Thanks for the link. It helps soothe my rage to read articulate, sensible analysis, especially stuff that focuses on the point Mantel was actually trying to make!
I almost replied directly to your post, but thought I'd better make a post of my own in order to share it with as many as possible.
(By the way, what with all these people jumping in to defend poor Kate - has anyone bothered to ask HER what she thinks? Of course, she probably wants to stay as far away from the kerfuffle as possible, but still... the way everyone is talking *about* her/defending her, rather proves the point.)
By the way, what with all these people jumping in to defend poor Kate
I made the mistake of reading some of the comments to a couple of the articles I read yesterday. Gah. Roughly 90% of the comments seemed to be "defending Kate" by attacking the author's looks. Which, point: totally missed.
Thanks for the link! I heard about the whole mess on NPR (national public radio) yesterday, and looked up her article when I got home. I have to say I still don't quite get what has the tabloids and the prime minister so worked up! I though she made some good points, and it's nice to see that Andrew Sullivan seems to get that. Maybe he actually read the article?
The whole thing is sort of odd from an american perspective. I don't really get royalty.
I though she made some good points, and it's nice to see that Andrew Sullivan seems to get that. Maybe he actually read the article? Oh yes, he'll have read it. And - despite a few blind spots - he is generally a thoughtful & intelligent sort of commentator. Which makes sense, given what he does.
The whole thing is sort of odd from an american perspective. I don't really get royalty. Basically it's something you have to be born (or marry) into. Like Beyonce's baby. You can't achieve it on your own. Like... being a Timelord. (Not going into anything more, am too tired...)
Oh, ITA re: Andrew Sullivan. I certainly don't always agree with everything he writes, but I usually find it interesting and well thought out. Even (oddly enough!) the stuff about his couch!
Basically it's something you have to be born (or marry) into. Like Beyonce's baby. You can't achieve it on your own.
I'm not sure what it says about the american public then that we have the Kardashians. CLearly nothing good!
Oh, ITA re: Andrew Sullivan. I certainly don't always agree with everything he writes, but I usually find it interesting and well thought out. Even (oddly enough!) the stuff about his couch! Must have missed whatever he said about his couch, but agree with you very much.
I'm not sure what it says about the american public then that we have the Kardashians. CLearly nothing good! You also get Obama. I think it's natures way of achieving balance...
It was from last fall, when they first moved to NYC. Since this was also right when the "storm of the century" hit and so many people were without power/ water/ transportation for quite a while his complaints about the wrong couch being delivered were perhaps not received in the spirit he intended. Still kind of funny though!
It was from last fall, when they first moved to NYC. How WEIRD. The text clearly says 'new york shitty' when I hover over it, yet it goes to a post called 'LA Confidential from 2005'. Anyways, I can vaguely remember the couch issue, but sort of forgot about it in amongst all the storm coverage. And yes, it's things like that which make him human. :)
I do feel sorry for royals - especially the modern ones. So many more ways to step wrong. So many more ways to be exposed. You have to isolate yourself, or be a machine - there is no in between.
I really enjoyed the Mantel article; thanks for sharing. It's probably terrible of me that the most interesting piece of it was IMO the section on Henry VIII and the reproductive travails of his wives. I'm currently reading Alison Weir's book on Henry and the Tudor court, so Mantel's reports of the most recent research is just fascinating. I find the current British royals less interesting. Maybe because there's less chance someone will be beheaded. ; )
It's also funny to view all this from the perspective of the US, where we have no royals, but our celebrities, sports figures, and the president's family fills the gap. (Honestly, if I have to look at one more tabloid cover bleating Jennifer Aniston's reproductive plans to the world, I might just burn down a newsstand).
As for the actual portrait of Middleton: I think it's just crummy artwork. I don't see "dead" eyes or a "tight" smile, just evidence of lack of portrait-painting skill. Where's Hans Holbein when you need him?
I really enjoyed the Mantel article; thanks for sharing. It's probably terrible of me that the most interesting piece of it was IMO the section on Henry VIII and the reproductive travails of his wives. Well she's a historian, so I don't think that's very surprising. *g*
I'm currently reading Alison Weir's book on Henry and the Tudor court, so Mantel's reports of the most recent research is just fascinating. I find the current British royals less interesting. Maybe because there's less chance someone will be beheaded. ; ) I can see your point...
It's also funny to view all this from the perspective of the US, where we have no royals, but our celebrities, sports figures, and the president's family fills the gap. We have celebrities too, of course, but I rather like having Royals. Even though it's not good for them.
Honestly, if I have to look at one more tabloid cover bleating Jennifer Aniston's reproductive plans to the world, I might just burn down a newsstand. I hear ya. We have... No, I won't even go into it.
As for the actual portrait of Middleton: I think it's just crummy artwork. Same here. Which is a shame. :(
I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I found out that Diana had died. I can't even say the same about 9/11 (I was at work and a co-worker was going off his rocker, but I don't remember much besides that). Diana's death seemed so unreal, and even fifteen-odd years later, I can still tell you everything about that day except maybe what I was wearing. And it wasn't like I had followed her life or cared about her all that much, but I remember feeling so stunned that she was dead, and under such horrible circumstances.
You would think someone with actual talent would've done the Middleton portrait. She's so pretty; how difficult can it be to create a nice painting of her? I hope somewhere down the line a better one of her is painted and the current thing is tucked into a back closet somewhere.
