William & Kate, the royal wedding.

[wetibbe]

I watched all of it and found it absolutely delightful. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm a history buff, archaeology aficionado, reading prolifically about the ascent of homo sapiens, our ancestry, beginning back at the debut of "modern man", the evolution, development, culture, historical events, religious history, ancient and modern. No-one can take away from the British their contributions to civilization dating from the Roman Empire. The wars, the architects, the royalty, the navigation, engineering, civilization, colonialism. Creation of the King James version of the bible.

Westminster Abbey was breathtaking, superlative. beautiful. The wardrobes, costumes, dress, medals, ribbons, pastors, carriages, horses, foot soldiers, guards, the whole entourage was certainly the pinnacle of a very well developed culture *( Good and bad ).

I always liked the British and have a very healthy respect for them even though my ancestry is Bentheimer *( Prussian/German ) - and Dutch. They are our best and most trusted allies.

*( Dave Briggs, Fox News, said this AM that; "his little 5 year old daughter was crying because she wanted to be the Princess but couldn't" !!!! )

When I see what is coming across our border and where it is coming from, and what it is doing to our country, I get sick. All men are created equal ??? I don't think so. I suppose that was intended to apply to equal treatment in a democracy but not, in my way of thinking, to my opinions and attitude as regards social and cultural acceptance.

Personally I don't see any reason to vilify and castigate someone who has distaste for a certain class, or group, of humans. Racism, absent overt acts of violence, shouldn't be considered as a crime against humanity. Disliking, or rejecting, some group, gang, race, or individual, due to personal preferences should be understood and tolerated. It's perfectly natural and normal to humans.

[Ayatollahgondola]

I'm fine with royal weddings; just don't see why Americans are so enthralled with it. Royalty is not an admirable concept if you are a subject

[ilbegone]

Originally Posted by Ayatollahgondola

I'm fine with royal weddings; just don't see why Americans are so enthralled with it. Royalty is not an admirable concept if you are a subject

Every time it took over the news on TV, I had to change the channel. On occasion I had an overwhelming desire to throw a brick at the screen.

I enjoy history, I enjoy learning about other peoples. However, the media attention to the upcoming event as it was coming over the screen seemed to have "chick thing" clinging all over it it. It seemed as gay to me as a request to change the channel from the Super Bowl to River Dance.

When I see what is coming across our border and where it is coming from, and what it is doing to our country, I get sick. All men are created equal ??? I don't think so. I suppose that was intended to apply to equal treatment in a democracy but not, in my way of thinking, to my opinions and attitude as regards social and cultural acceptance.

Personally I don't see any reason to vilify and castigate someone who has distaste for a certain class, or group, of humans. Racism, absent overt acts of violence, shouldn't be considered as a crime against humanity. Disliking, or rejecting, some group, gang, race, or individual, due to personal preferences should be understood and tolerated. It's perfectly natural and normal to humans.

What you see coming over the border, for the most part, are the least educated; the most ignorant; the lower class; the representation of the abject failure of a nation; the least able to make it in an impoverished, corrupt nation; illegal aliens who violate our immigration laws along with unscrupulous American employers aided by scumbag American politicians.

Their presence in such large numbers have been harmful to this nation, and the majority of everyone who has ever been an illegal entrant should be deported in my mind.

Race does not indicate culture, or any other learned attributes.

There is nothing wrong with

Disliking, or rejecting, some group, gang, race, or individual,

so long as it has to do with learned behavior of individuals who may make up a group which is harmful, indecent, objectionable etc.

Dislike or other rejection based on race is wrong, and it doesn't matter which race the rejectionist belongs, it flies in the face of what the founders - themselves flawed human beings like the rest of us who were the product of their times and subject to not always living up to their vision - sought for our nation.

Everyone is prejudiced about something, it what one does with it that counts. With Mexican nationals, I have a weird thing in my head which all at the same time I love them and hate them all, something that a "Latino activist" wouldn't admit to but will fully understand the sentiment. And, like them, I am also well aware of the great difference between a Mexican National and an American with Mexican ancestors. I try to treat everyone as an individual, there are decent people and abject assholes everywhere.

All men within mankind are indeed created equal

[The Waco Kid]

This wedding cost $60 million and the Windsor's didn't pay for it, the humble citizens under the Union Jack did. How sad is that. Of course Barack Obama acts like he is king with all his frivolous flying around on our dime for things that are totally not necessary like appeariong on the Oprah Winfrey show.... tsk tsk.

[wetibbe]

The British people support the Royal Family by 80%.

