God Save the Queen

Something strange happened on the transition back from the United Kingdom to Middle Georgia. The level of ignorance was shocking. I wasn't expecting that. As Fareed Zakaria always says, "Let me explain".

I'm a Georgia redneck. Anybody that knows me knows that I don't speak properly. I don't even try anymore. Anyone that reads my blog knows that I don't know the rules of proper grammar. I never paid attention to English in school. I'm not proud of it, but that's the way it is.

And there's the point. I'm not proud of it. Yet so many people down here are. So, naturally, I commenced to thinking about this. And here's what I came up with.

In Amurica, we have this idea that all men are created equal. Somehow, this has transformed into the idea that anybody is as good as anybody else. (Well, unless you really are white trash and then you cling to the illusion that "those people" will never be as good as you are. Even if they do speak better, hold a college degree from a first-rate university and become President of the United States.) This, in turn, has somehow transformed into the bizarre notion that all ideas are created equal. That your thoughts, manners and tastes are just as good as anybody's. Even when they clearly are not.

And who's to argue? In America, nobody. In the United Kingdom, the Queen. In the United Kingdom (it's hard to not just say England), the Queen is the standard. She speaks properly. She acts properly. She is properly. You may be a great person -- educated, smart, kind and articulate -- but you have a standard to live up to in the UK. A standard of behavior to emulate. In America, you get to pick your own hero. Your own standard. Your own model. Even if you pick poorly.

I met plenty of normal people in the Untied Kingdom; "Commoners". Hard-working people. Gracious people. Of all races and ethnic backgrounds. I even met a religious nutcase. Not one of them was proud of being ignorant. They were proud of being English, Scot, Welsh, Arab, Catholic, "Scouse" and Londoners. But they were never proud of being ignorant (and most of them weren't.) I wish that were true of where I live.

No, I don't want a Queen. But I could do with a little less ignorance. Hey! That reminds me; How 'bout them Dawgs!??

Don Brown
August 1, 2014