I will admit to a certain amount of obsession around Henry VIII at the moment. As I'm reading about all the intrigue and backstabbing and the rise and fall of so many people, I can't help thinking it's a good thing these people never had Facebook and Twitter. : )
I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I found out that Diana had died. Same here. (Just back from our honeymoon, staying at Darcy's parents'. His little brother (age... 11) woke us up with the news, and we were puzzled, yet figured that he couldn't have made it up. Very surreal.
Re. 9/11 we watched most of it unfold on the news, and it was horrible. My father had been to the twin towers once on a business trip, so it hit home in a very strange way.
You would think someone with actual talent would've done the Middleton portrait. She's so pretty; how difficult can it be to create a nice painting of her? It's very strange. And I'm sure there'll be hundreds over the years, so this one will probably be forgotten soon.
I will admit to a certain amount of obsession around Henry VIII at the moment. As I'm reading about all the intrigue and backstabbing and the rise and fall of so many people, I can't help thinking it's a good thing these people never had Facebook and Twitter. : ) Heh. Yes. Although they might have used it less considering that they might get beheaded for saying the wrong thing.
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(By the way, what with all these people jumping in to defend poor Kate - has anyone bothered to ask HER what she thinks? Of course, she probably wants to stay as far away from the kerfuffle as possible, but still... the way everyone is talking *about* her/defending her, rather proves the point.)
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I made the mistake of reading some of the comments to a couple of the articles I read yesterday. Gah. Roughly 90% of the comments seemed to be "defending Kate" by attacking the author's looks. Which, point: totally missed.
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The whole thing is sort of odd from an american perspective. I don't really get royalty.
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Oh yes, he'll have read it. And - despite a few blind spots - he is generally a thoughtful & intelligent sort of commentator. Which makes sense, given what he does.
The whole thing is sort of odd from an american perspective. I don't really get royalty.
Basically it's something you have to be born (or marry) into. Like Beyonce's baby. You can't achieve it on your own. Like... being a Timelord. (Not going into anything more, am too tired...)
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Basically it's something you have to be born (or marry) into. Like Beyonce's baby. You can't achieve it on your own.
I'm not sure what it says about the american public then that we have the Kardashians. CLearly nothing good!
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Must have missed whatever he said about his couch, but agree with you very much.
I'm not sure what it says about the american public then that we have the Kardashians. CLearly nothing good!
You also get Obama. I think it's natures way of achieving balance...
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It was from last fall, when they first moved to NYC. Since this was also right when the "storm of the century" hit and so many people were without power/ water/ transportation for quite a while his complaints about the wrong couch being delivered were perhaps not received in the spirit he intended. Still kind of funny though!
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How WEIRD. The text clearly says 'new york shitty' when I hover over it, yet it goes to a post called 'LA Confidential from 2005'. Anyways, I can vaguely remember the couch issue, but sort of forgot about it in amongst all the storm coverage. And yes, it's things like that which make him human. :)
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FWIW I intended to link to this http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/threads/new-york-shitty/
But yup. It's issues like the Wrong Couch or whining about NYC that make him human for sure!
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It's also funny to view all this from the perspective of the US, where we have no royals, but our celebrities, sports figures, and the president's family fills the gap. (Honestly, if I have to look at one more tabloid cover bleating Jennifer Aniston's reproductive plans to the world, I might just burn down a newsstand).
As for the actual portrait of Middleton: I think it's just crummy artwork. I don't see "dead" eyes or a "tight" smile, just evidence of lack of portrait-painting skill. Where's Hans Holbein when you need him?
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Well she's a historian, so I don't think that's very surprising. *g*
I'm currently reading Alison Weir's book on Henry and the Tudor court, so Mantel's reports of the most recent research is just fascinating. I find the current British royals less interesting. Maybe because there's less chance someone will be beheaded. ; )
I can see your point...
It's also funny to view all this from the perspective of the US, where we have no royals, but our celebrities, sports figures, and the president's family fills the gap.
We have celebrities too, of course, but I rather like having Royals. Even though it's not good for them.
Honestly, if I have to look at one more tabloid cover bleating Jennifer Aniston's reproductive plans to the world, I might just burn down a newsstand.
I hear ya. We have... No, I won't even go into it.
As for the actual portrait of Middleton: I think it's just crummy artwork.
Same here. Which is a shame. :(
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You would think someone with actual talent would've done the Middleton portrait. She's so pretty; how difficult can it be to create a nice painting of her? I hope somewhere down the line a better one of her is painted and the current thing is tucked into a back closet somewhere.
I will admit to a certain amount of obsession around Henry VIII at the moment. As I'm reading about all the intrigue and backstabbing and the rise and fall of so many people, I can't help thinking it's a good thing these people never had Facebook and Twitter. : )
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Same here. (Just back from our honeymoon, staying at Darcy's parents'. His little brother (age... 11) woke us up with the news, and we were puzzled, yet figured that he couldn't have made it up. Very surreal.
Re. 9/11 we watched most of it unfold on the news, and it was horrible. My father had been to the twin towers once on a business trip, so it hit home in a very strange way.
You would think someone with actual talent would've done the Middleton portrait. She's so pretty; how difficult can it be to create a nice painting of her?
It's very strange. And I'm sure there'll be hundreds over the years, so this one will probably be forgotten soon.
I will admit to a certain amount of obsession around Henry VIII at the moment. As I'm reading about all the intrigue and backstabbing and the rise and fall of so many people, I can't help thinking it's a good thing these people never had Facebook and Twitter. : )
Heh. Yes. Although they might have used it less considering that they might get beheaded for saying the wrong thing.