I don’t care about the royal wedding. Until today, I didn’t even know the names of the people getting married. But I was curious as to how many of Americans cared about the wedding. Now I know, thanks to the NYT:
Results from a new New York Times/CBS News poll showed that six percent of respondents are following news of the wedding “very closely,” with an additional 22 percent admitting to following the media blitz “somewhat closely.”
I still have no idea about why these people care.
From what I recall about the Chuck and Di do back in my teens, this one is even more hyped. And I, too, care even less.
You should. Because, apparently, Prince William is the Antichrist.
0_o
If you dug further into this demographic, you would likely find that a high percentage of them read Regency Romances or old English mystery cozies. You might find a high percentage of them watch historical films or outright fantasy and may likewise be fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Game of Thrones. This is like a novel being played out in real life and they get to watch it, just like any other romantic drama. Certainly there will be a degree of both vicarious interest and perhaps a bit of voyeurism. It's a "larger than life" real life drama, with pomp and pageantry and a hint of the archaic. Princes and princesses, oh wow!
In short, for a lot of these folks, this is the functional equivalent of fiction and, although they might not admit it or even realize it, they're getting the same kind of kick out of it as they would a "real" piece of fiction.
"But the one thing I thought I’d never have to explain is why the monarchy is a bad idea. That, after all, is the whole point of everything the United States claims to be about. The New World. The American Revolution. The end of inherited entitlement. The home of reinvention, class fluidity and social mobility. The myths that underpin this country’s founding credo, for liberals and conservatives (albeit in different ways), are all informed by the overthrow of monarchy. That’s why the president is called “Mr. President”—for all the trappings of office and power, he’s supposed to have the same title as everybody else. So when Americans fawn over the forthcoming royal wedding, paying it more attention and apparently regarding it with more reverence than they would the nuptials of a president’s daughter, I’m compelled to do a double take."
http://www.thenation.com/article/160087/royal-wed…