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Sixty five years as the husband of the head of state of a G7, nuclear armed nation, that brought the world Thatcherite individualism and the first cracks in the
by gorgoiler 6y ago
Sixty five years as the husband of the head of state of a G7, nuclear armed nation, that brought the world Thatcherite individualism and the first cracks in the EU.
Philip, like it or not, wielded influence and power beyond his constitutional station. One doesn’t have to like him, but one should respect him.
- samstave 6y agoThat's gunna be a 'no' from me, dawg.
- andrepd 6y agoWow, why should I respect that this unelected aristocrat "wielded great influence beyond his station"?
- phantomathkg 6y agoCompare to other unelected autocrat around the world? The house of Windsor earn their respect by being modest.
- greedo 6y agoI think "modest" in conjunction with royalty is inherently in conflict.
- toomanybeersies 6y agoWhen you're of Royal Stock, it's not modesty, but normalcy. Compared to the braggadocio of many tinpot dictators, I can't think of any particularly immodest European royals. Outside of the countries they rule, are any other royal families even particularly famous? Would the average American or European know who the King of Spain, or the Queen of Denmark is?
- pdpi 6y agoRespect here doesn’t mean admire. It means you shouldn’t underestimate or treat dismissively. The way you respect an opponent (though you might also admire them)
- dopamean 6y agoI'm with you on this. I see no reason to respect someone simply because they may have had a significant impact on something because of his birthright.
- stareatgoats 6y agoNo reason, except you might consider waiting a little before exuding the full extent of your contempt however. People with close ties (real or imagined) are in mourning and might not fully appreciate your insights at this moment, and will react emotionally to your opinions. It's been this way since time immemorial. But fret not, the hunting season will be back on in just a few days.
- gorgoiler 6y agoFrankly, because Philip — and especially with Elizabeth — was important. On the day of my death I would hope that, no matter how much people disagreed with me or what I represented, the fact that I was important to someone is shown some respect.
- bigbillheck 6y agoI do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to him".
- zokier 6y agoCan you give some examples how the late Prince wielded influence and power? I don't remember him playing any significant role in history, but then I haven't really been looking that closely either.
- LordAtlas 6y ago> One doesn’t have to like him, but one should respect him. I'll pass, thank you. I have no respect for a racist AF person: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/8/13/the-priceless-racism-of-the-duke-of-edinburgh https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2017/8/13/the-priceless-r... There are other failings too; his image has been carefully managed with skilled PR. That I am a citizen of a country that his country once subjugated might make me a little salty towards the monarchy in general.