more reason than most to despise the Royal family and, frankly, the UK in general. Yet they showed genuine compassion and goodwill towards Philip. This was surprising and I thought it interesting to share that as a Brit I have nearly no feelings at all (other than my general dislike of the monarchy). This is a forum, we interact and share our opinions through these comments and what I said was pretty uncontroversial. If you are bothered by his passing then fine, I'm sorry for your loss. But maybe trying to pick fights on HN is not the most productive way to grieve.
        gadders 6y ago
        Trying to be edgy by talking ill of the dead isn't either.

monkey_monkey 6y ago

Agreed. I'm fairly sure many people of more actual worth die every day with no one here giving a shit. The monarchy is a relic that really should be dismantled.

ephextom 6y ago

> "had little to no worries" - As an infant, was evacuated from Greece with his (and his family's) life in grave danger. Spent his childhood mostly estranged from his family - As a young man, served on a naval ship as part of the campaign to defeat fascist Germany and Japan. At least once helped save his ship's crew from a German bombing attack. Probably faced many other threats to his own life and to his comrades. - Spent the rest of his life as an ambassador for his family and country, and counsel to his wife whose job it is to ensure the country and Commonwealth continues to function with stability and prosperity, including through political/economic crises, national emergencies, local/global cultural shifts, etc. - Attended 22,000 official events and delivered 5000 speeches. Was an early advocate for environmentalism and animal welfare. Conceived and headed a youth development organisation for most of his public life. - Endured family tragedies, relentless media/public scrutiny and criticism, and constant campaign against his family's wealth and role in the political system. You may not like him. Fine. I didn't care much for him, and I don't hold a great deal of pity for him for the difficulties he and his family have faced. But "little to no worries" is a giant leap.

smcl 6y ago
I'm not going to debate the pros and cons of a dead royal. It is indisputable that he led an incredibly privileged existence, try to think what the life of your average commoner also born in 1921 was like if you are not sure.
- ephextom 6y ago
  You brought it up and keep replying, so you've clearly got an axe to grind. Not a single person is denying he was privileged. Your implication is that a privileged life is a life of "little to no worries", which is frequently asserted by people who seek to attack the wealthy simply for being wealthy, but it is a deep misconception in most cases, and particularly so for a sovereign leader. I understand you feel it's important to express contempt for a rich person at the time of their passing, but that doesn't excuse falsehoods.
  - smcl 6y ago