I don't understand why people are sad when a famous person dies. Death is the ultimate retirement and I have been trying to be inactive since I was born. Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96. She was the eighth Queen of England, a thorn in the side of several nonwhite countries, and the reason why immigrant mothers like my own defended Princess Diana. The internet is deeply divided between those who love her and those who hate her. The tweets are pretty funny but not intentional.
The Queen is no longer alive. She had a good run and I didn't know her, so why should I cry on her? Europeans have been upsetting nonwhite Canadians for at least a century and a half. Have you ever seen a shepherd's pie and a chicken pot pie in the same place? You need to. The thing becomes a whole thing. Many people are devastated about her death. We are going to celebrate her long life for at least a week.
Her wealth and influence persisted entirely because of colonialism.
The death of Queen Elizabeth, unlike those of other famous older women, signals almost nothing for the day-to- day lives of people around the world; it might mean some changes for how we view the monarchy, but politically, her death is a non event. We were correct when we said that the case would be overturned. The civil rights movement lost a queer activist earlier this spring. The death of activist and writer Barbara Ehrenreich at the beginning of the month meant one less voice of reason in the public discourse of socialism, feminism, and community.
Queen Elizabeth did not want to be frozen to death in order to be brought back during the fall of civilization so she could take more of her jewels.
Is I bitter? I don't pay attention. There is something sad about mourning a woman who has been running a genocidal organization. Some people argue that you can grieve the individual without mourning the empire. Queen Elizabeth didn't just profit from the pillaging and racial evisceration of her ancestors, but she was an active participant as well. Her wealth and influence continued despite the atrocities of her family's past because of colonization.
It's nice to show Queen Elizabeth as a softer member of the monarchy. It isn't like she wasn't alive during the time of British exceptionalism, or the political unrest it caused. The people who were children when the British ruled their countries are still alive. The economic, geographic, and cultural impacts of British colonialism are still being wrestled with by countries like India and Pakistan.
There are many photos and videos of the Queen visiting her former colonies, with locals admiring her as if her legacy doesn't matter at all. The inmates are grateful to be in the presence of such wealth and ambivalence. Why did she return to India, Canada, and then to Africa? Her reach would always extend to their shores.
Nations impacted by the British Empire have a hard time owning their histories. The empire wasn't organically grown. Their wealth was taken in the form of labor from people who were enslaved. It was possible for Elizabeth to give the wealth back. She could have become the royal who gave back what was taken. She didn't and that wasn't a mistake.
What global value do you have if your relevancy is tied entirely to what your family has stolen?
The Queen was significant in the past. She followed in the footsteps of the royals, who thought they knew how to run countries better than natives. People wore blackface at her parties. She was a significant part of the history. She was too important to England and the Commonwealth to be canceled. Canada is still obsessed with her, and we cut ourselves off from her in the late 1970s. The monarchy is represented in the federal government. She is featured on our green bills. Everyone else is making fun of us.
The Queen didn't have a lot of political power by the time she died. Her influence waned as her popularity waned. Is that power only through destruction? If your family has stolen from you, what global value do you have?
We all agree that symbols are important. We don't need to grieve when historical figures die. Most of us agree we don't need to keep swastikas around in order to remember the Holocaust. White people took another thing from Hindus. The British Empire has a long history of racist violence, which is why you can't go to all the Jubilees and celebrate all the sesquicentennials. The Queen is a symbol of destruction just like she is a symbol of glamour and wealth. It is an unforgettable reality for most of us, but that doesn't mean we will celebrate it.
The empire has a long history of racism. The treatment of the royal family and the firm made it clear that the monarchy didn't learn anything. If the Queen told the tabloids to stop harassing the only nonwhite member of her family, they would bend at the knees. She went against the party line. Are you in the 90s? What is the purpose of this thing?
If you’re sad about the Queen, no matter your nationality, it requires some deep introspection. What are you sad about?
Liz Phair is being praised for being the original girl boss, despite the fact that British soldiers tortured and killed thousands of people in the ’50s. We are only beginning to understand the abuses that took place in the British Empire; documents that were thought to be lost but reappeared in 2011. The Queen didn't apologize for the crimes she did in her name. She was the head of the firm.
I have been visiting family in Canada for the last two weeks and it is the perfect time to visit the Commonwealth. The native Kashmiri community is still reeling from the effects of Partition. The Queen hasn't been held in high esteem by my family because my dad was born three years after the British left. If anyone should care about her death, it should be an Indian Canadian with a Napoleon complex who likes gilded chairs. He didn't like the way she should have returned the diamond to India. He said he knew she wouldn't. I guess the royals want my dad to have a heart attack and for my mom to scream at me because white women don't look good in flashy jewelry in the first place.
If you are sad about the Queen, you need to ask yourself a lot of questions. Are you sad about something? What do you think happened to us? A piece of history? There was a time when whiteness, wealth, and European domination were more visible than they are today. Are you nostalgic for a time when things were simpler? The monarchy is no longer functioning and the Queen is no longer alive. The world is moving on from what the monarchy took. Do you want me to be sad that the Queen died? It's a good idea to pass. Don't cry for something that doesn't matter.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
