Its okay to care about the prince
By: Keren Moros
I’ll admit it. I stayed up most of the night to watch Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, get married. I squealed when I saw their son Prince George’s tiny hand give what he didn’t know was a royal wave. I said “aww” when the family drove home in their car.
Some people aren’t as enamored by the British monarchy as I am and feel that we give them more attention than they deserve. People especially complain about how much the American media cares about the royals. But some people have interests covered by the media and others don’t. It’s impossible for the media to please everyone, so why complain when one can just click on another link or change the channel?
I’d venture to say that some people don’t understand this fascination because it predates them. Princess Diana died more than 15 years ago, so those who were young when she died don’t understand what an impact her charity work had on the world. Because she was “the people’s princess,” the world now wants to know how she influenced her sons and the nation.
I follow the British monarchy on YouTube and Facebook voluntarily the way some people follow reality stars and celebrities. It’s not bad to like the British monarchy, just like it’s not bad to like other seemingly frivolous things. That’s why we shouldn’t let others’ interests disturb our own peace of mind.
Besides, with all the news going on in the world, news about the birth of a baby who was born with the responsibility to lead his people and represent his country’s ideals to the world isn’t the worst thing to hear.
The royals aren’t worth my time
By: Mickele Mentz
The United Kingdom’s royal family has created a worldwide media frenzy. The royal family held the wedding of the century, and everyone watched it. I am perplexed as to why two billion people would simultaneously decide to turn on their televisions and watch two people whom they have never met get married.
Did we citizens of the United States take anything of substance away from tuning in to this “monumental occasion”? Instead of watching a wedding or waiting to hear the name of the new prince, I was studying for midterms and finals. Time is a valuable commodity, and we should use it carefully. I am by no means suggesting that we should not be informed about outside cultural activities. We should familiarize ourselves with world history and develop a sense of foreign cultures — without immersing ourselves into the lives of celebrities.
Instead of focusing all our attention on foreign figureheads, we should transfer our attention onto our own political system. The royal family will not be able to write a bill reducing interest rates on student loans, decrease the unemployment rate, reform our healthcare, or fix our Social Security system. So it would behoove us to take an interest in our own President, senators, representatives, governors, for these individuals have a direct impact on our lives.
We should inform ourselves on how the monarchy operates and the basic history of the royal family, and then draw a line. It is wrong to use the royal family for personal entertainment purposes; thus, we should all refocus and reevaluate our priorities in life. As a citizen of South Africa, a country in the British Commonwealth, I have a connection with the royal family; nevertheless, I do not concern myself with them. My life does not revolve around the royals.