The pomp and circumstance, to me, was several things. It was a grand production. I wouldn't compare it to a Hollywood extravaganza as the British Royalty predated Hollywood by generations. But I will say that it was surely resurrecting the Grandeur of the former British Empire that is no more. A dinosaur. The past. The Brits are clinging to their past. Something like our reenactments of the Civil War wherein the actors dress up in old Civil War uniforms, carry muskets and fire cannons.

Just one point. The Queen is not in charge of England. The British parliament and the Prime Minister are. The Royal family survives by the grace of the people, not by the power of the Queen. England could end the Royalty and it's stipends at any time they wish. It/they is/are a part of World History and the evolutionary ascent of mankind and that's what I enjoy seeing.

so long as it has to do with learned behavior of individuals who may make up a group which is harmful, indecent, objectionable etc.

Dislike or other rejection based on race is wrong, and it doesn't matter which race the rejectionist belongs, it flies in the face of what the founders - themselves flawed human beings like the rest of us who were the product of their times and subject to not always living up to their vision - sought for our nation.

Everyone is prejudiced about something, it what one does with it that counts. With Mexican nationals, I have a weird thing in my head which all at the same time I love them and hate them all, something that a "Latino activist" wouldn't admit to but will fully understand the sentiment. And, like them, I am also well aware of the great difference between a Mexican National and an American with Mexican ancestors. I try to treat everyone as an individual, there are decent people and abject assholes everywhere.

More or less agreed somewhat:

Speaking to sanctimonious hypocrisy, when I lived in Venezuela there was more racism there between the white Venezuelans and coloreds, brown/tan/black, than in the USA. Some/many American blacks certainly carry a chip on their shoulder against Whitey, the Honky. Except when it comes to the women. Lets take OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama senior, Sammy Davis,Jr., Tiger Woods, Seal *( the British performer married to Heidi Klum) . They certainly had a clear preference for white. What must black women think ? Does anyone ever hear them speak to the issue ?

[ilbegone]

Speaking to sanctimonious hypocrisy, when I lived in Venezuela there was more racism there between the white Venezuelans and coloreds, brown/tan/black, than in the USA. Some/many American blacks certainly carry a chip on their shoulder against Whitey, the Honky. Except when it comes to the women. Lets take OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama senior, Sammy Davis,Jr., Tiger Woods, Seal *( the British performer married to Heidi Klum) . They certainly had a clear preference for white. What must black women think ? Does anyone ever hear them speak to the issue ?

There is a lot more racism and prejudice in Latin America than than there is here. For example, Mexico, the great "Indianist" nation; the one which greatly revers Indians dead for for five hundred years and pays much lip service to living Indians has no use for Mexican citizens who are culturally Indian rather than culturally Mexican mestizo. Octavio Paz has an interesting interpretation of race and ethnicity in his 1958 book The labyrinth of solitude in the chapter The Sons of La Malinche: [paraphrased] (there are)Those who are mostly white who claim Indian ancestry, [there are] those who are mostly brown who claim to be white, while the Indian doesn't care about it at all. The Mexican, however, denies them both - he doesn't want to be descended from either one, his history begins with himself. I assume he is referring to Martin Cortes, the first mestizo born in Mexico courtesy of Hernan Cortes and Malintzin (La Malinche, "Princess" Marina, etc.) as the first Mexican. And, Mestizo Mexico demands assimilation to Mexican mestizo culture.

Here in America there is more racism and prejudices among and between people with brown skins and Latin American ancestry than is projected towards them by white Americans as a whole. The only thing which could hold those people together is the perception of white racism against them - and they are bombarded daily with hysterical messages of white racism.

The chip on the shoulder is a learned behavior, I'm not sure of it all. It seems that proportionally many who actually lived through the times of being back across the tracks before dark versus those who are youngsters now have less of a chip on the shoulder. Among the brown people, I think it's the victim role that is pushed on them nowadays, among blacks I believe it was the well intentioned yet failed policies of Lydon Johnson's Great Society and the generations of failure which came of it.

The preference of wealthy black male celebrities for white women? There may be a bit of insecure "Hey bro, look at me! I'm bangin' white bitches!" , but who cares? I myself like them all, and I like Mexican women the most. Does that make me some sort of "race traitor" or violator of racial territory? Hey, I'm merely "equal opportunity".

It's my observation that light women want to be darker than their complexion, and dark women want to be lighter. By direct observation (a lot of my work used to be at height with clear back yard view), there are lots of sunbathers in "white" neighborhoods, but you won't see them in "black" or "Mexican" neighborhoods from any angle.

