Why do Americans give a crap about the British royal family?

Americans is an unfair generalization. I’m American, I don’t give a damn.

And really, the Diana stuff? Don’t be like that, she was an amazing humanitarian and worked very hard for a lot of needy people. She wasn’t just some drunk and wild royal. She was a person, and one that was worth a damn. And Paul McCartney contributed a great deal to England he’s a legend, and I don’t even like his music. Honestly, you’re the first person I’ve heard mention any of those names or events in the last few years.

Some people do want to rid the country of the monarchy, others don’t. They are the only Western monarchy still around but they’re still a very big part of the culture and the country. If you’re not from there, why do you even care if Americans care about the British?

They are like celebraties . Why would people give a crap about Britney Spears life? Nothing fascinating about her life either, jail, drug abuse, breaking the laws, dancing on poles, party.. nothing interesting either.
I read the news in Britain ocassioanlly. They do talk on petty stuffs about the royal family such as the prince and princesses results on A levels. Apparently so far no one had scored full As in A-level for the Royal family. Prince William scored A , B and C. Cant remmeber what subs they are but i remmeber A for geography. Don’t quote me.

It’s a fact of human nature. People are just curious about the rich and famous because their lives are foreign to most of us. I was in a waiting room the other day reading one of those tabloid magazines and they actually have photographs of famous people shopping and doing normal stuff with captions that read “She buys animal crackers!”. That, to me, is weird.

Because im curious as to why asmonet.

It’s not weird ccrash, it’s evolutionary. Very, very, basically… We admire and attempt to emulate the most powerful monkey we can find as a way of establishing social hierarchies and finding our own identities. That whole section of ‘JUST LIKE US!’ crap is playing directly to the fact that we want to be seen as having something in common with these supposedly powerful figures. That’s why they are able to spark trends – Victoria Beckham hairstyle anyone? It’s kind of silly. They’re basically just the biggest monkeys in the jungle. I’m not saying everyone adheres to that consciously, but it’s pretty much true to some degree for everyone.

@buster: Doesn’t really answer the question but see my answer above.

Or, you know, you could just chalk it up to having second thoughts about that pesky little Revolution and accent envy.

People need someone to look up to. So happen that we are at a stage where we adore people with weird fashion and all. In the old days, we will look high upon people who can bring changes and significant importance to the society.

Beats me!

Oh, a lot of people are fascinated by royalty, and British royalty in particular. The reasons probably vary widely, from all the fairy-tale aspects of it to the alienness (just as little boys and girls are fascinated by each other’s parts that they don’t have) to our historic connection to just generally being an Anglophile, which many Americans are.

But any question that begins with “Why do Americans…” (or French people or Japanese or women or Latinos or old people or Republicans or whatever—fill in the group of choice) is already making a false assumption about everyone who fits some label, as if there were no diversity within the label. Anybody who thinks all Americans can be lumped together as holding a single opinion ought to take note of the recent election.

Oops I made a generalization. Why do some people give a crap about the British royal family?

The only one I ever cared about even a little bit was Diana. She was a wonderful person.

Being that they’re really nothing more than a gold filling in a mouth of decay, not much.

Us brits don’t like them just because they’re famous. In fact, I don’t think it’s comes from their fame at all – I don’t think you could compare it to following Britney Spears or the like. The monarchy is part of our history and culture – it’s been around since the ninth century, after all!

@asmonet, I think you’ll find the British Monarchy isn’t the only western monarchy still around. I know for sure Sweden has one, but a quick wiki shows there’s actually quite a few Monarchies still around.

Now that I think about it, it’s probably that kidney pie and all those blood puddings and bleed’n bangers that wet our appetites so. It’s for these culinary masterpieces that we put up with those inbred snobs!

@damien: Yeah I didn’t phrase that right and had no time to double check, thanks. I’m pretty sure they’re the only major western monarchy still left. How many times do the Swedish royals have any effect on world events?

Humans love watching other humans suffer. It’s schadenfreude, a german word meaning taking pleasure or delight in watching others’ suffering. With the Romans, it was the Gladiators. In past times, executions or public humiliation punishments. In modern times, it’s reality TV and celebrities.

As to why the British family is so often a target of such in America, I’m not too sure. I can understand a bit of it in England. I think some of it has to do with how charismatic and popular Diana was, and now people are watching her sons grow up and live. I’m pretty sure kings and queens have commonly been gossiped and popularized in the past.

The fascination long, long predates Diana. My grandparents had magazine pictures of little Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret on their wall. I had a Queen Elizabeth Coronation coloring book. It think it is the pageantry, the like of which we simply don’t have, not even in Hollywod. When is a limousine ever going to top a gilded coach drawn by a team of white horses? When is a trim suit, no matter how elegant, ever going to outclass an ermine robe and a jeweled diadem?

Royalty is rich with symbolism that can be appropriated—in paper crowns and sceptres, cardboard castles and make-believe coaches. Its long history provides a rich well of imagination and lore to draw upon. Just consider the folk tales and fairy tales we still love and read to our kids. They have been around for a very long time (no, they were not written by Walt Disney) and are still all about princes and princesses. Little girls fantasize about being princesses (look at the Halloween costumes!) and not presidents’ daughters. (Well, maybe that will change…wait until next Halloween; Halloween costumes are always an interesting barometer of contemporary culture.) Democracy simply does not have the romance and color of a monarchy.

There is also the extent to which (as Bruno Bettelheim pointed out) a royal family provides a symbolic representation of the family and makes it easy to talk about children’s needs and fears with a little safe distance.

It’s the idea of royalty that grips us, as witness the immense catalog of books and films that have dealt in kings and queens of every age and place. The one major living example of it in our contemporary world is bound to be a magnet for our curious imagination.

lurve for ‘diadem’

There is still a political aspect to the Monarchy that is often over looked. This is that the monarchy is a base to the British political system that it has prevented extremist political elements taking control. The Monarch has the right to dismiss the government if it is in the best interests of the Britain. Examples of where the removal of a monarchical system has resulted in extremist politics is with the Nazis in Germany, the Communists in Russia, Franco in Spain, Mussolini in Italy (the King was a virtual prisoner), the removal of the Shah in Iran and revolutionary France. The armed forces are all loyal to the Monarch who is the head of the Army, the Royal Navy and the RAF. The fact that the Head of State is not elected is an advantage because they do not have to pander to an electorate. The Monarchy means that Britain has remained a moderate and well respected country around the World.

The Royal Family have anti freeze in their veins, in order to maintain the heart at just above absolute zero. Princess Diana was an incorrect biological choice being more mammalian than reptilian…......A very weird set of people, completely incapable of grasping the notion that their presence socially and politically is abhorrent to fair minded people the world over, they are are an injustice, fully sanctioned and fully institutionalised…they also have a habit of bestowing accolades upon profoundly reprehensible people…..very disturbing.