Friday, September 9, 2022

The purpose of a queen

Americans, although fascinated by royalty (e.g., the Princess Diane cult), often fail to see the point of having a king or queen.  There is a good reason.

Democracies have a head of government and a head of state.  The head of government is the political head, often called a prime minister or a premier.  She or he makes appointments to departments, usually controls the ruling political party, proposes programs or policies, and determines the direction of the country.  In the U.S. that is Biden.

The head of state is the symbolic head of the country.  She or he presides at the opening of the legislative branch, visits wounded troops in hospitals, gives speeches on patriotic occasions, and is the mother or father figure for the people.  In the U.S. that is Biden.

You see the problem.  In Japan people can love the Emperor and hate the prime minister.  In Israel they can love the President and hate the prime minister.  In Germany they can love the President and hate the Chancellor.  Almost every country does this except the U.S., and it makes Americans schizophrenic.  How could I respect and revere Trump as head of state while I loathed and distrusted him as head of the government?

We need a queen.

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