I've spoken with black men about racial issues, I get a wide response of replies - some very unexpected either way. However, the only black woman I have ever heard speak on the subject was some welfare queen in San Bernardino who's residence was the temporary focus of our labor one day. She yelled at us at some length with the phrase "your grandfather sucked on my grandmother's titties" in context to pre civil war slavery in America long before any of our lifetimes clinging the most to my memory of the occasion.

[Don]

The wedding was great.

I'm no fan of monarchy or royalty, but it was so refreshing to see a 90% white crowd. It was nice to see people come together to celebrate a wedding, the creation of a new family...and no rioting or looting and no Mexican flags for Christ's sake.

Blacks in the US were bitching that the crowd was not "diverse" and that there needed to be more blacks there. That's precisely the point. The lack of blacks is what made the royal wedding so wonderful. If there had been more blacks (or hispanics), they would have looted the place and burnt something to the ground.

You may want to obtain a video of the royal wedding for posterity to see what civilization once looked like.

[Ayatollahgondola]

Originally Posted by Don

The wedding was great.

I'm no fan of monarchy or royalty, but it was so refreshing to see a 90% white crowd. It was nice to see people come together to celebrate a wedding, the creation of a new family...and no rioting or looting and no Mexican flags for Christ's sake.

Blacks in the US were bitching that the crowd was not "diverse" and that there needed to be more blacks there. That's precisely the point. The lack of blacks is what made the royal wedding so wonderful. If there had been more blacks (or hispanics), they would have looted the place and burnt something to the ground.

You may want to obtain a video of the royal wedding for posterity to see what civilization once looked like.

Don, you never disappoint some of us on your ridgid adhesion to your own propaganda. I guess I must have missed the outcry of blacks storming the castle walls over this infraction. All I could see was a bunch of people going goo-goo eyed over a monarchy that supposedly is powerless, provides nothing more than entertainment, and still doles out worthless titles to others. Why black people, or hispanics would be up in arms over having been excluded from this european form of "american idol", is mystifying to me.
From your perspective, blacks and hispanics riot whenever there is a social function, or social breakdown. Unfortunately, there is a lack of statistical data supporting that. I swear you are starting to remind me of that little kid in the movie with Bruce Willis who said "I see dead people", except that you see "black people". I understand it scares you, and I sympathize, but I can't help you unless you really want to be helped. I will tell you that I do have fear of rioting blacks and hispanics, but they are the exception, not the rule. the other 99% of the time they seem to be quite a bit like me, in that they buy groceries at SaveMart, eat popcorn at the movies, and even make romantic advances on a flea-bitten half white boy like myself. Were I still single, and in the midst of a riot in watts, I'd feel a whole lot better in the warm arms of an attractive black woman, than outside at the mercy of the few that rioted, and the responding police, regardless of color.
They're not as bad as you portray Don, and I can't force you out of that corner your in, but I hope I can coax you out a little at a time, for all of our sakes.

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Originally Posted by Ayatollahgondola

Don, you never disappoint some of us on your ridgid adhesion to your own propaganda. I guess I must have missed the outcry of blacks storming the castle walls over this infraction. All I could see was a bunch of people going goo-goo eyed over a monarchy that supposedly

Why black people, or hispanics would be up in arms over having been excluded from this european form of "american idol", is mystifying to me.
From your perspective, blacks and hispanics riot whenever there is a social function, or social breakdown. Unfortunately, there is a lack of statistical data supporting that. I swear you are starting to remind me of that little kid in the movie with Bruce Willis who said "I see dead people", except that you see "black people". I understand it scares you, and I sympathize, but I can't help you unless you really want to be helped. I will tell you that I do have fear of rioting blacks and hispanics, but they are the exception, not the rule. the other 99% of the time they seem to be quite a bit like me, in that they buy groceries at SaveMart, eat popcorn at the movies, and even make romantic advances on a flea-bitten half white boy like myself. Were I still single, and in the midst of a riot in watts, I'd feel a whole lot better in the warm arms of an attractive black woman, than outside at the mercy of the few that rioted, and the responding police, regardless of color.
They're not as bad as you portray Don, and I can't force you out of that corner your in, but I hope I can coax you out a little at a time, for all of our sakes.

Isn't this what we have here in the USA except that instead of a monarchy we have sports teams that we build huge arenas and venues often using tax payers dollars and treat the players like royalty? What it actually is, is a rivalry that is sanctioned. It's all entertainment, and the British chose to have it associated with their history.