royal wedding, american response, and my thoughts

nothing capitalized in the title seems appropriate at this point.

I did not rise at 4am to see the wedding. Yes, I have a great love for Wales and all (well, most) things Welsh. The prince (not really being Welsh) does not fit into this same deep passion - yet. So, the wedding was not of interest to me.

Furthermore, I am an American of the breed that still considers our rebellion against the crown, and the what it stood/stands for as a good thing. So, once again my egalitarian proclivities made the world's hub-bub over a wedding of two young people seem silly.

Stopping at the grocery store today the checker and the bagger were two older black ladies. They both chattered to me about the royal wedding. The checker said "I went to England today." Now  she merely meant she stayed up all night and spent her day watching the ceremony and the post ceremony, and the replays and all. I found myself intrigued by this interest in the royal wedding on the part of two older African American women in Lynn, MA.

So I ask myself, what is this interest? and is it good?

Is it romanticism driven by the knight upon the white horse and perfect happy ending picture, which drew these women to the royal wedding?

Or is it the crude greed of capitalism creating this romantic picture, for a good advertising moment, and willingly posing it against the values of the American spirit.


Does this wedding give hope that the common person can rise up from the bottom to reach high dreams, or does it create a dreamy lottery ticket version of that same hope? 


Does this wedding remind us of the beauty and integrity of marriage, or create a retreat from the hard work of relationships into the escapist world of romance novels?


Does this wedding remind us of the commonality and equality of all people - that we all put our wedding garments on in the same way, and share the same need for companionship or does it distance us from a certain set of our fellow human beings, by setting a standard of elegance, and earthly perfection no one else will be able to attain?

It is possible that is does good for one person, and sets up a poor identity for another. So the event is neither good for the world, nor bad, but some small combination of both.

These are my thoughts, and my critiques, and my night ramblings. 

One of the two elderly black ladies at the grocery store mentioned that she was getting married soon. 


I said, "Your wedding is going to be better than the royal wedding." and I meant it.