I'm a few days late on this one, but it's been a busy week!
Monday, I was in the vicinity of a television airing the "breaking coverage" of Prince George's birth and realized that I've moved beyond not caring. I no longer even care about not caring.
I'm not trying to make a competition out of how apathetic I can be about the royal family. I've just realized that maybe this is a way to stop the onslaught of coverage. Think about it. The reason these types of stories get so much coverage isn't only because a lot of people care. It's because a lot of people enjoy pointing out the ridiculousness of the people who do care.
If you look closely, many stories have an underpinning of mockery as they show the candles, cakes, and roadside vigils. The newspaper here in Chicago featured a second generation royal family devotee who was congratulated on Facebook as if she was the one who gave birth. How many people watching the news identify with people like this woman, and how many just want to feel superior by realizing how silly and hollow this type of behavior is? I'd wager most, especially in America, feel the latter. Either way, it's great for the news channels who can cover the story ambiguously and appeal to both camps.
There are always going to be people who care deeply about things things that lack the importance for widespread coverage or debate. There are always going to be people who care if the royal baby's first car seat was improperly secured. Let them. There is an American Girl Doll store by us on Michigan Ave. I've walked by and seen adult woman carrying their dolls into the store to buy new
outfits. I can't identify, but this doesn't mean I want air time devoted to critiquing the phenomenon; especially with as many things going on that we do need to know about.
Ernest Wilkins' has the right idea with 10 things we should be talking about instead of the Royal Baby. Yes, the birth is a positive story. But like a prehistoric religion teaching little more than grade-school morality, there are healthier and more productive ways to achieve the same result.
Related Links:
If you don't mind colorful language, Doug Stanhope summarizes the existence of a royal family beautifully.
Another NSFW, but hilarious analogy (Yes, "hilarious" Louis CK), is this video by Jon Lajoie, "&^% Everything". At the end of the song, he realizes that in order to be consistent he can't give a &^% about saying "&^% everything".
Related Links:
If you don't mind colorful language, Doug Stanhope summarizes the existence of a royal family beautifully.
Another NSFW, but hilarious analogy (Yes, "hilarious" Louis CK), is this video by Jon Lajoie, "&^% Everything". At the end of the song, he realizes that in order to be consistent he can't give a &^% about saying "&^% everything".
